haunted
Haunted Halloween Harvest
Atlas Obscura Scares Up the Best of the Season
October is our favorite month to celebrate the macabre, the mysterious, and the monstrous. Join us on a wild ride through a landscape of unsolved hauntings, terrifying legends, and hidden places almost too creepy to be real. It’s going to be ghoulish good fun.
Tales of Terror: Ominous animals, a dinner to die for, exploring an ancient netherworld, and more.
astronomy
In October, Our Night Sky is Full of Scary Stories
Stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere can find the demon star Algol, a murdered monster, and victims of vengeful gods.
military history
How Gremlins Went From Fairy Stories to Warplanes to Hollywood Legend
Meet these slippery, mischievous reflections of our anxieties about technology.
An Extra-Creepy Atlas: Create your own Road Trip of the Damned with these unsettling Places you can visit IRL (in this life or the next).
Gardner, Massachusetts
S.K. Pierce Mansion
This historic Victorian mansion is allegedly so haunted that a signed waiver is required to enter.
New Delhi, India
Feroz Shah Kotla
The ruins of a medieval citadel believed to be haunted by a ministry of wish-granting djinns.
Paris, France
Catacombes de Paris
The vast, legendary catacombs hold secrets much stranger than stacked bones.
You Are Fearless. You Have Scrolled Deep Into the Atlas Obscura Crypt.
Venture even deeper into the shadows for more spine-tingling Stories, positively paranormal Places, and other spooky surprises.
Scroll down at your own risk
Sandavágur, Faroe Islands
Trøllkonufingur
Legend says this rock spire is the finger of a witch who wanted to throw the Faroe Islands towards Iceland.
Tywyn, Wales
Llyn Barfog
According to legend, King Arthur killed a beast that dwelled beneath the waters of this Welsh lake.
Norwich, England
Fye Bridge
One of the oldest bridges in Norwich was used during the English witch trials and is said to be haunted.
New Brunswick, New Jersey
Lawrence Brook Carvings
A mixture of strange symbols, ciphers, words and cryptograms carved in 1876 remain unsolved to this day.
New Orleans, Louisiana
Rice Family Mausoleum
Anne Rice, one of the most influential writers in gothic literature, is buried alongside her husband in a New Orleans cemetery.
Nazaré, Portugal
'Veado'
A deer-headed statue that brings together a 12th-century legend and big wave surfing.
Still hungry for more mischief and mayhem?
Satisfy your appetite for all things Halloween, from tasty treats to unsolved mysteries, with these classics from years past.
Explore now