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The Atlas Obscura Podcast — Places & Travel
The Atlas Obscura Podcast

Your guide to the world’s strange, incredible, and wondrous places. Kelly McEvers and a neighborhood of Atlas Obscura reporters transport you to a new wonder every day. Along the way, you’ll meet fascinating people and hear their stories.

Copyright: © 2024 Midroll Media

Latest Episodes:

Exploring Edinburgh’s Deserted Tidal Island Sep 16, 2025

Show notes

Since his childhood, Nick Dawson has been fascinated by Cramond Island, a deserted tidal island off the coast of Edinburgh, Scotland, which became for him a symbol of mystery and untapped adventure. In today’s episode, he finally gets to explore the island, learning about its nature and history, as he tries to get to the heart of why the place is so special.

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Goodbye, Summer Sep 15, 2025

Show notes

As the summer travel season officially closes, we share our favorite memories of the warm months – from minor league baseball games with unique traditions, to surviving travel with kids.

Plus, we want to hear your stories about traveling with your own kids – the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful. Give us a call at (315) 992-7902 and leave us a message. Or, you can record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com.

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Theatricum Botanicum (Classic) Sep 12, 2025

Show notes

A once-blacklisted Hollywood star created a magical theater in Topanga Canyon, California, that still endures and inspires today.

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/theatricum-botanicum

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Sweden’s Last Night Watchman Sep 11, 2025

Show notes

In Ystad, Sweden, every night at 9pm a night watchman scans the horizon for fires from the tower of St Mary’s Church, and sounds his trumpet to let the city know it is safe. This tradition goes back to the Medieval Ages. The Night Watchman of Ystad is one of the last keeping his tradition, and today his role has taken on an even bigger significance. Author and journalist Eliot Stein takes us through the evolution of the night watchman.

Read more in Eliot’s book, Custodians of Wonder.

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Who Put a Crack in The Glen Canyon Dam? Sep 10, 2025

Show notes

Utah bookseller Ken Sanders has spent his life fighting the Glen Canyon Dam. Inspired by a band of cowboy ecoterrorists in his favorite Western novel, The Monkey Wrench Gang, Ken's used his own blend of hijinks and illegal actions to free the Colorado River. For years he thought he'd failed. But these days, he sees a glimmer of hope that something big is about to change.

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Fordlandia Sep 09, 2025

Show notes

In the 1920s, Henry Ford decided to create a rubber plantation in the Amazon rainforest, and alongside it, a tidy little town for his workers: Fordlandia. With its classic American homes and yards, sidewalks and electric streetlights, Fordlandia was a Midwestern anomaly in the Brazilian jungle, one that dazzled American visitors. And it might have actually been a decent place to live – if it weren’t governed by Henry Ford’s rigid and peculiar rules for a wholesome society.

Read more in Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City by Greg Grandin.

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Dylan’s Mailbag: Work Travel, What to Read, and Solo Travel at 60 Sep 08, 2025

Show notes

Dylan and producers Amanda and Johanna take listener questions. If you have a question for our next mailbag episode, 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 email your question.

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NYC’s Favorite “Folk Sandwich” Sep 06, 2025

Show notes

We journey into New York City’s delis and bodegas, in search of a famous – and controversial – sandwich: the chopped cheese. This sandwich has become a cultural symbol and source of debate, and is so storied that some might call it a “folk sandwich.” Plus, we dig into the rich history of the corner store culture where the chopped cheese originated.

This episode was produced in partnership with NYC Tourism.

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Fenway Victory Gardens (Classic) Sep 05, 2025

Show notes

One of the last remaining World War II Victory Gardens in the U.S is quietly growing across from Boston’s Fenway Park.

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A Tour of Human Anatomy With Mary Roach Sep 04, 2025

Show notes

Mary Roach is an author of several books including Stiff and Fuzz. And her newest book, Replaceable You, explores the incredible advances and tough questions prompted by the human body’s failings. Mary takes us on a tour of our own anatomy – and what it takes to replace it.

Mary’s new book, Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy, will be out September 16 – preorder the book today!

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