Atlas Obscura - Places Newsletter

An alien art exhibit that’s out of this world

06-25-2024

One of nature’s hardest-working architects, how to track wildlife, and more.
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	June 25, 2024

Step inside an extraterrestrial-themed art exhibit, which is only an hour from downtown Cusco. The interactive art compilation, crafted by Tupaq Kamariy Candia, perfectly melds Peruvian culture and science fiction, illuminating Peru’s rich history with the cosmos. If you visit, try not to get beamed up.

The Art of the Summer Camp Ghost Story

Remember all those stories you used to tell your friends at summer camp? We’re talking about the scary stories you told next to the dying embers of a fire, voice hushed, with maybe a flashlight pointed under your chin. The tradition of terrorizing each other at camp may be on its way out, with summer camps prohibiting them—but can a little fun with fear be a good thing?

One of Nature’s Hardest-Working Architects

To meet them, you’ll have to dive deep into the ocean. Located thousands of feet down in the ocean, underappreciated creatures called xenophyophores work hard to build themselves some of the most fascinating homes on the seafloor, from studio apartments to elaborate, multichambered compounds that resemble morel mushrooms or chunks of honeycomb. Now if only we could get an apartment like that…

Pre-Order Atlas Obscura: Wild Life Today

If you liked the above excerpt, you’ll love our new book, Atlas Obscura: Wild Life, a deep dive into the secret realms of nature. And here’s a secret for you: If you pre-order now, you’ll receive a free gift!

Claim Your Free Gift Here →

How to Read Wildlife Tracks and Signs

Happening upon a foraging deer or dam-building beaver can turn an ordinary walk in the woods into your own personal safari. But you don’t have to wait for a chance encounter to get up close and personal with wildlife. Here are some ways to identify who you’re sharing your immediate environment with.

Atlas Obscura Courses

Wildcrafting With Weeds & Invasive Plants

Weeds are plants that, often for lack of fitting into a manicured lawn or garden, have gotten a bad rap. But many of them are full of medicinal properties that, when properly wielded, can turn these tenacious plants into powerful allies. Learn how to in this 4-part workshop, starting July 9.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Sankt Peders Bageri

Founded in 1652, during the reign of Frederick III, Denmark’s oldest bakery is still beloved by locals in Copenhagen to this day. While you have many options to choose from, however, be sure to seek out the onsdagssnegle, or “Wednesday snail,” which is roughly twice the size of a normal kanelsnegle (cinnamon roll).

Sponsored by Visit NC

Dugout Canoes at Lake Phelps of Pettigrew State Park

A surprise discovery at Lake Phelps (along with many other Native American artifacts) was more than 30 dugout canoes. They were most likely built by the Carolina Algonquin people, who arrived in the area more than 800 years prior to the first Europeans—dating some of the canoes to be more than 4,000 years old.

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Atlas Obscura Lists

25 Coffee Shops to Visit Before You Die

For the tired traveller, there’s no place like a coffee shop. While you’re seeking out places to rest your weary legs, keep an eye out for some of these unusual spots around the world, which have earned themselves a spot on this list for their food, their history, or their design. We sense adventure brewing ahead.

Washington, D.C.

Watergate Fountain

The word "Watergate" will forever be associated with the infamous scandal in 1972, but this fountain is famous in its own right. Designed by Italian architect Luigi Moretti with input from Hungarian-born developer Nicholas Salgo, this fountain was constructed between 1964-1971. Marvel at its beauty here.

Sponsored by Visit Missouri

Spanning nearly 100 years of motorcycle history, this St. Louis museum houses an impressive collection of rare and important motorbikes. The Moto Museum showcases 75 vintage motorcycles from 21 European countries, like the 1935 “Flying Squirrel” and the first water-cooled motorcycle.

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