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Brian Shannon

Joined Atlas Obscura in 2026

Brian Shannon is a first-time author, aspiring adventurer, and unapologetic over-packer. Canadian by birth and American by ZIP, Brian has been a finance guy, software guy, entrepreneur, and occasionally “the guy who knows where the good coffee is.” With an MBA and a career of problem-solving and leadership, he’s also a lucky dad of five, a local-anything enthusiast, and a man with a restless wanderlust. In 1991, long before Wi-Fi, GPS, or social media, Brian quit his job, sold what wouldn’t fit in a backpack, and bought a Pan Am round-the-world ticket. What followed was an eight-month, pre-digital odyssey across five continents—equal parts misadventure, discovery, and detour—which inspired his debut memoir, A Continental Affliction. These days, Brian balances writing, running, hiking, traveling, parenting, and working. He lives in Maryland with his inestimable paramour, Stephanie, and is already dreaming of their next adventure.
shannonglobal.com

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Follow travelers to discover remarkable places through their journeys.

My Location Interests

  • Detroit
  • New Orleans
  • Paris
  • San Diego
  • San Francisco

My Travel Badges

  • Badge Earned!

    West Virginia Destination Challenge

    West Virginia Visitor

    As part of the West Virginia Destination Challenge, this badge celebrates the beginning of your journey through West Virginia's remarkable places. Every place you mark brings you closer to discovering more of what makes the Mountain State unique.

    West Virginia Destination Challenge
    Next Badge: West Virginia Adventurer You're just getting started. Mark 10 West Virginia places as Been There or Want to Go to unlock the Adventurer badge.
  • Badge Earned!

    Mark Your Map State Exploration Challenge

    Ford's Mark Your Map State Exploration Challenge

    You expanded your map during the Ford Mark Your Map State Exploration Challenge and reached the milestone required to unlock this limited edition badge.

  • Badge Earned!

    25 States Visited

    25 States Visited

    You've visited 25 U.S. states and are halfway to exploring all 50. Every state has its own hidden wonders, and you're well on your way to discovering them.

    50 States Visited
    Next Badge: 50 States Visited Visit all 50 states to earn the highest state exploration badge.
  • Badge Earned!

    50 States Visited

    50 States Visited

    You've visited every U.S. state. Few travelers reach all 50, making this one of Atlas Obscura's highest travel achievements.

  • Badge Earned!

    First Contribution

    First Contribution

    This badge celebrates your first contribution to the Atlas Obscura community and the role you play in helping others discover wonder.

    25 Contributions
    Next Badge: 25 Contributions Make 25 total contributions to earn your next badge.
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50

Places I've been

Places this traveler has marked as been there.

Don Quixote Dining Room

Tampa, Florida

Columbia Restaurant

This grand Spanish-Cuban restaurant has been serving customers for more than a century.

Neptune keeps time, as long as the sun is shining

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

King Neptune Sundial

On Hilton Head Island this bronze King of the Sea rules all things briny—and lets you know if you’re late for lunch.

Martha Berry's original cabin.

Rome, Georgia

The Berry College Campus

World's largest college campus includes a wildlife sanctuary and a former movie set on more than 28,000 acres.

Garden of the Sleeping Giant

Naboutini, Fiji

Garden of the Sleeping Giant

This garden boasts a magnificent collection of orchids and a spectacular view of the surrounding valley.

The museum is in the old Royal Customs House.

Santiago, Chile

Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino (Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art)

This museum covers 10,000 years of Pre-Columbian Latin American history.

Garden Santa Fe.

Mexico City, Mexico

Garden Santa Fe

The underground mall's skylights look like they could be part of a spaceship.

The facade of the Palace of the Inquisition.

Mexico City, Mexico

Palace of the Inquisition

This foreboding building was the headquarters of the terrifying Spanish Inquisition in Mexico.

Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo House-Studio Museum

Mexico City, Mexico

Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo House-Studio Museum

The famous artist couple lived and worked here, in two different houses connected by a bridge.

An aerial view of the Meeting of Waters, looking west.

Manaus, Brazil

Encontro das Águas (Meeting of Waters)

This striking, two-toned confluence of rivers is visible from space.

Teatro Amazonas in Manaus

Manaus, Brazil

Teatro Amazonas in Manaus

A beautiful opera house in the heart of Amazonia has recently restarted performances after a 90-year hiatus.

Modern Shanghai looms over the temple.

Shanghai, China

Confucian Temple of Shanghai

A prestigious learning institute of old Shanghai.

The Golden Chamber at St. Ursula

Cologne, Germany

Church of St. Ursula

A church filled with the bones of hundreds of virgins martyrs—or so they say.

View of the New Town Hall and the Glockenspiel

Munich, Germany

Rathaus-Glockenspiel

Daily jousts and dancing barrel makers in Munich's mechanical clock.

The Churchill War Rooms

London, England

The Churchill War Rooms

The perfectly preserved underground rooms where Churchill plotted the war against Germany.

Lower Bay Station

Toronto, Ontario

Lower Bay Station

Lost subway station nestled beneath Toronto's busy commuter line.

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

Toronto, Ontario

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

One of Canada's most incredible rare book collections holds hundreds of thousands of gorgeous tomes that the general public can touch.

View of Casa Loma from the garden

Toronto, Ontario

Casa Loma

A 98-room castle in the middle of Toronto that bankrupted a 19th century electricity multimillionaire.

A closeup of the plaque on the obelisk.

Serenje, Zambia

Livingstone Memorial

An obelisk marks the spot where a British explorer's heart was buried before the rest of his body was transported to England.

Chinhoyi Caves

Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe

Chinhoyi Caves

The stunningly blue waters of these beautiful caves also have a violent past.

Balancing Rocks!!

Harare, Zimbabwe

Balancing Rocks of the Zimbabwe Dollar

These naturally balancing rocks were pictured on every Zimbabwean banknote, up to the 100 trillion-dollar note.

Fremantle Prison

Fremantle, Australia

Fremantle Prison

One of the world’s oldest surviving convict prisons, once the scene of daring escapes and riots.

Montmartre Cemetery

Paris, France

Montmartre Cemetery

A horde of stray cats rule in this secluded Parisian cemetery under a bridge.

Catacombes des Paris Autumn 2018

Paris, France

Catacombes de Paris

The vast, legendary catacombs hold secrets much stranger than stacked bones.

The Alcazaba, seen from Calle Mundo Nuevo.

Malaga, Spain

Alcazaba

This Moorish fortress has guarded Málaga from the slopes of Gibralfaro hill for nearly a thousand years.

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