World’s Weirdest Museums

What constitutes art? Many say that all objects around us have a bit of art in them. And, by that rationale, it should come as no surprise that there are museums for even the most common of objects. Below, we go through some of the weirdest museums in the world.

 

The Hair Museum

Just because this museum has made the list of weirdest museums, it doesn’t mean it can’t also be included in the list of the most repulsive. Cappadocia is known for its peculiar rock formations and landscapes, but for the past 40 years, also for having this site of pilgrimage for the most curious of travelers. But this museum is no joke, and it’s been included in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the largest collection of hair in the world. Although not a requirement, all visitors can donate some of their locks so they can be hung from the ceiling or on the walls, as more than 16,000 travelers have done before.

The Hair Museum of Avanos

Address: 24 Avanos Nevşehir, Yukarı, 110, Turkey

Admission: Free

 

The Museum of Bad Art

If we took all the drawings and paintings decorating the doors of fridges all over the country and displayed them in a gallery, the result would be quite similar to this museum. The owners themselves describe it as the only museum in the world dedicated to preserving and exhibiting bad art. There’s no doubt this is a unique place, and it’s well worth giving it one hour of your time when you are in Boston, just so you can say you’ve been there. During the tour, be prepared to be delighted by some of its better known paintings, like “Two Trees in Love”, “Woman Riding Crustacean”, “Inside the Egg”, and its great masterpiece “Sunday on the Pot with George”.

Museum of Bad Art (MOBA)

Address: 55 David Square, Sommerville MA, USA

Admission: Free

 

The Lawnmower Museum

One doesn’t need to have a garden to realize that lawnmowers have marked a before and an after in the history of the modern world. And that is clear as day to the Radam Family, who keeps over 300 of these undervalued machines on display for visitors since 1991. If you leave Liverpool without visiting this museum, you’ll miss your chance to see the celebrity lawnmowers of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, that of Brian May, or Hilda Odgen’s. Obviously, if you have lots of room left on your suitcase, you can get your very own lawnmower from the museum store, which would certainly make for an original souvenir.

British Lawnmower Museum

Address: 106-114 Shakespeare Street, Southport, England

Admission: 3,7€

 

The Sulabh International Museum of Toilets

We can explore the history of the world through books, photographs, paintings… and toilets.  If you’ve ever wondered what WCs looked like 4,500 years ago, this is the right museum for you. Discover how toilet technology has evolved, the practices associated with excretory activities, and sanitation conditions throughout history, all accompanied by funny anecdotes from the world of latrines. I sh%t you not: next time you are in Delhi, don’t miss out on this extraordinary museum.

Sulabh International Museum of Toilets

Address: Sulabh Bhawan, Mahavir Enclave |Palam Dabri Marg, New Delhi, India

Admission: Free

 

The Museum of Salt and Pepper Shakers

Guadalest is a charming municipality nearby Valencia that is very ordinary looking at first sight. But if we delve into its main attractions, we find Europe’s only museum devoted to salt and pepper shakers. For 25 years, its owner has collected over 20,000 of these items, making them available for the general public in a museum. The gallery includes surprisingly creative designs, in the shape of celebrity figures, animals, mushrooms, lightbulbs, and toasters, for instance. And you won’t be able to leave the museum without snapping a photo with its famous pepper grinder over a meter tall.

Museo de saleros y pimenteros

Address: Avenida de Alicante 2, El Castell de Guadalest, Spain

Admission: 3€

 

The Dog Collar Museum

There’s no way you know the full story behind dog collars. Don’t worry, not everyone has had the chance to visit Leeds’ famous museum of dog collars. Besides learning new fun facts (did you know that dog owners used to buy them collars to protect them from wolves and bears?), at this Leeds museum you’ll also see all manner of collars: Medieval, Baroque, Victorian… A peculiar place, to say the least, where paradoxically, dogs are not welcome.

The Dog Collar Museum

Address: Leeds Castle, Maidstone, Kent ME17 1PL, England

Admission: 27,60 € (year pass, including visits to the castle)

 

The Lunch Box Museum

If you wanted everyone at school to envy you back in the 60s, all you needed was the right lunch box. There were thousands of styles to choose from, such as Bee Gees, King Kong or Charlie’s Angels themed ones. Nothing defined you quite like the box were you carried your sandwich. If you too wish you had lived those times, you can’t miss out on Columbus’ Lunch Box Museum, in the US. In it you’ll find hundreds of lunch boxes dating from 1951 to 1985. But we have to warn you that lunch boxes were forbidden this past year for being too dangerous for kids, so visit this museum at your own risk.

Lunch Box Museum

Address: 318 10th Ave., Columbus, GA, USA

Admission: 4,5€

 

The Sock Museum

We couldn’t end this list without mentioning this gem, the icing on the cake as far as museums go. Have you got any mismatched socks? Grab your suitcase and jet off to Japan. It will probably lead to nothing, but at least you can attempt to find the missing one among the hundreds of pair they have at Tokyo’s sock museum. During the visit they’ll tell you about the manufacturing process of this clothing item, the various styles, and of course, how the West has influenced the production of traditional Japanese socks. If you still need excuses to visit this unique place, keep in mind that you’ll be lucky enough to see the socks of super famous sumo fighters of the likes of Chiyonofuji and Onokuni. Surely you’ll be compelled to leave the museum with a pair of socks for everyone that’s asked you for a souvenir from Japan.

Tabi Shiryokan

Address: 1-9-3 Midori, Japan

Admission: Free

 

If you’ve visited any of these museums or know of any others that merit being on this list, be sure to tell us about it in the comments below.