This abandoned hospital outside Boston, Massachusetts was originally conceived as a place to help people with mental health issues. But it wound up doing a lot of harm.

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/medfield-state-hospital

Joe Magarac is a folk hero that allegedly was born from the stories of immigrant steelworkers in the early 20th century. He is the Paul Bunyan of Steel Country. But is the legend of Joe Magarac an American immigrant folk story or is he the product of the imagination of writers and the steel executives?

Last month, we asked you for stories about your first trips abroad. That really struck a chord – we got too many great stories to fit in a single episode. So today, we’re sharing MORE of your stories from your first international trips. This time we hear about traveling abroad for the first time to Italy, Slovenia, Canada, and Norway.

Plus: We want to hear your stories about traveling to see an event that you’ve been wanting to experience in person. That could be last year’s Olympics in Paris or visiting New Orleans to experience Mardi Gras for the first time. Or something totally different, like going to a special convention with an esoteric concept. Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave us a message telling us your story. Or better yet, record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com.

For half a century, horse diving was one of Atlantic City’s biggest attractions. One day in August 1964, a young girl attended one of these shows, and witnessed something that would change her life forever. 

Read Diana Hubbell’s story about horse diving in Atlantic City.

Dylan and producer Johanna take your questions.     

Have a question for Dylan? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message. You can also record a voice memo and email it to us at Hello@AtlasObscura.com, or simply send your question via email. 

And if you want to listen to Dylan’s episodes about getting shipwrecked in Antarctica, check out Beechey Island Graves Part I and Part II. 

One of Australia’s greatest stories of escape and survival centers around this rock formation in Point Lonsdale. 

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/buckleys-cave

In 1998, a giant drawing of an Aboriginal man mysteriously appeared in the Australian Outback. Some locals were thrilled. Others wanted it destroyed. Producer Elah Feder goes looking for the culprit, and is led to a key piece of the puzzle – but not one she expected.

Every summer, along a 15 mile stretch of the Alabama coastline, an almost magical natural phenomenon washes up on the beaches. Hundreds of fish and sea creatures usually hidden in the deep swim towards the shore. Locals call it the Mobile Bay Jubilee – and the jubilees are hard to predict and activate a different side of these coastal communities. 

A traveler in Vang Vieng, Laos writes a letter to a fellow traveler. This essay was edited by Lenora Todaro and originally appeared in Off Assignment. 

Sasquatch is Southern. And its cultural and economic impact in Appalachia is sizable. Today, we bring you an episode of The Broadside, a podcast produced by WUNC in Durham, NC.

Appalachia is Bigfoot territory. In a big way. Today, we give you a taste of The Broadside, a podcast produced by WUNC in Durham, NC. In this episode, you'll hear about the mythical beast's legend, lore and sizable economic impact in the region. And follow one reporter’s journey through the mountains and foothills of western North Carolina in search of Sasquatch. Featuring Emily Cataneo, reporter for The Assembly. Check out Emily's story on Appalachian Bigfoot culture at The Assembly here.

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This memorial marks the life of a pup who sparked riots over animal rights issues in London.

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/brown-dog-statue

If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to run away and join the circus, this episode is for you. Dylan talks with Jack Lepiarz, also known as Jacques Ze Whipper, about how he created a life for himself on the Renaissance Festival circuit. 

Learn more on Jack’s website. 

When Peter James first stumbled on the Lowfield Heath Windmill, it was falling apart. Determined to save it, he embarked on a years-long effort with the town that would lead to its complete deconstruction before being rebuilt somewhere new.

Find out how you can visit the Lowfield Heath Windmill or donate to its ongoing restoration efforts.

In the 1980s, a team of Soviet scientists dug a hole in the Earth’s crust so deep that they reached Hell… complete with high temperatures, unexplained happenings, and even the tortured screams of damned souls. At least, that’s what a popular urban legend at the time claimed. Dylan and producer Amanda McGowan explore the origins of this legend – and the real-life scientific quest that inspired it. 

