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The carved message of CROATOAN, likely a note for rescuers, has also been fodder for supernatural speculation.
abandoned

The Lingering Mystery of the 'Lost Colony' of Roanoke

From historians to horror writers to white nationalists, attempts to explain the settlement's fate reveal a great deal about our own attitudes.
Colin Dickey April 2, 2025
For years, this slab engraved with the name "Charlotte Temple" and no other information drew crowds of mourners to the graveyard at New York's Trinity Church.
cemeteries

What Lies Beneath the Gravestone of a Fictional It Girl?

Here lies Charlotte Temple, who did not exist.
Allegra Rosenberg February 11, 2025
An 1870 painting by Jean-Paul Laurens depicts the infamous "Cadaver Synod," when a papal corpse was put on trial.
conspiracy theories

Atlas Obscura’s Juiciest Pope Drama

Lost body parts, dirty paintings, and an ill-fated elephant.
Andrew Coletti January 30, 2025
Cần Thơ, Vietnam

Bảo Tàng Tarot (Museum of Tarot)

A mystical-meets-modern mix of centuries-old divination decks and Pokémon cards ready to predict your destiny.
Bontoc, Philippines

Ganga Caves

These caves are full of coffins, but we can't say who the bodies belong to.
Area 21, Peru
aliens

10 Places That Will Make You Believe Aliens Are Real

The truth is out there.
Atlas Obscura November 12, 2024
Turin, Italy

Occhi del Diavolo

The mysterious “eyes of the Devil” dot a street in the occult center of Italy.
London, England

Ancient Melancholy Man

This statue in Holland Park might be one of London’s oldest outdoor statues, but its exact origins are unknown.
aliens

Who Were the Mysterious Moon-Eyed People of Appalachia?

Tales of strange, nocturnal people haunt the region—and so do theories about who they were, from a lost Welsh "tribe" to aliens.
Hadley Meares October 22, 2024
The fate of the ancient native inhabitants of Cahokia in southwest Illinois remains a mystery.
Itinerary

Atlas Obscura’s Guide to the 10 Most Mystifying Places in Illinois

Creepy clowns, mysterious mounds, and a jail for two
Silanus, Italy

Nuraghe and Church of Santa Sabina

A lone nuraghe and a little old church with mysterious origins.
Aldeburgh, England

Moot Hall

One of the best preserved Tudor public buildings in Britain was once used for witch trials.
Grapevine, Texas

The Real Unreal

Fall through a crack in the seams of reality at this immersive art installation.
Hindhead, England

The Sailor's Stone

This curious gravestone tells the legend of an unknown mariner's grisly murder.
The Columbo statue in Budapest, Hungary celebrates an unlikely American television hit from the communist era.
statues

The Budapest Columbo Statue: From American Detective to Socialist Folk Hero

This 1970s crime show was an unlikely Western hit on Hungary’s state-owned television channel.
The Podcast Team July 2, 2024
West Bridgewater, Massachusetts

Hockomock Swamp

Tales of ghosts, cryptids, and true crime rise from the murky waters of the largest freshwater wetland in Massachusetts.
West Bridgewater, Massachusetts

Solitude Stone

This solitary stone engraved with a poem from 1852 has a mysterious and tragic past.
The tentacles of a colossal squid sit on the surface of the water as it is defrosted at Te Papa labs in Wellington on September 16, 2014. The squid was caught by a fishing boat longline in the Antarctic over the summer and kept on ice until scientists worked to thaw it out to begin examining the specimen.
pet cemeteries

Wonder Is Everywhere: The ‘Real’ Kraken, an Ancient Pet Cemetery, and More From Around the Web

Get a peek into what we’re obsessed with right now.
April White June 10, 2024