PIGEON FORGE, TENNESSEE  Dolly Parton’s Dream Box and Final Song A special, glass-enclosed case behind a velvet rope at Dollywood’s Dreammore Resort holds a locked wooden box. This chestnut “Dream Box” is a repository of Dolly Parton’s memories and wishes for the future, and also contains an unreleased Dolly Parton song entitled “My Place in History”. The box won’t be opened until Dolly’s 100th birthday on January 19, 2046.  READ MORE →   THANKS, FAST COMPANY! We’re On One Innovative List Hot off the presses: We’re honored to share that Atlas Obscura has been named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in 2023! Our mission has always been to inspire wonder about this magnificent world we all share, and to let curiosity be your guide. We’re so honored to be part of such an illustrious list! With that spirit in mind, celebrate with us by exploring the definitive map of the world’s extraordinary sights, from all corners of the globe. SEE ALL PLACES →   GASTRO OBSCURA Doppelgänger Foods How often have you done a double-take when looking at a specific food item? Around the world, culinary look-alikes abound, because as it turns out, if you give cooks similar resources and challenges, it turns out that the solution may be the same—even when these cooks are thousands of miles apart from each other. Here are some culinary doppelgängers for you to browse through and ponder over. READ MORE →   WILLOW SPRINGS, ILLINOIS Red Gate Woods The original site of both Argonne National Laboratory and the Site A/Plot M Disposal Site, Red Gate Woods is the burial grounds of Chicago Pile-1, the world’s very first nuclear reactor, as well as other reactors that were built and then buried under the watchful eye of the Manhattan Project. No wonder the epitaph says “CAUTION—DO NOT DIG”. READ MORE →   WILDLIFE Florida’s Manatee Rehabilitation Recently, a manatee named Bianca was released back into the wild in Florida’s Blue Spring State Park. Bianca was among a record 12 manatees to be released in one day at Blue Spring. Even more manatees were recently released in Crystal River and Apollo Beach, both near Tampa. The nearly two dozen releases so far this year represent a rare bright spot as an unprecedented die-off of Florida’s manatees continues. READ MORE →   TIME FOR THE MOVIES 12 Classic Theaters There was once a time when a trip to the movie theater was a grand occasion, where moviegoers could marvel at the wonders of Art Nouveau and Art Deco design elements. While modern multiplexes reign supreme these days, there are still a few theaters where you can catch a film in classic style. From a theater in the woods with a rare projection system to the oldest purpose-built cinema in the world, here are 12 movie theaters to visit for a blast from the past. READ MORE →   ATLAS OBSCURA COURSES Making Miniature Furniture Making miniatures is no small feat; crafting tiny worlds from scratch is both an art and a science, and it draws from a long history of reflecting realities and generating new ones. In this workshop designed for beginners, join Amanda Kelly of Panda Miniatures to learn how to create realistic, textured miniature furniture from scratch. Miniature makers of all levels are welcome! ENROLL NOW →   WOMEN OF HISTORY World War II’s Female Spies During World War II, the Special Operations Executive (SOE), a top-secret British espionage organization charged to “set Europe ablaze,” hired 39 women in total. These women jumped from planes, infiltrated communities behind enemy lines, and built up the French resistance. Following the declassification of SOE documents, author and historian Sarah Rose dug through the archives, collecting the whispers these women had left behind. READ MORE →   BERLIN, GERMANY Schwarzes Café This café opened its doors in 1978 as part of the work of a radical socialist collective, which opened it in the wake of the Tunix Congress, a left-wing gathering at the Technische Universität (TU). It quickly became an after-hours hub, since it never closed (with the exception of Tuesday mornings for a short period of time for cleaning). It was also one of David Bowie’s regular haunts. READ MORE →   THE ATLAS OBSCURA PODCAST The Hampton House In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, we visit a simple brick building in Chicago, Illinois, that was the boyhood home of civil rights icon Fred Hampton Sr., and remains a site for community organizing.