The Most Interesting Museums in the World
Do you want to go on vacation? There are tons of places that you can go including the beach or mountains. You could explore the great outdoors as they were meant to be explored! As great as that is, some of us don’t really like hiking or swimming. Heck, some of us would rather take a trip to learn something. Going to another place gives us the chance to learn about another culture and history. While you could do it at home, it’s a lot different when you can actually see artifacts from a strange time and place.
Some museums focus on teaching people about the quirkier aspects of human culture, and those are the ones we want to focus on. Forget about stuffy artwork and old dinosaur bones. We’re talking about museums that highlight things about our species that others have forgotten about – yeah, we’re talking about ramen noodles and toilets. Who knew you could learn so much about toilets?! Okay, well, maybe some people may not want to go to a toilet museum, but that’s because they’ve never seen Napoleon’s bathroom.
Today we’re going to go over museums that break the norm and go far into the right field. These places are a tribute to the things about human culture that we forgot about or take for granted. They’re worth a visit just to say you’ve seen some pretty odd stuff in your time. After all, when are you ever going to be able to say “I went to a museum dedicated to scientifically weird animals.”
Museum of Bad Art
This private collection in Massachusetts has over 700 works that are described as “art too bad to be ignored.” And that’s definitely not an exaggeration. If you visit, you’ll be accosted by works of art made with poor technique and bizarre sources of inspiration that never needed to be depicted in a visual medium.
Museum of Bad Art
Sommerville, Massachusetts
Good art is so overrated. Who wants to be moved to tears of joy at viewing a timeless masterpiece when you could be moved to tears of laughter by a terrible work of art?
Currywurst Museum (Now Closed)
At the museum, you can explore the history of this delicious dish, play currywurst-based video games, and, of course, eat plenty of mouth-watering samples.
The Bunny Museum
While most of the museum is filled with rabbit figurines and stuffed animals, there are some decidedly creepier exhibits, too. And that includes seven freeze-dried rabbits that were former pets of the museum’s owners.
Currywurst Museum (Now Closed)
Berlin, Germany
Everyone knows that the best museums are food-based, and they don’t get much tastier than the museum dedicated to currywurst–a fried pork specialty of Germany.
The Bunny Museum
Pasadena, California
For some, the Bunny Museum is a hopping magical place. For others, it’s the work of rabbit-obsessed hoarders. But regardless of where you fall on the issue, it’s definitely a museum worth visiting.
The Museum of Jurassic Technology
Described as a “witty, self-conscious homage to private museums,” the Museum of Jurassic Technology contains a number of random and scientifically dubious exhibits–including a decaying pair of dice and a collection of portraits done of dogs who have been sent into space.
The Museum of Jurassic Technology
Los Angeles, California
If you’re too cool and detached to visit a normal museum, you might enjoy the weirdly ironic and meta Museum of Jurassic Technology in Los Angeles.
Cancun Underwater Museum
With over 500 sculptures situated beneath the water, the museum is an amazing feat of ingenuity. And it’s not just a bunch of junk at the bottom of the ocean–the sculptures were designed to promote the growth of coral and other marine organisms.
Cancun Underwater Museum
Cancun, Mexico
Bathing suits in public are usually a no-go, but if you plan on visiting the surreal underwater museum in Cancun, they’re practically required!
Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum
Learn about how this humble noodle came from modest beginnings to become a truly global powerhouse. Visitors can even design their very own cups and then mix and match ingredients to create a uniquely original flavor blend for themselves.
Mmuseumm
New York City
Visiting the Mmuseumm is the perfect way to start a tour of eccentric museums. Located in a former freight elevator, this small exhibit space is easy to miss, which is kind of the point.
(image via mmuseumm)
Mmuseumm
Its exhibitions focus on overlooked or ignored “contemporary artifacts,” such as toothpaste tubes from around the world.
Graceland Too (now closed)
Holly Springs, Mississippi
An hour south of Graceland, Elvis Presley’s Memphis home, is the private residence of Paul MacLeod, a self-described Elvis fanatic.
(image via rufusowliebat, CC)
Graceland Too (Now Closed)
He amassed so much Elvis memorabilia that every inch of his home was covered in posters, album covers, and other knickknacks, and he invited visitors to tour his finds. Unfortunately, following his death in 2014, tours were no longer allowed, and the collection was put up for auction.
The Museum of Broken Relationships
Zagreb, Croatia
The Museum of Broken Relationships is one part museum and one part art concept. Materials donated by individuals from failed relationships make up the permanent collection, and visitors can digitally upload their own donations or record audio/video confessionals.
(image via brokenships.com)
The Museum of Broken Relationships
Among the numerous donated exhibition items, the most interesting include an axe, a wedding dress, and fuzzy pink handcuffs.
International Cryptozoology Museum
Portland, Maine
Opened in 2009 as the first of its kind in the world, the International Cryptozoology Museum focuses on the search to verify scientifically unrecognized animals such as the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot.
(image via cryptozoologymuseum.com)
International Cryptozoology Museum
Interestingly, the museum sees its mission as a gateway for youth to be introduced to the more “hard sciences” of biology and zoology. It shows we can all have a little fun in our professional lives.
The Dog Collar Museum
Leeds, United Kingdom
Fashionable, fancy dog collars aren’t a recent phenomenon.
(image via leeds-castle.com)
The Dog Collar Museum
The Dog Collar Museum at Leeds Castle catalogs more than 500 years of ornately designed collars for man’s best friend, ranging from bulky metallic pieces to delicate expensive cloth creations. Those spiky choker collars actually protected pets from predators in European forests.
Sulabh International Museum of Toilets
New Delhi, India
Finding artifacts about the global history of toilets and sanitation is a dirty job, but someone had to do it. And they did!
Sulabh International Museum of Toilets
The Sulabh International Museum of Toilets features toilets from over 50 countries, ranging from 2500 B.C.E. to the present. By promoting the importance of sanitation, the museum hopes to improve the living conditions of poorer residents in both India and throughout the world.
Icelandic Phallological Museum
Reykjavik, Iceland
We know you’re asking “Why?!” Unfortunately, we can’t really give you an answer. What we can tell you is that the Icelandic Phallological Museum features over 280…specimens, mostly from animals.
(image via phallus.is)
Icelandic Phallological Museum
They did manage to procure a human specimen, but “unfortunately” it was improperly stored. We would have thought the cold temperatures of Iceland would have been perfect for that.
Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum
Ikeda, Japan
The Instant Ramen Museum is the dream of college students everywhere. Rows and rows of ramen line the walls in every conceivable flavor possible.
(image via instantramen-museum.jp)
