[ragsonthenet] Wackiest Museums around the World

 

Curious Collections: Offbeat Museums Around the World

A gallery of some of the wackiest collections on earth:

The International Banana Club and Museum - Hesperia, Calif.
After 38 years heading up the International Banana Club and Museum, Ken "Bananister" Bannister (the collection's founder and declared top banana) has been asked by the town of Hesperia, Calif., to split. The community was apparently tired of his museum's monkey business and wanted to use the rent-free space for the artifacts of John Swisher, a local historian. Luckily for this Chiquita, Bannister has found a new location for his collection and will be reopening the museum near Palm Springs, Calif., in January 2011.

The Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen (Japanese noodles) Museum - Osaka, Japan
A favorite destination for sodium fiends and penniless college students, this museum honors ramen inventor Momofuko Ando and boasts a theater shaped like a giant Cup o' Noodles, a make-your-own-noodle workshop and a life-size replica of Ando's "research shack." Best of all, admission is free.

Leila's Hair Museum - Independence, Mo.
Still sporting the Rachel? Comb-over getting you down? Head over to Leila's Hair Museum in Independence, Mo., where $5 will grant you entry to America's pre-eminent hair museum. Now in its 20th year, Leila's Hair Museum will help you forget your mane worries. Browse the collection of jewelry made from human hair. Behold the hundreds of hair wreaths, some dating back to the 1800s. And glory in the museum's prize hairpiece: a wreath woven from the infamous 'do of comedian Phyllis Diller.

The International UFO Museum and Research Center - Roswell, N.M.
For those who "want to believe," there is no better place to visit than the International UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell, N.M. If you're in town in early July, you may catch the annual UFO festival - a three-day celebration of Roswell's 1947 flying-saucer incident. This year's festival promises extraterrestrial fun for the whole family, with fireworks, parades and live entertainment provided by the Christian rock band Thousand Year Reign.

The Atomic Testing Museum - Las Vegas
Located a hot mile off the Las Vegas Strip, the Atomic Testing Museum is a trove of radioactive gizmos, gadgets and Geiger counters. If hitting the slots is leaving you sallow, spend a few hours watching archival atomic-bomb videos. It might help you regain your natural radiance - museum afterglow is said to last up to three hours.

Bob Riddell's Telephone Museum - Wawina, Minn.
Bob Riddell is the owner (and sole employee) of the nation's smallest telephone company, in Wawina, Minn. He also happens to have one of the nation's largest collections of telephones. Working cord switchboards, dial systems, business phones, rotaries, touch-tones - Riddell's got 'em all up and ringing.

The Museum of Death - Hollywood
Now in its 15th year, the Museum of Death specializes in all things macabre. Its permanent collection includes the severed-by-guillotine head of Henri Désiré Landru (the Bluebeard of Paris), an original bunk bed and the clothing of the suicide cult Heaven's Gate ... and Liberace's stuffed cat Candy.

The Mutter Museum - Philadelphia
Move over, Ben Franklin: the Mutter Museum is the true belle of Philadelphia. Founded by a retired professor of surgery at Jefferson Medical College, the museum has been educating both professionals and laymen about human anatomy and medical anomalies since 1858. A perennial favorite is the exhibit about eye diseases and injuries, purchased by the museum in 1882.

The Icelandic Phallological Museum - Husavik, Iceland
The world's only museum devoted to penises, the Phallological Museum began in 1994 when curator Sigurdur Hjartarson first displayed his collection of Icelandic mammal penises to the public. While the museum is clearly not for the faint of heart, it has gained a fierce following among vagabonds and seekers of global quirk, even inspiring a rather catchy song, "Das Pe-Pe-Penis Museum von Reykjavik."

Museum of Sex - New York City
Open since 2002, MoSex's stated goal is to "preserve and present the history, evolution and cultural significance of human sexuality." Despite being located in Manhattan's least sexy neighborhood, the museum is still going strong after eight years, proving that sex sells.

Marikina City Footwear Museum - Manila
Got 3,000 pairs of shoes but no place to put them? Why not open a museum? In 2001 Imelda Marcos, the globe's most famous shoe horse, did just that. A decade after returning from exile to the Philippines, Marcos opened the Marikina City Footwear Museum. It is now home to 800 pairs from the Iron Butterfly's infamous collection, including the pair of blue espadrilles she wore in 1989 when she and her husband fled the presidential palace.

James Bond Museum - Keswick, Cumbria, U.K.
In 2009 Peter Nelson, a retired dental surgeon and James Bond aficionado, traded fluoride for martinis and opened the world's first James Bond museum in Cumbria, England. Nelson is counting on his extensive collection of Bond movie props and stunt cars - including the convertible Triumph Stag from Diamonds Are Forever and the octopus from Octopussy - to leave fans shaken and stirred. The museum is located directly behind the Cumberland Pencil Museum, which houses the world's longest colored pencil.

The Stoogeum - Amble, Pa.
Wise guys and knuckleheads get their nyuks off at the Stoogeum in Amble, Pa., the first and only museum dedicated to the Three Stooges. The 10,000-sq.-ft. (930 sq m) space houses the nearly 100,000 pieces of "Stoogeabilia" held by Stoogeum founder, curator, designer and tour guide Gary Lassin. Stooge fans beware: the museum opens only about once a month.

Spam Museum - Austin, Minn.
Everything you ever wanted to know about Spam - and by proxy, the American postwar diet - can be found at the Spam museum in Austin, Minn. Located just across the road from the Spam factory and slaughterhouse, the museum gives visitors an extensive look into the history and cultural significance of America's favorite canned-meat food product. If you show up hungry, complimentary toothpick-speared Spam cubes are available from "Spambassadors" who wander throughout the museum.

World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things
In a supersize world, one American has gone mini. The brainchild of artist Erika Nelson, the museum with the supersize name consists of Nelson's handmade miniature roadside attractions, all housed in a pimped-out minibus. While the artist has been known to take her museum on the road, these days the bus is holding still in downtown Lucas, Kans. The World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things is currently parked near the world-famous "Garden of Eden" sculpture installation and Brant's Meat Market.

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