wishlist
Delicious Gifts for the Food-Obsessed
A gift guide from the Atlas Obscura team.
All Stories
moveable feasts
Inside the Diet That Fueled Chinese Transcontinental Railroad Workers
Denied the free meals of their Irish counterparts, Chinese laborers learned to thrive on their own.
glowing
Podcast: Fluorescent Rocks of Sterling Hill
A light show, courtesy of a historic New Jersey mine.
archives
The Quest to Preserve Syria's Cassette Tape Era
Keeping sounds, stories, and cultural memory alive through years of conflict.
steampunk
Unique Gifts for the Home
A giving guide from the Atlas Obscura team.
theater
Podcast: Bread and Puppet Museum and Theater
What is it like to have a radical puppet collective as a neighbor?
breakfast
The Wondrous History of the Waffle
From food frolics to pandan pastries, a guide through centuries of waffle love.
perfume
Unusual Gifts for Book Lovers
A giving guide from the Atlas Obscura team.
arctic circle
Canada's First Indigenous-Led Research Station Is a Symbol of Hope—And Our Climate Crisis
The Scotty Creek facility was part of an unprecedented First Nations effort to study and save the Arctic. Then the fire came.
family
Along New Zealand's Demon Trail, a Family Hunts for True 'Wildness'
A couple and their young daughter hike the South Island's Hollyford Track, enduring rough terrain and vicious sand flies for a glimpse of an untamed world.
moon trees
Podcast: Moon Trees
What has grown from seeds that were sent into space?
crosswords
Puzzle Monday: Tick Tock Stars Crossword
a seat at the table
How Thailand's 'Happiness Farmer' Built an Oasis of Simple Living
A revolution in food-growing, home-building, and seed-saving is afoot outside Chiang Mai.
boats
How Did a World War II Boat End Up at the Bottom of a California Lake?
The discovery, retrieval, and mysterious history of a ‘ghost boat.’
twins
The Psychology Behind Why Identical Twins Inspire Fascination—and Fear
A history of othering, experimentation, and mystery.
abbeys
From Space, Mont Saint-Michel Stars in a Wild Impressionist Painting
During the winter months, the iconic French site casts a perfect shadow on a bay full of history—and quicksand.
engastration
Celebrating the United States of Stuffing
Eric Kim explores the past, present, and future of Thanksgiving’s mightiest side dish.
great lakes
What Is Lake-Effect Snow?
A snowstorm that slammed into Western New York left more than six feet of snow in places. Blame the Great Lakes.