We don’t know what the Kola Borehole really sounds like, but Dutch sound artist Lotte Geeven has recorded the sound of another super deep hole (in Germany). Not quite horror movie screams, but pretty cool!

Ready to go down the Kola superdeep rabbit hole? Some more links:

“The deepest hole we have ever dug” (via the BBC) 

“Inside the deepest artificial hole on Earth” (via Orion magazine)

Snopes debunks the “Well to Hell” myth

On the US side of things: “How an ill-fated undersea adventure in the 1960s changed the way scientists see the Earth” (via Vox) 

Some updates on the “digging to the center of the Earth” front: “Scientists drill deeper into Earth’s mantle than ever before” (via Smithsonian) 

Listener stories about traveling abroad for the first time – from a trip to Germany in 2020, to a chalet in Switzerland in 1986, to a trip to Iran just before the Shah revolution. 

Plus, we want to hear your stories of traveling with a significant other for the first time. Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave us a message telling us your story. Or better yet, record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com.

The Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka, Missouri was founded by zoologist and wildlife TV host Marlin Perkins and was home to an extraordinary wolf who gives us hope for the future of wolf survival. 

Zach Stafford found great career success at a very young age – he’s a writer, producer, and co-host of the news & culture podcast Vibe Check. His intense work schedule has taken him all over America, and each of the cities and towns he found himself in has shaped him in some way. And through it all, Zach has been searching for a very specific feeling.

In the year 1329, a woman named Christine Carpenter was enclosed in a tiny cell in the walls of a church in Shere, England. She was expected to spend the rest of her life praying in almost complete isolation. But the reason we know her name is that she did something very unusual – she broke out.

Learn more about our guest Professor Diane Watt’s work about the lives of medieval women in England, and about St. James’s Church in Shere.  

Dylan and producer Gabby Gladney dive into the colorful world of art cars, from Houston’s epic parades to DIY creations in Minneapolis. 

Then, Dylan talks to his own father about the multiple art cars they’ve had over the years. 

Writer Joshua Rigsby takes a very strange journey into the birthplace of Cabbage Patch Kids. After he returns, he can never look at the dolls the same way again.  

Read Joshua’s essay about his trip to BabyLand General Hospital, and check out his bookstore, Pretty Good Books.

We’re (almost) back! And we want to hear your New Year’s travel resolutions. 

Send a voice memo to hello@atlasobscura.com. Or, give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message.

For a brief period the small frontier city of Sioux Falls, South Dakota drew in socialites and celebrities who were desperate to end their marriages.

Ultimate slow travel adventurer (and friend of the show) Bernie Harberts returns to tell us what happened when he spent months floating alone at sea. Bernie is also an author and filmmaker. 

You can read more about Bernie's travels at his website www.riverearth.com.

The 1980s birthed a gleaming creature that spread its wings of scrap wood and glass over the intersection of two iconic Brooklyn, NY neighborhoods for thirty years. 

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/broken-angel

On the tiny Kinmen Island, a bow-tie-shape strip of land between China and Taiwan, sits a giant weaponized wall of sound that still stands--and still broadcasts--today.

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/beishan-broadcast-station-art

This garden in Lynchburg, Virginia is the key to unlocking the writing and mind of Harlem Renaissance poet Anne Spencer.

Just a little check in. Plus: We want to hear your stories of traveling with a significant other for the first time – the good, the bad, and the strange.

You can send an email or voice memo to hello@atlasobscura.com. Or, give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message.

A listener in Lawrence, Kansas takes us on his journey of discovering the secrets of his hometown.

Dylan sits down with guest Blake Pfeil about what inspired him to begin exploring abandoned spots, what those spaces have taught him about escapism, sobriety and the sometimes blurry line between real and unreal that he finds there. 

