16 Strange and Unusual Museums Around the World
Museums aim to inform and entertain in equal measure as they preserve some of the world’s most important historical artifacts. Most locations are mainstream and showcase displays and exhibitions targeting those with regular interests.
Along with history, nature, classic cars, and other regular museums, others are more “out there.” Some venues like to celebrate the absurd and cater to more unusual tastes.
The following museums cover various interests, but each can be considered bizarre.
1. International Cryptozoology Museum — Portland, Maine
It’s strange to think that a museum would dedicate itself to things that potentially don’t exist, but that’s the case over in Portland. Cryptozoology studies mythical creatures like Bigfoot, the Yeti, and the Loch Ness monster.
Despite lacking credible evidence for these beasts, the museum contains thousands of exhibits, including artifacts and visuals of reported sightings.
2. Tap Water Museum — Beijing, China
Taps, or faucets, depending on which side of the Atlantic you live on, are featured heavily in Beijing, and so is the water they deliver. In truth, this isn’t the biggest of the bizarre museums here, but you can still travel to China and enjoy about 130 exhibits.
Among the most interesting displays is a working order mini filtration system showcasing the fascinating process behind clean water production.
3. Derwent Pencil Museum — Cumbria, UK
England’s Lake District is a beautiful tourist spot all year round, but only a few visitors make the quick trip to the region’s pencil museum in Keswick. Opened in 1981, it claims to have the first pencil ever produced.
Keswick was an essential hub for pencil manufacturing, and the first pencil-producing factory opened here in 1832.
4. Vent Haven Museum — Fort Mitchell, Kentucky
Some find ventriloquist dummies creepy, while others think they are fascinating. If you fall into the second category, you’ll love a trip to the Vent Haven Museum dedicated to these dolls.
There are over 900 exhibits currently in place, and you may recognize some of them. Famous performers used a selection of those ventriloquist dummies.
5. Museum of Plugs and Sockets — The Netherlands
The strangest thing about this museum is that everything is online. Learning about plugs and sockets and how they differ worldwide may be fascinating, but it would be nice to see them in person.
In the meantime, you can visit the museum website. At the very least, you’ll learn which adaptor you’ll need to pack when you travel abroad.
6. Arna Bontemps Can Opener Museum — San Francisco, California
In the unlikely event that you’ve always wanted to see a can opener from the early 1800s, this is the place to be. The Arna Bontemps Can Opener Museum was founded in 2000 and has built up over 200 exhibits in a relatively short period.
There’s more than one way to open a can, and this is a fascinating history of how this everyday kitchen gadget evolved.
7. Barbed Wire Museum — La Crosse, Kansas
You may think there is little of interest in the history of barbed wire, but you’d be wrong. The original barbed wire museum opened as part of a storefront in 1970, but interest grew so great that the owners had to construct a new building.
La Crosse is known as the “barbed wire capital of the world,” and the museum currently holds over 2,000 exhibits related to its history.
8. Heinz History Center — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
While it offers so much more, the Heinz History Center is more regularly known as the “Ketchup Museum.” That’s mainly because the venue has many related artifacts, including an enormous, 11-foot-tall ketchup bottle.
Aside from its homage to sauces, the Heinz Center also records the life and history of people in the Pittsburgh area, so not every aspect is “weird.”
9. The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, Fine Art and Natural History — London, England
Taxidermy is a common theme for many museums, but this location in east London takes the practice to a new level. The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities is perfectly named, as there are some seriously weird items here.
The two-headed lamb is at the top of most visitors’ must-see lists, but it’s not all about stuffed animals. The Viktor Wynd Museum also hosts dodo bones, body parts, and celebrity fecal matter.
10. Museum of Hangovers — Zagreb, Croatia
The location is a sobering excursion, particularly if you’ve over-indulged the night before. The Museum of Hangovers provides a fascinating look at how alcohol affects the mind and body, while there are simulators to replicate the feeling of having one too many.
The museum is intended to be fun, and it doesn’t preach, but it might make you reevaluate your relationship with alcohol.
11. Bubblecar Museum — Boston, UK
Bubblecars are named because of the glass or perspex dome placed over the driver. Over fifty examples of these curious microcars are exhibited in the Lincolnshire town of Boston.
It’s a niche area of vehicle manufacture, and among the many bizarre motoring museums, this is among the most weird. If you are traveling, remember that the Bubblecar Museum is only open at weekends.
12. Cancun Underwater Museum of Art — Isla Mujeres, Mexico
A series of incredible sculptures lies under the sea off the coast of Cancun. British artist Jason deCaires Taylor created this underwater museum, and you have to go snorkeling to appreciate its beauty.
While weird, the Cancun Underwater Museum of Art also serves a vital purpose. It has helped to preserve the coral reef while becoming a new home for marine life.
13. Meguro Parasitological Museum — Tokyo, Japan
The Meguro Museum is in the center of Tokyo and hosts an enormous, if disgusting, collection of parasites, along with interactive displays and information about how they affect humans and animals.
If that isn’t enough to tempt you inside, consider the Meguro Parasitological Museum’s boast of the biggest tapeworm ever recorded, at a spectacular 29 feet in length.
14. Museum of Bad Art — Boston, Massachusetts
Have we finally found a home for all that terrible artwork our children bring back from school? The Museum of Bad Art in Boston was founded in 1993. Its creator, Scott Wilson, found an abysmal example in the trash and felt it should be displayed.
Today, the museum accepts new entries, but very few contributions meet the criteria, and any artwork that is considered to be deliberately bad will be immediately rejected.
15. Avanos Hair Museum — Avanos, Turkey
Other locations on this list would disagree, but the Avanos Hair Museum could claim to be Earth’s weirdest museum. It contains hair samples of about 5 million women worldwide, along with their names and addresses.
If that isn’t unsettling enough, the museum is underground, and the hair dangles down from ceilings as visitors walk through a series of creepy caves.
16. British Lawnmower Museum — Southport, England
If you want to mix your love of lawnmowers with the thrill of seeing celebrity artifacts, head to this museum in the Merseyside town of Southport. It hosts over 300 exhibits dating back more than 200 years.
Public figures previously owned many items, including lawnmowers that belonged to Princess Diana, television presenter Paul O’Grady, and Queen guitarist Brian May.