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While the Louvre is home to iconic works of art, there are also museums dedicated to the most unexpected things, like collections of every imaginable toilet! Museums worldwide often focus on art, culture, and history, but some are so strange they will completely surprise you! Check out these 10 unusual museums you won’t believe actually exist.
10. The Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast Museum, Fall River, Massachusetts
It may not be surprising that the site of Abby and Andrew Borden’s tragic murders has been transformed into a museum. However, what might surprise you is that it also operates as a charming bed and breakfast, known for its ghost hunting experiences, fun games, and Lizzie Borden bobbleheads.
A visit to the museum isn’t truly complete without staying overnight in the very house where the grisly murders occurred in 1892. Guests can enjoy complimentary snacks and coffee while exploring the house with expert ghost hunters, who demonstrate their tools in search of paranormal activity.
9. Le Musee Des Vampires, Lilas, France
No visit to France is complete without a stop at the Museum of Vampires in Lilas, just outside Paris. By appointment only, this eerie museum showcases a vast collection dedicated to all things vampire. You’ll find books, posters, props, and even the signatures of every actor who has ever portrayed Dracula.
Your visit to the museum includes a detailed discussion with curator Jacques Sirgent about the vampire mythos, including their origins in folklore, vampire legends in France, and their influence on popular culture.
8. The Underwater Museum of Art, Cancun, Mexico
Reaching this museum requires more effort than usual, as it’s located several meters beneath the ocean's surface. The museum was created to divert attention from the natural coral reefs around Cancun, as the increasing human activity there has harmed the fragile ecosystem. Its purpose is to reduce the damage caused to these natural sites.
Visitors can enjoy a three-hour tour, which includes a 45-minute snorkeling adventure to explore statues, sculptures, wildlife, and coral growth. Each statue is made from materials that are safe for marine life, and many have already started fostering coral growth.
7. The Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum, Gatlinburg, Tennessee
If you find yourself passing through Gatlinburg, Tennessee, be sure to visit the Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum, home to the world’s largest collection of—yes, you guessed it—salt and pepper shakers. The museum proudly displays over 20,000 pairs of shakers, collected over 25 years by its owners and curators.
In addition, you can explore around 1,500 pepper mills and dive deep into the fascinating history of salt and pepper shakers, with examples dating back to the 16th century. As of late 2016, entry to the museum costs $3. And if you think you've seen it all, fear not—there's another Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum in Guadalest, Spain, featuring an equally impressive and diverse collection.
6. The Mutter Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Mutter Museum in Philadelphia is a fascinating destination for anyone intrigued by the history of medicine. With its wide variety of exhibits, you'll either be captivated or slightly repelled depending on your tolerance for the unusual.
Among the exhibits, you'll find over 3,000 individual bones (osteologic specimens). These aren’t your typical classroom skeletons with a top hat and glasses; these bones showcase various illnesses, injuries, and in some rare cases, normal human anatomy.
Many of these bones were preserved more than 150 years ago for use as teaching tools. The museum also holds around 1,300 'wet specimens' of biological tissue preserved in fluid. One of the most unusual displays is a portion of Professor Albert Einstein’s brain, presented in slides.
5. The Torture Museum, Ruedesheim, Germany
While many torture museums can be found across the globe, few are housed in an eerie, old building tucked away off the main roads, like the one in Ruedesheim, Germany. This chilling museum features 144 unique torture devices used throughout the Middle Ages, with various exhibits showcasing methods of execution spread throughout its rooms.
The collection includes items like gallows, knee screws, breast talons, heretic forks, chastity belts, head presses, humiliation masks, an executioner's axe, and many more. One of the most intriguing exhibits is the interrogation chair, which was famously used during the Spanish Inquisition.
The museum also has a section dedicated to the infamous witch hunts throughout history, where you can explore the 'methods' once used to determine if someone was believed to be practicing witchcraft.
4. Vent Haven MuseumFort Mitchell, Kentucky
It may seem strange to visit a museum dedicated to hundreds of creepy little dolls, but that's exactly what you’ll find at the Vent Haven Museum in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. This unique museum is home to the largest collection of ventriloquist dolls in the world, often described as a collection of ventriloquism nightmares.
Here, you can explore the fascinating history of ventriloquism and view many of the dolls used by performers over the years. It's the only museum of its kind anywhere across the globe.
The collection started as the personal endeavor of Mr. William Shakespeare Berger, who feared that his vast collection would be dispersed after his passing. To prevent this, he established a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the art of ventriloquism. Since his death, the collection has only grown larger.
3. The Hair MuseumAvanos, Turkey
Within the walls of a cave in Avanos, Turkey, resides the world's largest collection of human hair—specifically, female hair. The museum's origin story is surprisingly simple. The ‘curator,’ who also runs a pottery shop and guesthouse, asked a departing female guest to leave him something to remember her by. She gave him a lock of her hair, and ever since, thousands of other women have done the same.
He established the museum in 1979 and holds a record in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest collection of human hair, a feat few will likely surpass. The walls of the underground cave display 16,000 distinct samples of women’s hair.
Women have a reason for contributing their locks, however. Each year, one lucky lock is selected as the winner, and the woman behind it is invited to return to the guesthouse for a special workshop with the master potter.
2. The Condom MuseumThailand
If you've ever been curious about where the majority of condoms are made, look no further than Thailand’s Condom Museum. This small museum is located within the Ministry of Health, just outside Bangkok in Nonthaburi.
Finding it can be a bit challenging, but once you're there, you'll gain comprehensive knowledge about condoms. Admission requires approval from the department head, after which you can explore an extensive collection of condoms and observe machines that test their strength and durability.
The museum was established in part due to Thailand’s significant growth in the industry. Its purpose is to promote awareness about condoms and their role in preventing unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Exhibits include various phallic items, penis pumps, and condoms from around the world.
1. The Icelandic Phallological Museum
If something exists, there's a good chance that someone has collected it—and possibly put it in a museum. This is certainly true for baseball cards, ventriloquist dummies, and even penises. The Icelandic Phallological Museum proudly houses the world's largest collection of penises and related parts.
The museum's collection includes 280 penis specimens from 93 different species. Many of these items come from marine mammals like whales and seals. You might be asking if the museum displays human phalluses—and yes, it does.
One particular human specimen is preserved in a jar of formalin, looking like a shriveled grayish-brown mass. This unfortunate appearance was due to a detachment process that left the specimen somewhat withered. The museum is currently on the lookout for “a younger, larger, and more impressive one” to complete its collection.
Don't be mistaken—this museum isn't just a quirky oddity. While it may seem unconventional, its mission is rooted in the serious scientific study of phallology.