MORE: Blake is an artist and adventurer. He’s also the creator and host of the podcast “Abandoned: All-American Ruins.” Check it out here.

We visit a park in Palo Alto, California, home of the world’s most famous donkey. 

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-donkeys-of-barron-park-palo-alto-california

An industrial water tank-turned-concert hall in the high deserts of Colorado is nothing less than a sonic wonder of the world. 

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-tank-rangely-colora

These documents highlight the intellectual legacy of an ancient civilization based in Timbuktu, Mali.

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/timbuktu-manuscripts-mali

A small bit of news, and a request. To ask Dylan your question, send an email or voice memo to hello@atlasobscura.com. 

Or, give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message.

A map in the archives of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library in Portland, OR may be the key to finding buried treasure that has yet to be found. 

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/buried-treasure-portland-oregon

Today, we’re sharing an episode from our friends at Terrestrials, a Radiolab spinoff show for families that explores strangeness on Earth. In this episode, host Lulu Miller visits some of our planet’s most magical tree stumps – which are anything but dead.   

Plus: Cast your vote in Radiolab’s quasi-moon naming contest! Voting is open until January 1.

Writer and friend of the show Colin Dickey tries to destroy Dylan’s holiday cheer with arguments about why Christmas is actually full of monsters from around the world. 

(Just a note for parents listening with little ones, Dylan and Colin talk frankly about Santa and his surrounding lore.)  

Check out Colin’s Atlas Obscura column, Eerie Feeling. 

Places editors Michelle Cassidy and Diana Hubbell take us on a tour of two mildly disturbing yet lovable works of art. 

Plus: If you have a piece of public art that you love to hate – or if you’ve created a work of public art that’s caused a stir – we want to hear from you. Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message telling us your name and story. You can also record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com.

Dylans answers a slew of questions from staff and listeners.

Plus: Do you have a question for Dylan? Send us an email or voice memo to hello@atlasobscura.com. Dylan may answer your question in an upcoming episode!

Our first international trips can be hugely influential. We want to hear your stories about leaving your home country for the first time. Where did you go?  How did you prepare? What memories do you have from the trip? Maybe you loved it… or maybe you hated it! Either way, we want to hear about it. And if you are about to take your first trip this coming year, we want to know how you’re feeling leading up to it. 

Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave us a message, or better yet, record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com

Larry Spring’s Museum of Common Sense Physics in Fort Bragg, California begs the question: What do you do with a science museum where the science preserved inside is a kind of folk art?

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/larry-spring-school-common-sense-physics

As the winter solstice and Yule are upon us, we are celebrating these Pagan holidays by talking about the iconic image of the witch, with Pam Grossman -- friend of the show, curator, writer and host of the podcast The Witch Wave.

How one man made someone else's trash into his own treasure ... and how it became a storied part of a New Jersey town.

Every year, hundreds of boats circle the waterways of the eastern United States on The Great Loop. But Mike Straub took a different approach, riding over 6,000 miles alone on a JetSki.

Check out Mike’s YouTube channel and his book, Y WAIT: Experience America's Great Loop.

Listeners share stories of memorable encounters with strangers – for better or for worse.

Plus: We want to hear your stories about your first international trip. Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave us a message telling us about the first time you traveled abroad. Or better yet, record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com.

This week, we’re presenting Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto Rico. 

Rising singer-songwriter Andrea Cruz shares how she fell in love with folk music as a young girl in Aibonito. We hear about how the plants, birds and animals of Puerto Rico have shaped the fabric of her work, and the profound ways in which her art connects her to the island she calls home. Hollywood film director Miguel Arteta recalls his colorful childhood in Río Piedras, shares the Puerto Rican role model who inspired him to pursue a creative career, and teases his upcoming project, which is set on the island of birth.

Subscribe to Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto Rico wherever you get your podcasts.

This week, we’re presenting Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto Rico.  

