The Atlas Obscura Podcast

SiriusXM Podcasts
  • 4.5 (1.5K)
  • PLACES & TRAVEL
  • UPDATED DAILY
The Atlas Obscura Podcast

An audio guide to the world’s strange, incredible, and wondrous places. Co-founder Dylan Thuras and a neighborhood of Atlas Obscura reporters explore a new wonder every day, Monday through Thursday. In under 15 minutes, they’ll take you to an incredible place, and along the way, you’ll meet some fascinating people and hear their stories. Our theme and end credit music is composed by Sam Tyndall.

  1. 1H AGO

    The 6-Day Race

    For a brief window in the late 1800s, America’s favorite sport was walking in circles over and over and over. The biggest sporting events in the country were “6 Day Races” – days-long tests of endurance where competitive walkers competed to see who could log the most miles. Check out our guest Matthew Algeo’s book “Pedestrianism: When Watching People Walk Was America’s Favorite Sport.” And if you’re so inclined here is a selection of 6 Day Races that you can still compete in today: The Old Six Day, Six Days in the Dome, Across the Years (and a variation on the theme, the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race).

    15 min

  2. 2D AGO

    Times Square Hum (Classic)

    Producer Johanna Mayer travels to Times Square in NYC,  in search of particular sound that may sometimes go overlooked.

    12 min

  3. 3D AGO

    President Heads (Classic)

    What to do when you have 20-foot-tall busts of nearly every U.S. President and nowhere to put them? This episode was produced in partnership with Visit Williamsburg.

    11 min

  4. 4D AGO

    Dreamland Resort

    Dylan visits a patch of Nevada desert known at times as Paradise Ranch, Dreamland Resort, or as most people know it, Area 51. His goal? To try and find out where The X-Files end, and the truth begins. And he falls deeper down the rabbit hole when he meets a man who is a German immigrant, a programmer, and possibly the premier Area 51 expert in the world: Joerg Arnu.

    23 min

  5. 5D AGO

    Jeremy Bentham’s Auto-Icon

    How did this philosopher’s dead body wind up on display in a university student center?

    16 min

  6. 6D AGO

    Atlas Obscura Goes Off Assignment: 7 a.m. in Kelso and 10:30 a.m. in Choteau

    Two small stories about early morning, otherworldly encounters with animals. 7 a.m. in Kelso was written by Emma Jones, and 10:30 a.m. in Choteau, Montana was written by Annika Berry. Both essays were edited by Aube Rey Lescure and originally appeared in Off Assignment.

    14 min

  7. MAR 24

    Dylan’s Mailbag: Illegal Edition

    Dylan and producer Johanna take your questions about exploring abandoned ruins, where they want to carve their initials, and whether they should feel guilt for going on multiple trips to the same location. Have a question for Dylan? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message. You can also record a voice memo and email it to us at Hello@AtlasObscura.com, or simply send your question via email.

    14 min

  8. MAR 22 · BONUS

    Tell Us About the First Time You Left Home

    We want to hear your stories about the first time you left home to live somewhere else. Why did you make the move? How did you choose your new home… and how did you feel when you arrived? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message telling us your name and story. Our mailbox will cut you off after two minutes so please call in if you get disconnected. Or you can record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com.

    1 min
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An audio guide to the world’s strange, incredible, and wondrous places. Co-founder Dylan Thuras and a neighborhood of Atlas Obscura reporters explore a new wonder every day, Monday through Thursday. In under 15 minutes, they’ll take you to an incredible place, and along the way, you’ll meet some fascinating people and hear their stories. Our theme and end credit music is composed by Sam Tyndall.

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