Author: Ms. R.

Glittering pink quartzite 50 stories high split by a babbling creek is an unexpected sight in the vast plains of South Dakota. Despite being the second smallest state park in the state, Palisades attracts hikers, fishers, paddlers, campers, and rock climbers. It is known as one of the best places to rock climb in the world because it has no anchors or bolting. A geologist’s paradise, Palisades contains catlinite, or pipestone. This mineral is used by local Indigenous groups……

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Right outside the Theater District of downtown Houston, situated in front of the Lyric Centre skyscraper is the disembodied head and hands of a giant mustachioed virtuoso playing the cello created by local artist David Adickes. Made of concrete and steel, the massive Virtuoso stands 36 feet tall and weighs 21 tons, a surreal marvel on its own. Equipped with an integrated soundtrack system, the sculpture plays classical music for passing pedestrians if they listen closely to the sound of the……

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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, we visit Kasanka National Park in Zambia, which hosts one of the largest and most mysterious animal migrations on the planet. 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 meet some fascinating people and hear their stories…….

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On the hillside above Wycoller Country Park sits a round, folly-like pavilion known as The Atom. Holes in the side of the concrete structure frame the panoramic views. The Atom was designed by Peter Meacock, Andrew Edmunds and Katarina Novomestska and completed in 2006. It is one of four “panopticons” scattered throughout Lancashire. The chosen panopticons (a term coined by late 19th-century philosopher Jeremy Bentham meaning “a space or device providing a panoramic view”) include the Atom; the Singing Ringing Tree in Burnley, designed……

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Located in a historic building in Stratford, Ontario, this 12-seat theater has been recognized as the smallest purpose-built movie theater in the world. Inside, the Little Prince Cine-Loung measures approximately 16 square meters.  Though it may be small in stature, the theater is big on design. It’s modeled after an opulent Victorian theater, with red velvet curtains, plush seats, and dramatic wallpaper. The quirky decor features old-school movie posters and altered thrift store art. Concessions feature popcorn, bar drinks, and cotton……

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In the middle of Calvary Cemetery stands this singular memorial to a small boy who died too young. A full-sized state of Joseph “Josie” Lyon is encased in a glass-fronted tower to add to its preservation. Josie died in 1891 at the age of just nine years old.  The cemetery hosts a number of other notable burials such as baseball player and co-founder of the White Sox Charles Comiskey, author James Farrell, and seemingly most of Chicago’s mayors. It is worth……

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This group of four giant, humanoid statues adorns the front of the beautiful, Art Nouveau Helsinki Central Station. The station’s architecture is a huge draw, but these magnificent figures are worthy of a visit in their own right, for the purist value of the art as well as the often amusing adornments that they wear from time to time. Designed by Emil Wickström, the Lyhdynkantajat, or Lantern Bearers, have graced the front of the building, two on either side of……

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