Author: Ms. R.

Tucked away in an empty lot in Christchurch, the Dance-O-Mat doesn’t look like much more than an abandoned washing machine with a fun paint job. But for the low price of a two-dollar coin, you can hook your phone up to the machine, choose your music, and dance away! The Dance-O-Mat is a laundromat washing machine that has been adapted to power a series of speakers surrounding a sprung dance floor. Dropping a coin into the Dance-O-Mat activates lighting and……

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In the province of Arezzo rise the Balze del Valdarno, mountains that were formed after the drying up of a lake during the Pliocene era and, subsequently, thanks to the action of exogenous forces such as water and wind. One striking feature of the Balze is its three distinct layers. The top of these mountains is brown because many pebbles and fine sand protect them from erosion caused by rainwater. The middle section is yellow because of clay and silt……

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As the classic film Citizen Kane opens, Charles Foster Kane lies in bed, alone in the dark clutching a snow globe. Inside the globe is a wooden cabin covered in white. After a minute, Kane whispers one of the most famous lines in film history—just one word—“Rosebud.” His hand goes limp, and the glass globe falls to the floor and shatters. It’s an iconic image—but it is one with some mystery. No one knows for sure who made Kane’s……

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The American Zen College was founded in 1976 by Zen Master Gosung Shin on a 12-acre farm near Germantown, Maryland, with the purpose of practicing and teaching Zen Buddhism. The building of the college included the erection of an impressive 30-foot-tall pagoda carved out of Indian limestone and flanked by statues of the Buddha. The pagoda can be seen by people hiking the Greenway Trail in the Seneca Creek State Park adjacent to the college but otherwise, it is……

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This extremely skinny building holds the record for the narrowest façade in Europe. Measuring 107 centimeters (42 inches) wide, La Estrecha (Narrow One) could be considered the narrowest house in Europe and maybe in the world. Certainly, there is competition for the title. Poland’s Keret House was built in 2012 and measures just 72 centimeters (28 inches) at its narrowest point, but it reaches a width of 122 centimeters (48 inches) in the façade. And in Amsterdam, the façade of Singel……

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Deep in the Gila mountains, a fast-moving stream of water shoots down a narrow slot canyon. Aptly named Whitewater Canyon, it is traversed by a series of metal bridges. From this elevated catwalk system, visitors can enjoy the running water, misty air, lush vegetation, and steep canyon walls. This beautiful canyon trail actually began with a utilitarian purpose. In the 1890s, a nearby gold and silver mill required a steady supply of water to power its machines. Workers built……

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Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, contributors bring listeners stories of getting lost on transit, on romantic getaways, or while just trying to get home, and the joy that comes from finding yourself somewhere unexpected. Our podcast is an audio guide to the world’s wondrous, awe-inspiring, strange places. In under 15 minutes, we’ll take you to an incredible site, and along the way you’ll……

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On any given day, Wailua River State Park in eastern Kauai is jam-packed with tourists. They fill parking lots and hiking trails and riverboat cruises, eager to experience the 1,100-acre preserve’s cultural and geological treasures, everything from temple ruins to the 151-foot Opaekaa Falls. But in October, officials announced a discovery that could put a serious crimp in the park’s popularity. After all, no one wants to spend their vacation being showered with thousands of tiny stinging insects. It……

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At first glance, the dollars look like any others, tinted with age with some bearing the familiar visage of George Washington and others adorned with faces that aren’t easily as identifiable. But upon closer inspection, these bills are covered with signatures and are taped to one another, like an odd and expensive celebratory banner. This is a “short snorter,” part secret society badge and part autograph book. The short snorter in the Air Mobility Command Museum collection belonged to……

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