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Travel

Urban Explorations

Restaurants and Hotels Breathe New Life into Beautiful, Abandoned Churches and Monasteries

Vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows adorn these restored and reimagined structures

A wolf enters the Colosseum via the lift in the hypogeum.

A New Recreation Shows How Ancient Romans Lifted Wild Animals Into the Colosseum

An elaborate system of elevators and trap doors lifted ferocious beasts onto the Colosseum floor

American South

Sleep With the Fishes: The Best Places to Spend a Night Underwater

As the weather heats up, escape to these hotel rooms beneath the waves

Six Ways to See Bioluminescence in the World’s Oceans

From shimmering squid in Japan to illuminated clams in France, here are some of the top spots for basking in nature’s glow

A view from the cell wall of the Shanghai Natural History Museum, looking down on the north tectonic wall made of stone.

The New Shanghai Natural History Museum is Ancient, Modern and Uniquely Chinese

The nautilus-shaped building draws on Chinese traditions and 21st century design to house amazing specimens found nowhere else

The attack on a female tourist should serve as a reminder that lions are not only wild animals, they're perceptive predators.

Yes, Lions Will Hunt Humans if Given the Chance

The tragic attack at a South AFrican park serves as a reminder that lions are predators and humans are prey

The famed snow-covered church in Kiruna.

Instead of Being Swallowed by a Mine, This Arctic Town is Moving

The people of Kiruna are moving their entire town brick-by-brick

More exotic items are kept on permanent display.

American South

The Nation’s Stash of Lost Luggage Finds a New Life in This Alabama Town

Buy yourself a new wardrobe, iPad or other oddities at the Unclaimed Baggage Center

Urban Explorations

Seven Works of Art to Visit That Use Discarded Junk to Create Masterpieces

One person’s trash is another person’s artistic inspiration

Yasuní National Park with the sun just under the horizon.

This Park in Ecuador is One of the Most Biodiverse Places on Earth

Yasuní National Park in the Amazon rainforest may have more species of life than anywhere else in the world

At the Mbad African Bead Museum in Detroit, Obscura Day visitors can see beads almost 400 years old.

Urban Explorations

This Obscura Day, Discover the Curiosities in Your Own Backyard

Creepy dolls, KGB secrets and unexpected pinball troves—media startup Atlas Obscura invites readers to explore their own hometowns on May 30

Tech Watch

Has a Finnish Company Found a Cure for Jet Lag?

Valkee is releasing the Human Charger, a new gadget that beams light through a user’s ears

A map of the Dupont Underground site.

Urban Explorations

A Long-Forgotten, Underground Tunnel in D.C. Is Finally Getting Some Fresh Air

The 75,000-square-foot space underneath the city’s Dupont Circle will become an impressive new art space

A skull at Bolivia's Fiesta de las Ñatitas.

New Photo Book Explores Places the Dead Don’t Rest

From mossy burial caves to bone-filled churches, photographer Paul Koudounaris spent a dozen years documenting sites where the living and dead interact

An image of Alexanderplatz in May 1945, set in Alexanderplatz today. Behind it, poking just above the image, is the Park Inn Hotel.

Dramatic Images of Berlin in May 1945, Set Against the City’s Prosperous Present

“Spring in Berlin” compares Germany’s capital city at the end of World War II and today

The coconut that John F. Kennedy carved a message into while stranded during his Navy service in 1943. During his term as president, the coconut sat on his desk in the Oval Office.

Urban Explorations

These History-Making Artifacts Can Only be Found at Presidential Libraries

From coconut shells to boat cloaks, these mementos tell fascinating tales from American presidential history

The location of the first McDonald's, now home to the unofficial McDonald's Museum and Juan Pollo Corporate Offices.

Seven of the Most Unusual McDonald’s Around the World

From Roswell to Norway, the quirkiest spots to get a Big Mac

Cool Finds

Culinary Diplomacy: Why Governments Are Starting Food Trends

Promoting your country’s food is becoming a trendy tactic for nations looking to raise their profile (and tourist revenue)

The Wonderland Club Hotel in Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The Abandoned Settlements Inside National Parks

Once vibrant places, these relics now linger inside America’s great natural treasures

American-born novelist and playwright Jake Lamar says of living in Paris that life's easier when he gets in an elevator and "no one's clutching her purse."

Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: Paris

Is Paris Still a Haven for Black Americans?

The City of Light once drew thousands of black expats across the Atlantic, but does it still have the same appeal?

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