Author: Ms. R.

Tasmans Arch is an impressive, towering bridge-like natural rock feature that is situated on the edge of the Tasman National Park. Visitors to the site have the opportunity to look down in awe at the spectacular views of the cavern-like hole that was a sea cave before thousands of years of erosion by the rugged Tasman Sea. Arches such as this one are formed where vertical joints (cracks in the rock) act as a point of weakness. The pressure……

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Found lying on the North bank of the River Wear, casting a relentless gaze over the village peoples of Fatfield, Tyne, and Wear, is Worm Hill. Dividing opinion for centuries, this geological phenomenon bewitches the imagination of anyone who marvels at its grandeur. Its unusual and unnatural shape has led to numerous claims of its origin. Ordinance survey records show the area found its name as far back as 1737, but it was in 1785 when its most famous association……

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Whether true or not, the American satirist and novelist Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, (1835 – 1910) is often quoted as saying: “the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” What is factually known, is that Twain arrived in ‘Bagdad by the Bay’ in 1864, less than twenty years after the Gold Rush. He lived and worked as a news reporter in what is today known as the Financial District. During the mid-19th century, the……

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The Columbia Marionette Theatre is truly a unique attraction. Housed in a colorful castle-like building, this theater is one of the few physical puppet theaters in the United States that has regular shows. In fact, the building was built specifically to be a puppet theater and accommodate a roomy 30-foot stage.  The Columbia Marionette Theatre (CMT) was founded in 1988 by Allie Scollon and her son John Scollon, who now serves as the theater’s Executive Director. CMT moved into……

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When driving towards Gothenburg from the south you will at some point see a life-sized Mario sticking out above the treeline, standing on his iconic green pipe. This statue stands on Mario’s Street, surrounded by little signs with Nintendo trivia. While it may not seem like much, this is the location of the first Swedish distributor of Nintendo products, as well as the only distributor not owned by Nintendo. The story begins with a young entrepreneur named Owe Bergsten,……

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A belief in ghosts is found in almost every culture and religion around the world. Stories about the spirits of the dead, real and fictional, have been passed down orally and through written form for millennia. These seven Atlas Obscura stories show how ghosts found their way into every aspect of our lives, from pop culture to crime solving to, yes, even meteorology and archeology. This Legendary Ghost Roams the Earth Wailing for Her Little Ones La Llorona’s story……

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Wandering through Minnesota’s relatively flat Arrowhead region, you might stumble upon what seems to be a  beautiful series of gorges and fluvial terraces rivaling the splendid canyonlands of the American Southwest. But what you’re seeing isn’t a natural geologic formation, it’s a massive mining project that’s been reshaping the environment for over 120 years. With a maximum length of eight miles and maximum width of three-and-a-half miles, the Hull–Rust–Mahoning Open Pit Iron Mine is an impressive human accomplishment and……

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Cryptids of all kinds have long moved in the shadows across what’s now the United States, their legends preserved in Native American traditions that stretch from the Southwest to the Great Lakes and beyond. Acclaimed writer J.W. Ocker introduces us to some of these ancient terrors. Excerpted with permission from The United States of Cryptids: A Tour of American Myths and Monsters, by J. W. Ocker. Published by Quirk Books. All rights reserved. The legend of the wendigo originated……

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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 the Burger King in Kayenta, Arizona, which is home to a small museum dedicated to a group of Native American veterans who developed an unbreakable secret code during World War II. 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……

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