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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:

The Sul Ross Desk (Classic) Jul 27, 2026

Show notes

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.

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The Big Duck (Classic) Jul 24, 2026

Show notes

The story of a big idea, and a big duck – and how this duck would go on to become an important architectural landmark that would influence buildings all around the world. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/big-duck

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The Syrian Sweets Shop in Erdogan’s Turkey Jul 23, 2026

Show notes

Today we visit a baklava shop in Istanbul at the intersection of autocracy, violence and urban renewal. Kelly speaks with journalist Suzy Hansen, author of the book “ From Life Itself: Turkey and Istanbul in the Age of Erdogan” about a 2019 attack on a Syrian-owned sweet shop and what it says about Turkey today.

(Note: the sweet shop we discuss in this episode, El Nour, is still open today and can be found in Istanbul’s Karagümrük neighborhood, here is a link on Google Maps.)

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Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Museum (Classic) Jul 22, 2026

Show notes

We visit the Louisiana town where the infamous – but often misunderstood – couple’s story came to an end.

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/bonnie-and-clyde-ambush-museum

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The Everyman’s Science Museum Jul 21, 2026

Show notes

Step back in time with us at the Wagner Free Institute of Science and explore how this museum defies modernity, preserving its original mission of education and inclusivity since the 19th century.

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True Blue Places Jul 20, 2026

Show notes

Besides the sky, blue is a color you don’t often see in nature. It often signals poison, something artificial. True blue is astonishingly rare. But today, producers Amanda McGowan and Glydel Go take you to two places on opposite ends of the earth, with blues that feel almost otherworldly. We begin deep inside the Grand Canyon, at the Havasupai Indian Reservation, with a waterfall that is very much real, but feels magical. Then we look wayyyyyy down at Hinatuan Enchanted River, located in Surigao del Sur, Philippines.

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In The Heart Of NYC, A Refuge For Birds (Classic) Jul 17, 2026

Show notes

A hospital and rehab center for birds in Manhattan started with a woman who just wanted to do all she could to help an injured goose. Decades later, it has become an institution.

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/wild-bird-fund

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Checking Into Hotel Imperial with Deborah Cohen (Classic) Jul 16, 2026

Show notes

On the eve of the Second World War, there was one place that was the source for all good stories — the Hotel Imperial in Vienna. It exuded luxury and power, and also was the converging spot for foreign correspondents in the 1920’s and ‘30s who were warning the world about the rise of dictatorship. Historian and author Deborah Cohen takes us back in time and into the lives of these influential journalists.

MORE Check out Deborah’s book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/576473/last-call-at-the-hotel-imperial-by-deborah-cohen/

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Beyond the Game: Spotting Miss Manhattan Jul 15, 2026

Show notes

Her image is just about everywhere in New York City. But her name and story is rarely known. This is the story of America’s first supermodel Audrey Munson

Plus, if you find yourself in New York City, we would love to hear from you about your encounters with Audrey Munson. Tell us your thoughts and snap a picture with her. Give us a call at 315-992-7902, and leave us a message with your name and story. Or you can record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com.

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The (Real) Kool-Aid Man Jul 14, 2026

Show notes

In Hastings, Nebraska, the Kool-Aid man is a bit of a local legend. Not the anthropomorphic glass pitcher with a face who yells “Oh yeah” (though he’s part of the story too) but the original Kool-Aid man, Edwin Perkins, who invented the drink almost 100 years ago right here in Hastings.

This episode was produced in partnership with Visit Nebraska. Learn more about the Hastings Museum Kool-Aid exhibit here, and more here about the Kool-Aid Days festival which will take place this year August 14-16. We’ve also done an episode featuring Hastings before - The Goose Who Wore Nikes.

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