Oscar-nominated screenwriter and playwright José Rivera shares with us his rich memories, both old and new, of his time in Puerto Rico: of spiders, thunderstorms and a deep sense of community in his childhood town of Espino. We hear about the joy of watching one of his plays performed in Santurce alongside the family members who inspired it, and how the island has been a constant source of inspiration that has enriched so much of his work. 

Subscribe to Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto Rico wherever you get your podcasts. 

Many people moved to Granbury, Texas for the peace and quiet. Then, a noisy neighbor moved in – and strange things began happening in town.  

Read Andrew’s original reporting about the bitcoin mine and Granbury, Texas. 

The Ether Dome in Boston was once filled with the screams of patients undergoing painful surgeries. In 1846, everything changed with the first successful use of anesthesia, transforming medicine forever. Dylan explores the room where pain-free surgery began.

The Ether Dome is part of the Innovation Trail, which highlights four centuries of world-changing breakthroughs from Boston.  

Mohawk ironworkers built many of New York City’s iconic skyscrapers. But simultaneously, they were also building a lesser known neighborhood of their own in downtown Brooklyn – one that would become home to hundreds of Mohawk families.   

Learn more about Reaghan Tarbell’s documentary, Little Caughnawaga: To Brooklyn and Back. 

This week and next, we’re presenting Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto Rico.

The Río Piedras-based comedy band Los Rivera Destino talk about their musical childhoods, how making a music video in Bayamón changed their lives and careers forever, and the extremely unlikely place that has become their source of inspiration. Award-winning author Jaquira Díaz shares how salsa, bacalaítos and coquís defined her time growing up in the east coast towns of Humacoa and Fajardo. We also hear the wild story her grandmother told about aliens in El Yunque, and Jaquira describes the incredible sense of adventure she feels every time she explores the island.

Subscribe to Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto Rico wherever you get your podcasts.

Today and tomorrow, we’re presenting Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto Rico.  

Legendary actress, singer, dancer and EGOT winner Rita Moreno shares memories of sugar cane, coquís and parrandas during her idyllic childhood in Humacao and Juncos. We hear about her recent trips back with Lin-Manuel Miranda, and how she almost turned down West Side Story because of her loyalty to the island. Dub star innovator Pachy García (aka Pachyman) opens up about growing up in Guaynabo’s vibrant reggae scene, the integral role Puerto Rico plays in his music now that he lives in Los Angeles, and the “unmistakable breeze” that greets him every time he comes back home to the island.

Subscribe to Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto Rico wherever you get your podcasts.

Producer Gabby Gladney sees her South Side Chicago neighborhood in a new light thanks to Mahogany Bus Tours, a local company sharing hidden histories around the city.

Read a profile of Dilla, and check out his TikTok.

In the 1880s, an eccentric California dentist gave away free public water fountains in the hopes they would encourage people to drink less alcohol. One of them went to the small town of Rockville, Connecticut, where it was… not well received. In fact, it was torn down, thrown in a local lake, torn down again… and so on.

Check out the Atlas entry for the Cogswell Fountain.

Listener stories about the places we’re thankful for – from a beloved neighborhood, to an odd and out-of-place house down the block, to a library that inspired one listener to become a writer herself.    

Plus, we want to hear your stories of memorable encounters with strangers. Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave us a message telling us your story. Or better yet, record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com.

Catoosa, Oklahoma is the cite of a massive landlocked whale - and possibly the greatest anniversary gift ever.

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/catoosa-whale

Journalist and food writer Evan Rail considers himself a beer guy, but when a mysterious bright green spirit started shaking up the scene in the Czech Republic (where he lives) in the 1990s, he knew he had to learn more. 

His latest book “The Absinthe Forger: A True Story of Deception, Betrayal, and The World’s Most Dangerous Spirit” looks back at the history of absinthe, why it was banned across Europe almost 100 years ago, and how its return to the market has inspired collectors, connoisseurs…and even conmen.

