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SiriusXM and Atlas Obscura

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.

The Atlas Obscura Podcast

Listeners share stories of memorable encounters with strangers – for better or for worse.

Plus: We want to hear your stories about your first international trip. Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave us a message telling us about the first time you traveled abroad. Or better yet, record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com.

Hello, Stranger

Every year, hundreds of boats circle the waterways of the eastern United States on The Great Loop. But Mike Straub took a different approach, riding over 6,000 miles alone on a JetSki.

Check out Mike’s YouTube channel and his book, Y WAIT: Experience America's Great Loop.

Circling The Great Loop on a JetSki

How one man made someone else's trash into his own treasure ... and how it became a storied part of a New Jersey town.

Palace of Depression

As the winter solstice and Yule are upon us, we are celebrating these Pagan holidays by talking about the iconic image of the witch, with Pam Grossman -- friend of the show, curator, writer and host of the podcast The Witch Wave.

The Witch’s Gear

Larry Spring’s Museum of Common Sense Physics in Fort Bragg, California begs the question: What do you do with a science museum where the science preserved inside is a kind of folk art?

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/larry-spring-school-common-sense-physics

Larry Spring Museum of Common Sense Physics (Classic)

Our first international trips can be hugely influential. We want to hear your stories about leaving your home country for the first time. Where did you go? How did you prepare? What memories do you have from the trip? Maybe you loved it… or maybe you hated it! Either way, we want to hear about it. And if you are about to take your first trip this coming year, we want to know how you’re feeling leading up to it. 

Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave us a message, or better yet, record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com

What Was Your First International Trip?

Dylans answers a slew of questions from staff and listeners.

Plus: Do you have a question for Dylan? Send us an email or voice memo to hello@atlasobscura.com. Dylan may answer your question in an upcoming episode!

Dylan's Mailbag: Strange Things Packed, Authentic Adventures, Road Trip Food Disputes, and More

Places editors Michelle Cassidy and Diana Hubbell take us on a tour of two mildly disturbing yet lovable works of art. 

 

Plus: If you have a piece of public art that you love to hate – or if you’ve created a work of public art that’s caused a stir – we want to hear from you. Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message telling us your name and story. You can also record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com.

Art We Love to Hate

Writer and friend of the show Colin Dickey tries to destroy Dylan’s holiday cheer with arguments about why Christmas is actually full of monsters from around the world. 

(Just a note for parents listening with little ones, Dylan and Colin talk frankly about Santa and his surrounding lore.) 
 

Check out Colin’s Atlas Obscura column, Eerie Feeling.

Christmas Monsters with Colin Dickey

Today, we’re sharing an episode from our friends at Terrestrials, a Radiolab spinoff show for families that explores strangeness on Earth. In this episode, host Lulu Miller visits some of our planet’s most magical tree stumps – which are anything but dead. 

Plus: Cast your vote in Radiolab’s quasi-moon naming contest! Voting is open until January 1.

Atlas Obscura Presents: A Tour de Stumps with Terrestrials

The small mountain town of Spruce Pine provides nearly all of the ultra-pure quartz used to make the world’s semiconductors. When Hurricane Helene nearly wiped out the mines, it provided a stark wake-up call. Journalist Ed Conway joins Dylan to discuss what we can learn from this near-miss. 

Check out more of Ed Conway’s reporting and subscribe to his Substack here. To support disaster relief efforts in North Carolina, you can donate to vetted organizations here or here.

Spruce Pine, Global Chokepoints, and the Future of Manufacturing

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