Atlas Obscura : an Explorer's Guide to the World's Hidden Wonders

It's time to get off the beaten path. Inspiring equal parts wonder and wanderlust, Atlas Obscura celebrates over 700 of the strangest and most curious places in the world. Talk about a bucket list: here are natural wonders—the dazzling glowworm caves in New Zealand, or a baobob tree in South Africa that's so large it has a pub inside where 15 people can drink comfortably. Architectural marvels, including the M.C. Escher-like stepwells in India. Mind-boggling events, like the Baby Jumping Festival in Spain, where men dressed as devils literally vault over rows of squirming infants. Not to mention the Great Stalacpipe Organ in Virginia, Turkmenistan's 40-year hole of fire called the Gates of Hell, a graveyard for decommissioned ships on the coast of Bangladesh, eccentric bone museums in Italy, or a weather-forecasting invention that was powered by leeches, still on display in Devon, England. Created by Joshua Foer, Dylan Thuras and Ella Morton, ATLAS OBSCURA revels in the weird, the unexpected, the overlooked, the hidden and the mysterious. Every page expands our sense of how strange and marvelous the world really is. And with its compelling descriptions, hundreds of photographs, surprising charts, maps for every region of the world, it is a book to enter anywhere, and will be as appealing to the armchair traveler as the die-hard adventurer. Anyone can be a tourist. ATLAS OBSCURA is for the explorer. Inspiring equal parts wonder and wanderlust, Atlas Obscura celebrates over 600 of the most curious and unusual destinations around the globe. Here are natural wonders the dazzling glowworm caves in New Zealand, or a baobob tree in South Africa thats so large it has a pub inside where 15 people can drink comfortably. Architectural marvels, including the M. C. Escher-like stepwells in India. Mind-boggling events, like the Baby Jumping Festival in Spain, where men dressed as devils vault over rows of squirming infants. Not to mention the Great Stalacpipe Organ in Virginia, Turkmenistans 45-year hole of fire called the Door to Hell, hanging coffins suspended off a cliff face in the Philippines, eccentric bone museums in Italy, or a weather-forecasting invention that was powered by leeches, still on display in Devon, England. More cabinet of curiosities than traditional guidebook, Atlas Obscura revels in the unexpected, the overlooked, the bizarre, and the mysterious. Every page expands our sense of how strange and marvelous the world really is. And with its compelling descriptions, hundreds of photographs, surprising charts, and maps for every region of the world, it is a book you can open anywhere. But with caution: Its almost impossible not to turn to the next entry, and the next, and the next. Let your curiosity be your compass. Atlas Obscura revels in the weird, the unexpected, the overlooked, the hidden, and the mysterious. Every page expands our sense of how strange and marvellous the world really is. And with its compelling descriptions, hundreds of photographs, surprising charts, and maps for every region of the world, it is a book you can open anywhere.“Beholding hundreds of off-the-beaten-path gems, this book is a treasure chest of wanderlust where readers are transported to places they’re certain to have never encountered.” - Marie ClaireInspiring equal parts wonder and wanderlust, Atlas Obscura celebrates the most curious destinations around the globe. With compelling descriptions, hundreds of photographs, charts and maps, it's everything you need to visit the far corners of our surprising world. Even if you never leave home."Satisfy your wanderlust and plan your next travel adventure with the help of this brilliantly illustrated guide." - Car and Driver Magazine Cover Title Page Copyright Page and Note to Readers Contents Introduction Europe Great Britain and Ireland Western Europe Eastern Europe Scandinavia Asia The Middle East South and Central Asia East Asia Southeast Asia Africa North Africa West Africa Central Africa East Africa Southern Africa Islands of the Indian and South Atlantic Oceans Oceania Australia New Zealand Pacific Islands Canada Western Canada Eastern Canada USA West Coast Four Corners and the Southwest and Great Plains Great Plains The Midwest The Southeast The Mid-Atlantic New England Alaska and Hawaii Latin America and the Caribbean South America Mexico Central America Caribbean Islands Antarctica Acknowledgments Index Photo Credits Wonder meets wanderlust in an extraordinary new travel book. Created by the founders of AtlasObscura.com, the vibrant online destination and community with over 3 million visitors a month, Atlas Obscura is the bucket-list guide to over 700 of the most unusual, curious, bizarre, and mysterious places on earthWonder meets wanderlust in an extraordinary new travel book. Created by the founders of AtlasObscura.com, the vibrant online destination and community with over 3 million visitors a month, Atlas Obscura is the bucket-list guide to over 700 of the most unusual, curious, bizarre, and mysterious places on earth "Wonder meets wanderlust in an extraordinary new travel book. Created by the founders of AtlasObscura.com, the vibrant online destination and community with over 3 million visitors a month, Atlas Obscura is the bucket-list guide to over 700 of the most unusual, curious, bizarre, and mysterious places on earth"-- Provided by publisher A one-of-a-kind gift book celebrating the world's most wondrous and unusual places - from macabre museums to magical natural phenomena - in all corners of the globe