In August 1953, airstrip operator George van Tassel claimed he was woken up in the middle of the night by an intelligent lifeform from outer space named Solganda. George says Solganda told him to build an energy rejuvenation machine – so that’s exactly what he spent the rest of his life doing…

For more information on visiting the Integratron check out their website. Plus, take a look at some photos from one of George van Tassel’s UFO conventions. 

If you want to learn more, George tells his version of the “encounter with Solganda” in a 1964 interview.

On a remote island 200 miles off the coast of Alaska, a community hunts for a single, elusive rat. 

Read Daniel Wu’s original reporting on the rat strike team. 

Thanks to Freesound user mmiron for the wave sounds in this episode. 

Places editors Michelle Cassidy and Diana Hubbell tell us about two real-world places that have been shaped by the internet.

Blame it on this time of year, but we've been ruminating a lot on the places we're thankful for. And we want to hear your thoughts for a future episode. What's a place that played a pivotal role in shaping your life? It can be a place you grew up, or a place you live in now. Maybe it's a park bench, or another place of community. Tell us about it, any stories behind it, and when and why you go there. Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message telling us your name and story. Just so you know, our mailbox will cut you off after two minutes so please call in again if you get disconnected. Or you can also record a voice memo and email it to us at Hello@AtlasObscura.com

The Wren’s Nest in Atlanta is both a museum and former home of journalist Joel Chandler Harris and a hub for modern storytellers.

Nate DiMeo, host and creator of The Memory Palace podcast, walks us through some of the rooms in his own personal memory palace. We visit his grandfather’s old nightclub outside Providence, a beloved family home, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Visible Storage Unit, and a one-of-a-kind collection of glass flowers at Harvard University.

Preorder a copy of Nate’s new book, The Memory Palace: True Short Stories of the Past.

Check out the Memory Palace podcast, and listen to the episodes Nate made while he was Artist-in-Residence at the Met.

During the early 20th century, malaria was ravaging the world. We hear the story of Dr. Charles Campbell, who had a plan to cure it. But as it turns out, his big idea was… rather batty.

In the 1980s, a group of friends on the track team at Sul Ross State University hauled a discarded dorm room desk to the top of a mountain. They left a notebook there to keep track of their run times and leave little notes for each other. Then… other people found it. And then… it started a tradition.

Visit the Atlas entry for the Sul Ross desk, and learn more about the archives containing the Sul Ross desk notebooks.

San Juan Sounds is an iconic studio where musicians, engineers, and quite possibly a music-loving ghost carry on the island’s musical traditions, which date back hundreds of years. 

This episode is produced in partnership with Discover Puerto Rico. 

Travel to Denver Colorado and meet Steve Berke who helped found the first International Church of Cannabis in 2015. 

Learn more about it here.

The San Francisco Cannabis Buyers’ Club was one of the first marijuana dispensaries in the country. Its members were people with AIDS, cancer, and other serious illnesses, and inside the club had stages, TV lounges, puzzles, and other things that would bring people together. Today, we meet the unexpected mix of gay rights organizers and cannabis advocates behind the club, and we hear about their unorthodox route to opening it – including why they tried to get busted by the police.

An ancient cemetery in western China may hold the answer to a question asked by many a stoner: where on Earth did humans first smoke weed to get high? 

Learn more about the cemetery in this 2019 paper in Science Advances. 

Keep up with Rob Spengler’s archaeobotany lab here.

In 1976, an airplane carrying 6,000 pounds of smuggled weed crashed into a remote lake in Yosemite. A group of climbers had a heyday. Read John Long’s account of the crash, and check out Greg Nichols’ reporting on the same subject. 

Plus: Where is the weirdest place you’ve ever cast a vote? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and tell us about your local unusual polling location. Or, record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com.

Cannabis is now legal in more than half of U.S. states, but it remains federally illegal – which makes doing research on the plant extremely difficult. Today, we meet a clever group of scientists who found their way around these laws… by literally driving around them.   

