Museums are great places to visit. But sometimes, we need a
break from the typical art, archeology, aviation, science, and history
repositories. We need unique, different, wacky and odd. After all, these
are places we never quite forget.
We’ve pulled together some of our favorite weird
and quirky museums that offers a whole different perspective on the
complicated but fascinating world we live in. Those that even beg the question
“How did they even come up with that?”
Well, they did, and obviously a lot of people love it.
Museum of the Weird, Austin
The name alone begs a visit. I remember my first time in
Austin many years ago when I walked past this museum. It was so intriguing with
its bizarre signage and gruesome figures that I decided to step inside.
The museum on Austin’s legendary 6th Street is a
quirky blend of oddities, carnival curious and sideshow flare. You’ll find
bizarre displays like shrunken heads, Fiji mermaids, mummies, fur-covered
trout, wax monsters and preserved specimens. If you’re into weird, come for a
visit and embrace the kitschy, campy energy of this most unusual place, a great
example of the many things that “Keep Austin Weird,” the city’s famous moniker.
Skulls at the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia (photo via ). (Photo Credit: istolethetv/Flickr)
Mütter Museum- Philadelphia
Talk about bizarre. This place is definitely for the fan of
the macabre and esoteric. The museum, part of the College of Physicians of
Philadelphia opened in 1863 with a mission to display medical curiosities and
specimens designed for research purposes.
It houses over 25,000 anatomical specimens, medical
instruments, skulls and skeletons with rare disorders. Around 1,500 jars
contain tumors, preserved organs and unique pathologies. Items range from the Soap
Lady (the preserved body of a woman who died of yellow fever and underwent a
rare medical process turning her body into a soap-like substance) conjoint twin
organs, a tumor from Grover Cleveland’s palate to a vertebra from John Wilkes
Booth. Can’t say we didn’t warn you.
Las Vegas’ Neon Boneyard Museum at Night (Photo Credit: Michael Kompanik)
Neon Museum, Las Vegas
Just a mile north of downtown, the Neon Museum and Boneyard
has one of the most extensive collections of neon signs in Las Vegas from
casinos, hotels, wedding chapels, restaurants and other historic businesses.
The nonprofit cultural landmark is dedicated to preserving the vibrant neon
signs that once lit up the Las Vegas Strip.
Its meandering trails past iconic signs are literally a walk
down memory lane. With more than 200 vintage signs in view, guided tours give
visitors the opportunity to turn back the hands of time to the days of
yesteryear in Old Vegas.
Founded in 1996, the 2.25-acre museum is housed inside the
former La Concha Motel Lobby and includes the outdoor Neon Boneyard where the neon
structures are located. These include iconic signs from Caesars Palace,
Stardust, Flamingo, Tropicana, the Silver Slipper and more.
International UFO Museum, Roswell
If you’re intrigued by UFOs — especially the famous 1947
Roswell Incident, this museum in Roswell, New Mexico is fascinating.
Located in a restored 1930s movie theater, the museum that
receives around 220,000 visitors a year includes declassified documents, debris
photos, eyewitness testimonies and an exhibit timeline of the 1947 crash.
Displays also cover crop circles, Area 51, ancient astronaut theories and alien
abduction accounts. Because the museum does not push a single belief, but
rather balanced perspectives —from conspiracy theories to skeptical rebuttals—this
allows visitors to draw your own conclusions.
PHOTO: Mockup autopsy display at the International UFO Museum and Research Center. (Photo by Paul Heney)
National Museum of Funeral History, Houston
Home to the country’s largest collection of historic funeral
service items and mortuary artifacts like caskets, coffins and hearses, this
Houston-based museum offers 19 exhibits that include embalming, the history of
cremation and history of mourning photos.
Its mission is educating the public and preserving the
heritage of death care, celebrating compassion and rituals surrounding death.
Exhibit highlights include Abraham Lincoln’s death mask and a lock of his hair,
replicas of Egyptian tombs and a diverse array of funeral programs from famous
people.
Musée Mécanique, San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf (Photo Credit: Noreen Kompanik)
Musée Mécanique, San Francisco
If you happen to be in Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco,
you don’t want to miss this vintage arcade, tinkerer’s paradise housing over
300 coin-operated mechanical wonders, including century-old music boxes,
fortune-tellers, dioramas and penny arcade classics.
Founded by Ed Zelinsky, who began collecting at age 11 in
the 1920, the bizarre but amazing museum, packed wall-to-wall with oddities
includes ‘Laffing Sal’, a creepy 6-foot laughing automaton, a carnival diorama
with Ferris wheel and intricate models built by Alcatraz inmates. A living time
capsule, every machine works and will cost between one to two quarters to play.
If you’re into quirky vintage mechanics, you’ll love this hidden gem. But word
of warning: this treasure trove can easily occupy 1-2 hours or more, so, allow
enough time to explore.
The Museum of Bad Art, Boston
Dedicated to yes, the collection of bad art, this museum housed
in the basement of the Somerville Theater in Davis Square includes over 900 art
pieces from artists, amateurs, anonymous creators, art purchased in thrift
stores and pieces gifted to the museum.
Admission to this delightful, tongue-in-cheek celebration of
gloriously flawed artwork is free. So, what exactly constitutes “bad art?”
According to the museum, poorly drawn portraits, bizarre color choices and
questionable anatomy representing serious artistic efforts that went
delightfully awry.
Museum of Death, Hollywood. (Photo Credit: Noreen Kompanik)
Museum of Death, Hollywood
This spine-chilling museum centers around mortality, crime
and death-related artifacts. The repository includes hundreds of death-related
objects such as antique mortician tools. But even more disturbing, but
fascinating, are the letters and drawings from notorious criminals like Charles
Manson and John Wayne Gacy, the original beds from the Heaven’s Gate mass
suicide room and a suicide machine built by Jack Kevorkian.
Surprisingly, the museum is a popular date night spot,
further cementing society’s curiosity of the morbid or a place that certainly
makes people happy to be alive.
Expedition: Bigfoot! The Sasquatch Museum, Ellijay
Ellijay is a small Georgia Appalachian town with numerous
reported Bigfoot sightings. Those into the Sasquatch theory will enjoy a visit
to the largest Bigfoot museum in the South to learn about the sightings in the
dark and shadowy North Georgia woodlands.
The museum includes the country’s largest permanent display
of Bigfoot artifacts, life sized exhibits, photos, sketches, large up-to-date
sightings maps and the World’s only Bigfoot Research and Tech Vehicle. The
Sasquatch Theater onsite offers about 20 minutes of multimedia content, setting
the stage before heading to the museum exhibits.
Expedition Bigfoot! The Sasquatch Museum, Ellijay, GA (Photo Credit: Pick Ellijay)
North American Bigfoot Center, Boring
It’s impossible to mention Bigfoot without talking about the
legends that live on the other side of the country as well.
Located in Boring, Oregon, just 25 minutes outside of
Portland the North American Bigfoot Center is a museum and research hub
dedicated to the legendary lore, culture, artifacts and gatherings associated
with the Sasquatch. The center features informational displays, interactive
exhibits and replicas focused on studying the elusive creature. The mythical
Bigfoot and its folklore have long been associated with the Pacific Northwest,
with many locals considering Bigfoot to be the region’s unofficial mascot.
Whether you’re a die-hard Sasquatch enthusiast, a skeptic,
or simply a visitor from out of town, the North American Bigfoot Center is a
great place for everyone to come together and learn about this mythological
creature associated with the Pacific Northwest and the way it has become
ingrained in the culture.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
