June 28, 2022

STRANGE CREATURES  Alabama’s Rare Cave Crayfish  Just 10 minutes from downtown Huntsville, Alabama, a hidden world teems with strange creatures. The 2,500-foot-long Shelta Cave winds below forested hills and suburban neighborhoods; among its three large halls, up to 30 feet tall and hundreds of feet wide, there are a series of crystal-clear lakes during the rainy season in late winter and spring, when the cave’s water levels rise as much as 15 feet. And it’s in those lakes, in the darkness, that a tiny, translucent crayfish makes its home. The tiny crayfish was once thought extinct, but is hanging on—though it is considered critically endangered.  READ MORE → STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES Our Favorite Flower Gardens Getting out and enjoying nature is a quintessential spring and summer activity, and one of the highlights is the way that nature seems to explode with color through the warmer seasons. There are many places across the world where people have created displays that highlight these small-scale wonders (from sanctuaries to farms), or where nature itself has done that work. From a former trolley bridge transformed into a garden to Japan’s largest area of “pink moss,” here are some of our favorite floral fireworks. READ MORE → ATLAS OBSCURA COURSES The Science & History of Dreams Explore how we dream, how dreams have affected human history, and what the future of dreaming might look like with neuroscientist and author Sidarta Ribeiro. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of what dreams are and how they’ve shaped our world today, as well as new tools to examine your own dreams in relation to your waking life. ENROLL TODAY → VALLEJO, CALIFORNIA St. Peter's Chapel Built in 1901, St. Peter’s Chapel is the oldest Naval chapel in the United States. It is home to one of the largest collections of Tiffany stained glass windows under one roof and is filled with historic naval memorials. READ MORE → MYTHS IN MODERN TIMES The Starbucks Siren Where did the siren on your Starbucks cup come from? Though Starbucks claims that their image was originally drawn from a 16th century Norse woodcut, a little exploring reveals that the world’s most famous mermaid was famous long before the 16th century–and long before Starbucks. READ MORE → GASTRO OBSCURA TRIPS Avant-Garde Winemaking in Catalonia Join us in Spain as we venture into the Catalonian countryside. We’ll discover unusual wines, fantastic food, unmatched hospitality, feats of human wonder, spectacular scenery, and meet the people behind the natural and biodynamic wine movement. BOOK YOUR TRIP → SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA Calvary Cathedral's Stained-Glass Windows Above the altar at Calvary Cathedral are eight tall stained-glass windows that shine brightly in the morning sun. The images they depict are traditional ones—baptism, the last supper, the crucifixion—but look closer and something seems amiss. READ MORE → MUSEUM ATTRACTIONS Tiny Jade Cabbage In June 2014, the most famous treasure of Taiwan’s National Palace Museum arrived in Japan. Carved from a single piece of green-and-white jade, the artwork drew 21,000 museum-goers each day. They actually lined up to see it. But it wasn’t a medallion or a vase. Instead, it was a tiny, jade cabbage—specifically a perfect depiction of a bok choy, with white stalks, sea-green foliage, and a delicate locust and a katydid (a type of cricket) perched on a leaf. READ MORE → SPONSORED BY VISIT FLORIDA The Wonders of Florida in 24 Museums Looking for new places to visit during your next family vacation in Florida? These 24 unexpected museums throughout the Sunshine State will satisfy any sense of curiosity. Whether it's exploring the deep ocean depths, discovering Florida's rich railroad history, or learning all about the elusive skunk ape, interesting museum exhibits abound in Florida. LEARN MORE → LIBRARY TALES Competitive Book Sorters What do you get when you combine brains, brawn, and library logistics? You get 12 professional New York sorters—the fleet-fingered men and women who are competing with their counterparts from Washington State’s King County Library System to see who can process the most books in an hour. Flip through this riveting account of the fierce competition—it truly was one for the books. READ MORE → BACOLI, ITALY Upside-Down Fig Tree The modern city of Bacoli holds the ruins of Baia. It was once a playground for the super-rich of Rome, the emperors and their ilk. Julius Caesar had a villa there and so did did Emperors Nero and Caligula. Now the ancient resort town is a venerated archaeological site, but no one told the defiant upside-down fig tree that grows from the crumbling brick of an ancient building. READ MORE → SPONSORED BY VISIT FLORIDA How to Become a Mermaid In this episode of Atlas Obscura Tries, our host Sarah Durn dives into the world of mythical mermaids during the two-day Sirens of the Deep Camp at Weeki Wachee Springs. Explore with us the history of The City of Live Mermaids, home to the World Famous Weeki Wachee Mermaids, a troupe, tradition, and attraction in their 75th year. WATCH NOW →