Learn more about the CannaVan, and check out some of Rasha and Emma’s original reporting.

A South Carolina ghost story is a harbinger of hurricanes and a window into history. Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/south-carolina-hurricane-ghost

In 1944, a strange spate of “gas attacks” in a small Midwestern town reveals what was really lurking in mid-century America. Read Colin Dickey’s article about the mad gasser, and check out his Monster of the Month series.

Listener stories about places that give off big creepy vibes – from an abandoned ice factory to a haunted university music building.

If you want to hear more about Luz Fleming’s ghost story, there’s a whole episode about it called Bennington Ghost Stories on a podcast called Yard Tales. 

To avoid traumatizing kids, many summer camps are banning scary stories. But can a little fun with fear be a good thing? 

Check out Roxanne Hoorn’s article about this fading tradition.

In 1976, a television crew filming an episode of the show “The Six Million Dollar Man” descended on a rundown funhouse in Long Beach, California. While filming, they accidentally broke the arm off a wax dummy. Except...it wasn't a wax dummy. It was a real body. The body of a notorious train robber from the early 1900s, named Elmer McCurdy. Check out the Atlas entry for Elmer McCurdy’s grave.  

For more information on Elmer, we recommend Mark Svenvold’s book “Elmer McCurdy: The Misadventures in Life and Afterlife of an American Outlaw.” 

The Smallest Mollusk Museum in New York City is part of a fleet of tiny museums that might just have a big impact on the world.

Kelly and Zach Weinersmith walk Dylan through the practicalities of making a home on the red planet. 

Check out their book A City on Mars everywhere books are sold.

Outside the French Quarter lies Hidden South, an antique shop like any other. And hidden amongst the oddities is a bathroom full of secrets.

Producer Alexa Lim visits a collection of natural aromas in Berkeley, California. She gets a whiff of some of the world’s lesser known smells, and stumbles down the rabbit hole of the hidden world of scents.

In the 1930s and 1940s, a young Black woman named Bessie Stringfield decided she’d strike out on her own and hit the road – and ended up crisscrossing the United States eight times, and becoming the first Black woman to ride a motorcycle through each of the lower 48 states. If she ran out of money, she’d join a circus. If she couldn’t find a place to stay, she’d sleep out under the stars. Read more about Bessie Stringfield in this Atlas Obscura article by Natalie Zarrelli. 

Check out the work of cartoonist Joel Christian Gill online.

For a brief period the small frontier city of Sioux Falls, South Dakota drew in socialites and celebrities who were desperate to end their marriages.

For more stories from the Divorce Colony, check out April White's book:The Divorce Colony: How Women Revolutionized Marriage and Found Freedom on the American Frontier.

Reporter Diana Hubbell brings us to an island off the coast of Georgia, and tells Dylan the story of ​​an eccentric heiress, a daring mission, and the fight for North America’s most unusual pig.

Read Diana’s James Beard Award-winning article called “Saving the Hogs of Ossabaw Island.”

Producer Talon Stradley takes us on a tour of three skinny houses – each with a big story inside. Do these skinny houses have you curious about spite houses? 

Check out that episode here. 

Comedian, actor, and podcaster Jacob Wysocki takes Dylan on a tour of a very special expo: The Reptile Super Show! 

Listen to Jacob’s full experience at the Reptile Super Show (and his journey to other expos) here.

We’re bringing you stories about places that you can no longer visit – this time we have stories about a hometown hangout spot, a beloved amusement park, a mural building in Queens, and a disappearing natural wonder. 

Plus: We want to know about places that give you the creeps. Places that get under your skin and give you that eerie feeling. Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message telling us your name and story. You can also record a voice memo and email it to us at Hello@AtlasObscura.com.

We go inside a place that some paranormal investigators call the most active haunted location in the world. Before it was known as the inspiration for Stephen King...the Stanley Hotel had a reputation -- and ghosts --  of its own.  Find more information about the Stanley Hotel and its events online.

