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Atlas Obscura - Latest • Jan. 18, 2026, 5:36 p.m.
The Quest to Visit 1,000 Places
Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and all major podcast apps. I’m Kelly McEvers, and this is Atlas Obscura, a celebration of the world’s strange, incredible, and wondrous places.
So I don’t know about you, but I like to keep track of all the places that I have visited, say, in the past year. I have lists of all the countries that I visit in a given region.
Each year I go back to my handwritten calendar planner book because, yes, I still write everything down. I have kept track of all my trips, and that helps me remember all the places I’ve visited and the people I saw.
So I don’t know about you, but I like to keep track of all the places that I have visited, say, in the past year. I have lists of all the countries that I visit in a given region.
Each year I go back to my handwritten calendar planner book because, yes, I still write everything down. I have kept track of all my trips, and that helps me remember all the places I’ve visited and the people I saw.
Atlas Obscura - Latest • Jan. 18, 2026, 5:36 p.m.
The Rebirth of Pennsylvania’s Infamous Burning Town
“There’s not much there anymore, it’s pretty much just a crossroads.” I read the posts online telling me not to bother, but I wanted to go anyway. Certainly I could feel something as we got close: the sense of desperation, of ruin and abandon.
So I drove with a small group of friends deep into eastern Pennsylvania—coal country—through towns with names like Frackville, Pottsville, Ashland. Many downtowns had at least one house that had burned to ruin and been left abandoned.
It was early June, but clouds covered the sky and we drove through a slight but persistent rain. We were on our way to Centralia, Pennsylvania.
So I drove with a small group of friends deep into eastern Pennsylvania—coal country—through towns with names like Frackville, Pottsville, Ashland. Many downtowns had at least one house that had burned to ruin and been left abandoned.
It was early June, but clouds covered the sky and we drove through a slight but persistent rain. We were on our way to Centralia, Pennsylvania.
Atlas Obscura - Latest • Jan. 18, 2026, 5:36 p.m.
Maine Beer Company in Freeport, Maine
When you enter the tasting room at Maine Beer Company, look up! There’s a 50 foot long fin whale skeleton suspended from the rafters above the bar area.
This whale skeleton, named Finny, was collected in the fall of 2024 by students and staff at College of the Atlantic Allied Whale and was preserved and articulated by Dan DenDanto of Whales and Nails. The installation was made possible because of Maine Beer Company's longstanding nonprofit giving program.
In 2009 their first-ever 1% for the Planet nonprofit donation was sent to Allied Whale and so began a long giving partnership. In fact, Lunch, their popular IPA, is actually named after a whale that was first spotted in 1982 off the coast of Maine (and was catalogued by their photo ID project).
This whale skeleton, named Finny, was collected in the fall of 2024 by students and staff at College of the Atlantic Allied Whale and was preserved and articulated by Dan DenDanto of Whales and Nails. The installation was made possible because of Maine Beer Company's longstanding nonprofit giving program.
In 2009 their first-ever 1% for the Planet nonprofit donation was sent to Allied Whale and so began a long giving partnership. In fact, Lunch, their popular IPA, is actually named after a whale that was first spotted in 1982 off the coast of Maine (and was catalogued by their photo ID project).
Atlas Obscura - Latest • Jan. 18, 2026, 5:36 p.m.
Lake Champlain Causeway in South Hero, Vermont
Run the Island Line Trail to its northernmost section and you'll find the geological marvel that is the Colchester Causeway: a three mile-long land bridge delivering pedestrians and cyclists to South Hero Island. On this path, you'll be able to see Lake Champlain only a few feet from you on either side, with breathtaking views of Stave, Sunset, and Law Islands to the west.
This land bridge was originally built by the Rutland-Canadian Railroad for trains to bring passengers northward through the Champlain Islands to Montreal, but after service ended in 1961, the city repurposed it for public use. To allow boat traffic, the causeway ends about 2.7 miles across the lake in a 200-foot gap, known to locals as "the cut." A bike ferry from Local Motion operates during the summer to shuttle cyclists and pedestrians across.
This land bridge was originally built by the Rutland-Canadian Railroad for trains to bring passengers northward through the Champlain Islands to Montreal, but after service ended in 1961, the city repurposed it for public use. To allow boat traffic, the causeway ends about 2.7 miles across the lake in a 200-foot gap, known to locals as "the cut." A bike ferry from Local Motion operates during the summer to shuttle cyclists and pedestrians across.
Atlas Obscura - Latest • Jan. 18, 2026, 5:36 p.m.
Aufbau der Republik in Berlin, Germany
The DDR, the government of the former East Germany, is often described as a piece of eastern Soviet communism in the west. Which is a result of the import of furniture, architecture, and art into a western city.
Much of this art has been removed since reunification, but some important pieces persevere. 'Aufbau der Republik' is perhaps the most important of those pieces due to both its location and history.
It is installed on the north wall of what is now the finance ministry, but what was once the DDR headquarters and the Nazi air ministry before that. During the times of the DDR, this meant that a distinction needed to be made between the new government and the buildings’ old occupants.
Much of this art has been removed since reunification, but some important pieces persevere. 'Aufbau der Republik' is perhaps the most important of those pieces due to both its location and history.
