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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:

In Guyana, a Rebellion Thwarted by a Letter May 20, 2025

Show notes

In Guyana’s Square of the Revolution, a statue honors Cuffy, an Akan man from West Africa who became a legendary figure. Captured and enslaved by the Dutch in the colony of Berbice (present-day Guyana), Cuffy rose from house slave to revolutionary leader. But an act of civility would be the beginning of his downfall.

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The Places YOU Gained After the Pandemic May 19, 2025

Show notes

Earlier this month, the Atlas Obscura staff shared the places we gained during the pandemic. Now, we hear your stories – from a university that is an unlikely home for a certain critter, to a private community, to an arboretum and a chance encounter.

Plus: We want to hear from you for our next compilation episode! Pride month is coming, and we want to hear your stories about the places that celebrate LGBTQ+ history, and what they mean to you. Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message telling us your name and story. Or record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com.

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Chicago Bridge Houses (Classic) May 16, 2025

Show notes

Drawbridge operators in Chicago used to live at these specific homes nestled at the base of their bridges.

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The Man Who Rebuilds the Last Inca Rope Bridge May 15, 2025

Show notes

At the height of the Incan empire, a series of 200 woven suspension bridges crisscrossed the valleys of the Andes. Today, only one remains. It’s called the Q'eswachaka, and it’s rewoven every year by a continuous line of bridge builders.

Journalist Eliot Stein traveled to Peru to meet the current bridge builder, and to witness this incredible tradition. His book, Custodians of Wonder, chronicles traditions like these across the globe, and the people preserving them.

Plus: Listen to our episode all about the the world’s rarest pasta, or “threads of god.”

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Finding The Great Gatsby in Louisville May 14, 2025

Show notes

You might think of The Great Gatsby as a classic New York City novel – but the events that set off the action of the story actually take place somewhere else. In Louisville, Kentucky. It’s where Daisy and Gatsby first meet, and where Daisy marries Gatsby’s rival, Tom Buchanan (boo, hiss!) In today’s episode, we track down the footsteps of author F. Scott Fitzgerald, who spent two tumultuous months of his life near Louisville while stationed at an Army camp during WWI. And we’ll try to find the places that might have inspired his most famous work…

Plus: Track down Fitzgerald’s footsteps in Louisville and find events related to the 100th birthday of the Great Gatsby.

This episode was produced in partnership with Louisville Tourism.

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Saving the World’s Rarest Pasta May 13, 2025

Show notes

For 300 years, only a handful of women in Sardinia knew how to make the “threads of God,” an exceptionally intricate pasta. But then, one woman decided to share the recipe with the outside world.

Read Diana Hubbell’s article about the quest to save the world’s rarest pasta.

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Dylan’s Mailbag: Waiting in Lines, Traveling with Mixed Budgets, and Unexpected Layovers May 12, 2025

Show notes

Dylan and producers Johanna and Amanda take your questions. If you 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 email your question.

Plus: Listen to Dylan’s episode about how he learned to love Las Vegas.

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Medical Clowning Program (Classic) May 09, 2025

Show notes

The history of medical clowning extends back to Ancient Greece and the time of Hippocrates and is taught in workshops throughout the world.

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/medical-clowning-program-at-haifa-university

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That Time Locusts Ate The Entire Midwest May 08, 2025

Show notes

In the 1870s the Midwest experienced a devastating natural disaster in the form of… an enormous cloud of extremely hungry locusts. Dylan and producer Amanda discuss what happens when a cloud of locusts twice the size of Colorado descends on your town.

If you can’t get enough of Rocky Mountain Locusts check out our episode on Grasshopper Glacier!

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Club Ebony May 07, 2025

Show notes

We get a crash course in the Chitlin' Circuit, a network of entertainment venues for Black musicians during segregation. And we take a closer look at a special stop along the way: Club Ebony. It’s a place that still thumps with the blues of the past, even as it welcomes a new generation of musicians.

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