This episode was produced with Visit Colorado. From culinary delights at world-class restaurants to unforgettable outdoor adventures, there's something for everyone to discover. Visit Colorado.com to start planning your getaway. 

The City Hall in Lincoln, Illinois has an unusual architectural appendage with a curious history. 

Read more about it here.

Traveling as a wheelchair user comes with some unique accessibility challenges, but Cory Lee has managed to visit 48 countries and all 7 continents. Cory is a travel blogger who shares his stories and tips for disabled travelers. He shares some of the most (and least) accessible destinations, hurdles he has encountered, and a few of his favorite memories from around the world. You can find Cory’s blog and group trips at CurbFreeWithCoryLee.com

The small mountain town of Spruce Pine provides nearly all of the ultra-pure quartz used to make the world’s semiconductors. When Hurricane Helene nearly wiped out the mines, it provided a stark wake-up call. Journalist Ed Conway joins Dylan to discuss what we can learn from this near-miss. 

Check out more of Ed Conway’s reporting and subscribe to his Substack here. To support disaster relief efforts in North Carolina, you can donate to vetted organizations here or here.

A group of seagull lovers in Belgium wants you to sympathize with these birds… by sounding just like them. 

After experiencing burn out, South Korean artist WoopsYang decides to take a rest and create an environment for others to space out… by having a competition.   

We want to know about places that give you the creeps. Places that get under your skin, give you that eerie feeling. And why? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message telling us your name and story. Just so you know, our mailbox will cut you off after two minutes so please call back in  if you get disconnected. You can also record a voice memo and email it to us at Hello@AtlasObscura.com

In Myrtle Beach, mini-golf is not so mini. They’re hosting the Mini-Golf Masters, where titans of the tiny game will compete to see who rises to the top. 

This episode was produced in partnership with Visit Myrtle Beach. Whether you’re a golfer or just looking to relax, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is 60 miles where you belong. Learn more at VisitMyrtleBeach.com

We head to the cliffs of Balneario El Condor in Argentina to visit a parrot city… and the parrot suburbs. And we meet the biologist who risks his life to study them. 

Learn more about the parrot colony and Juan Masello’s work. 

How 78 toilets exposed a Cold War secret in Carp, Ontario.

In the late 1980s, a goose named Andy was born without webbed feet. A local Nebraskan inventor made him a pair of customized baby shoes and grew to care for the goose. But then – Andy was murdered. Twenty years later, the inventor's granddaughter picks up the pieces. To learn more information about Andy the Goose, check out Jessica’s website. You can also find information about attending Jessica’s one-woman show in Hastings on October 19th here. And check out Atlas Obscura reporter Cara Giaimo’s original story about Andy from 2016 which helped crack open this case.

This summer we learned about a 15,000-year-old oak tree in California that was facing a potential housing development. Today, we learn its fate. Listen to our original episode about the Jurupa Oak here. Read Shannon Osaka’s article about the recent decision here.

This experimental automotive replica of Stonehenge has become a symbol of the town of Alliance, Nebraska. But residents haven’t always been fans.

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/carhenge

Every summer, more than 10,000 people flock to this Pennsylvania town for two weeks for the largest gathering of medieval arts and culture anywhere in the world. This episode was produced in partnership with GoUSATV based on a video series we do with them called Small Town Big Story. To see this massive battle for yourself, check out our video about Slippery Rock.  

We go to a central Wyoming town, just a couple hours from Yellowstone, that's appropriately named Thermopolis. City of Heat. It’s home to one of the largest mineral hot springs in the world. But it turns out this town of less than 3,000 is also home to so much more. It’s a literal melting pot — of boiling water, rich rock formations, bath robes and dinosaur bones. This episode was produced in partnership with GoUSATV based on a video series we do with them called Small Town Big Story.  To see some of the largest mineral hot springs in the world for yourself, check out our video about Thermopolis.