It is installed on the north wall of what is now the finance ministry, but what was once the DDR headquarters and the Nazi air ministry before that. During the times of the DDR, this meant that a distinction needed to be made between the new government and the buildings’ old occupants.
Atlas Obscura - Latest • Jan. 18, 2026, 5:36 p.m.
El Desdemona Shipwreck in Cabo San Pablo, Argentina
The El Desdémona was built in Hamburg and sailed to South America as a merchant ship. As early as 1983, it was severely damaged off the coast of Buenos Aires.
A lightning strike destroyed the navigation system, and it ran aground. The crew managed to escape and navigated the ship onward to Tierra del Fuego, the southern tip of Argentina.
When the engine also failed, the captain attempted to reach the port of Ushuaia at a slow speed. The shipyard was unable to repair the damage, but the crew continued their journey nonetheless.
A lightning strike destroyed the navigation system, and it ran aground. The crew managed to escape and navigated the ship onward to Tierra del Fuego, the southern tip of Argentina.
When the engine also failed, the captain attempted to reach the port of Ushuaia at a slow speed. The shipyard was unable to repair the damage, but the crew continued their journey nonetheless.
Atlas Obscura - Latest • Jan. 18, 2026, 5:36 p.m.
Villa Seurat in Paris, France
In Paris, the 14th arrondissement is rarely visited by tourists. Yet many places there are worth a visit.
The Villa Seurat is one of them. Contrary to what its name might suggest, it is not a large and luxurious country house, because in Paris, the term "villa" refers to a street or cul-de-sac lined with individual houses.
This one was built between 1920 and 1926 on land that had previously been used for stables and sheds. It is named after the painter Georges Seurat, inventor of pointillism, and is unique in that it houses several studios that were designed from the outset for artists.
The Villa Seurat is one of them. Contrary to what its name might suggest, it is not a large and luxurious country house, because in Paris, the term "villa" refers to a street or cul-de-sac lined with individual houses.
This one was built between 1920 and 1926 on land that had previously been used for stables and sheds. It is named after the painter Georges Seurat, inventor of pointillism, and is unique in that it houses several studios that were designed from the outset for artists.
Atlas Obscura - Latest • Jan. 18, 2026, 5:36 p.m.
The Passing of the Buffalo in Muncie, Indiana
The Passing of the Buffalo statue might more accurately be called The Passing Around of the Buffalo Statue , as it has now been moved from New Jersey and is at its third location in Muncie, Indiana. Currently, it is appropriately placed in a roundabout, where it can be passed around more conveniently.
The beautiful statue of a Native American chief with his foot resting on the skull of a bison was created by renowned sculptor Cyrus Edwin Dallin. Dallin created over 260 statues, many of which depict Native Americans.
The Passing of the Buffalo was created in 1929 and installed on the estate of Ethel Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge in Madison, New Jersey, in 1931. Mrs.
The beautiful statue of a Native American chief with his foot resting on the skull of a bison was created by renowned sculptor Cyrus Edwin Dallin. Dallin created over 260 statues, many of which depict Native Americans.
The Passing of the Buffalo was created in 1929 and installed on the estate of Ethel Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge in Madison, New Jersey, in 1931. Mrs.
Atlas Obscura - Latest • Jan. 18, 2026, 5:36 p.m.
McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum in Chicago, Illinois
When you walk along the Chicago Riverwalk between May and October, you may stumble across a bridgehouse that is actually open to the public. This would be the McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum, located in the southwest tower of the Michigan Ave Bridge.
The Friends of the Chicago River opened the museum in this 5-story tower in 2006. The ground floor contains the gear room, which contain the massive gears and weights that lift the bridge a couple times per week.
The remaining floors are dedicated to exhibits on the history and impact of the Chicago River, such as native wildlife in the watershed, and how the river's flow was reversed in 1900.
The Friends of the Chicago River opened the museum in this 5-story tower in 2006. The ground floor contains the gear room, which contain the massive gears and weights that lift the bridge a couple times per week.
The remaining floors are dedicated to exhibits on the history and impact of the Chicago River, such as native wildlife in the watershed, and how the river's flow was reversed in 1900.
Atlas Obscura - Latest • Jan. 18, 2026, 5:36 p.m.
Colombus’s Ombú in Seville, Spain
The Monastery of Santa María de las Cuevas, known as La Cartuja, is linked to Cristopher Columbus. In fact, in 1509 he was buried there, alongside his son Diego, until 1536, when his remains were transferred to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.
Yet something of his voyages to America still endures here. Another son, Hernando Colón, brought ombú seeds from the American continent on one of his father's voyages, which he accompanied.
He planted them later in the Monastery's gardens, so the ombú tree of La Cartuja became the first European specimen of this species. The ombú (Phytolacca dioica) is a herbaceous tree native of the Argentine pampas and bordering areas of Uruguay, southern Brazil, and Paraguay.
Yet something of his voyages to America still endures here. Another son, Hernando Colón, brought ombú seeds from the American continent on one of his father's voyages, which he accompanied.
He planted them later in the Monastery's gardens, so the ombú tree of La Cartuja became the first European specimen of this species. The ombú (Phytolacca dioica) is a herbaceous tree native of the Argentine pampas and bordering areas of Uruguay, southern Brazil, and Paraguay.
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