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Tiptree Jam Museum entrance. — Tiptree Jam Museum

The Reading Room blends the intimacy of an inviting bar with the inviting solace of a good bookstore. — The Reading Room

Building — The Mountain House

The pond. — Jolly's Mill Pond

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The Hunterian Museum in London. — Where to See the World’s Most Famous Preserved Body Parts

Old Tonopah Cemetery. — Atlas Obscura’s Guide to America’s Most Haunted Cemeteries

Chattanooga Whiskey started distilling here in 2015. — It All Comes Together in Chattanooga

The Clown Motel’s “IT” room. — The Best Haunted Hotels to Book for a Spooky Getaway

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Benin

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Benin

7 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Benin

Updated June 19, 2026

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Cities

Pythons at the temple.

Unusual Attractions in Benin

Cotonou, Benin

Ganvie Lake Village

Africa's Venice on stilts.

Pythons at the temple.

Ouidah, Benin

The Temple of Pythons

Dozens of snakes are housed and worshipped within the walls of this Vodun temple.

Door of No Return.

Ouidah, Benin

La Porte du Non-Retour (The Door of No Return)

A monument to the more than one million enslaved Africans deported from the port of Ouidah.

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Descend into Agongointo-Zoungoudo

Bohicon, Benin

Agongointo-Zoungoudo Archaeological Park

This subterranean town of over 50 dwellings lies thirty feet beneath the Earth's surface.

Abomey, Benin

Voodoo Temple of Abomey

A giant chameleon, with a fascinating purpose.

Cotonou, Benin

Amazon Statue

The 100-foot-tall (30-meter) bronze statue was built to recognize the world's only documented all-female army.

Ouidah, Benin

Fort of São João Baptista de Ajudá

This singular fort was once the smallest colony in the world, an international oddity

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Stories About Benin

Podcast: Ganvie Lake Village

A deep dive into "the Venice of Africa," a waterway-filled village in Benin.

by The Podcast Team, Atlas Obscura

Podcast: Temple of Pythons

We visit southern Benin to learn more about one of the world's most misunderstood spiritual systems.

by The Podcast Team, Atlas Obscura

Podcast: Koutammakou

Can the stunning earth-tower homes of Togo and Benin be saved?

by The Podcast Team, Atlas Obscura

Who Were the Warrior Women of Dahomey?

The only documented all-female army in history inspired the Dora Milaje.

by Line Sidonie Talla Mafotsing, Atlas Obscura

Podcast: Benin Bronzes

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

by The Podcast Team, Atlas Obscura

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