# Strange Museums (as in, way too specialised) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 2, 2019, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-museums-as-in-way-too-specialised/838052 "2019-08-02T11:14:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2026, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-museums-as-in-way-too-specialised/838052/101 "2026-01-19T19:52:00Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > I am reviving this thread, because I just learned about the Museum of Root Beer in Wisconsin Dells. And ya know what else is right there…the clown museum. > **[International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center](https://www.theclownmuseum.com/)** Also, House On The Rock. > **[Visit & Tour Info - House on the Rock](https://www.thehouseontherock.com/exhibits/)** And, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin East. > **[Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin | Wisconsin Attraction](https://www.taliesinpreservation.org/)** > > Taliesin is the home, studio, school, and 800-acre property of Frank Lloyd Wright in the Driftless Region of southern Wisconsin near Spring Green. In Milwaukee we have a (the?) Bobblehead Hall Of Fame/Museum. > **[National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum](https://www.bobbleheadhall.com/)** One of the Bobbleheads, Dominic The Food Reviewer, is a regular customer of mine. [![](https://store.bobbleheadhall.com/cdn/shop/products/DominictheFoodReviewerBobbleheadwithBHOFLogo_2ea0a02b-7475-4843-8b42-4f2de1ed4d90_1024x1024.png?v=1672355067) ](https://store.bobbleheadhall.com/cdn/shop/products/DominictheFoodReviewerBobbleheadwithBHOFLogo_2ea0a02b-7475-4843-8b42-4f2de1ed4d90_1024x1024.png?v=1672355067) [![](https://storage.googleapis.com/onmilwaukee-article-images/variants/5sweghrcy8rf7ana279n0wev9pod/ff35c9310a7d5016e76853b0df7d033449d793b6f6dc2e4a0b4bc844add6c385) ](https://storage.googleapis.com/onmilwaukee-article-images/variants/5sweghrcy8rf7ana279n0wev9pod/ff35c9310a7d5016e76853b0df7d033449d793b6f6dc2e4a0b4bc844add6c385) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2026, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-museums-as-in-way-too-specialised/838052/102 "2026-01-19T21:20:07Z")
A couple of unique museums in New Mexico: In Aztec, the Aztec Ruins National Monument is the main attraction. But on the other side of town is the Aztec Museum & Pioneer Village, absolutely worth a visit to see the crown jewel of the collection, the [Pecos West Cyclorama](https://www.aztecmuseum.org/Pecos-West-Daily-Times.pdf). In Farmington there’s the B-Square Ranch, home of the [Bolack Electromechanical Museum](https://farmingtonnm.org/listings/bolack-electromechanical-museum) and [Museum of Fish & Wildlife](https://farmingtonnm.org/listings/bolack-museum-of-fish-and-wildlife) The owner died several years ago, so I don’t know if they’re still open to the public. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2026, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-museums-as-in-way-too-specialised/838052/103 "2026-01-19T21:32:09Z")
There is a dulcimer museum in Sperryville, VA that I keep meaning to visit and a yerba mate museum in Coyhaique, Chile that is closed every time I’ve been in town. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-museums-as-in-way-too-specialised/838052/104 "2026-01-20T00:14:34Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > There’s also a telephone museum in Roseville, CA, which I’m surprised I didn’t mention previously in this thread since it’s localish to me. There’s a fun one in Seattle, too, in an old telephone switching station. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-museums-as-in-way-too-specialised/838052/105 "2026-01-20T01:01:25Z")
This Museum Is Not Obsolete, In England. It’s full of old (obsolete) music and telephony equipment. > **[About — This Museum Is (Not) Obsolete](https://this-museum-is-not-obsolete.com/about-1)** I’ve never been there (or to England, for that matter). I only know it because of two youtube channels that I follow. Look Mum No Computer and This Museum Is (Not) Obsolete. > **[LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER](https://www.youtube.com/@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER/videos)** > > I MAKE MUSIC AND THINGS THAT MAKE MUSIC > **[THIS MUSEUM IS (NOT) OBSOLETE](https://www.youtube.com/@THISMUSEUMISNOTOBSOLETE/videos)** > > A Museum Based In Ramsgate Kent Focussing on Experimental, Obsolete, Scientific and Musical Technology And this playlist of him buying, moving and reassembling an _enormous_ pipe organ is a good watch. https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLluPQLh1xzlI7EMB5qIxDd_1OLE-Z_kyC&wmode=transparent&rel=0&autohide=1&showinfo=1&enablejsapi=1 ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-museums-as-in-way-too-specialised/838052/106 "2026-01-20T01:37:52Z")
[Chihuly Garden and Glass](https://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/) in Seattle is an entire museum dedicated to the glass sculptures of Dale Chihuly, and there’s the more general but still very Chihuly-centered [Museum of Glass](https://www.museumofglass.org/) not that far away in Tacoma. Seattle also has a [Pinball Museum](https://seattlepinballmuseum.com/), which is actually more of an arcade where all the machines are playable for a flat admission fee. Not nearly as big as [the one in Vegas](https://pinballmuseum.org/), though. ---
**Author:** ![Old\_Wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecccb3/32.png) [@Old\_Wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Old_Wench)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-museums-as-in-way-too-specialised/838052/107 "2026-01-20T02:08:35Z")
The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh is an entire building (seven floors + the basement) and is the largest single-artist museum in North America. It’s organized chronologically so you start with his earliest works on the seventh floor and work your way down. > **[The Andy Warhol Museum](https://www.warhol.org/)** > > Warhol for All ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-museums-as-in-way-too-specialised/838052/108 "2026-01-20T03:07:23Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > [Chihuly Garden and Glass](https://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/) in Seattle is an entire museum dedicated to the glass sculptures of Dale Chihuly, and there’s the more general but still very Chihuly-centered [Museum of Glass](https://www.museumofglass.org/) not that far away in Tacoma. Both are quite beautiful and worth visiting, despite their specialization. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-museums-as-in-way-too-specialised/838052/109 "2026-01-20T03:10:23Z")
I’ve been to the former, but not the latter. I don’t know much about glass art, but it’s definitely fascinating stuff, and they do live demonstrations of the glassblowing process that were very interesting. Feel free to look up the thread where I found out about how one of my coworkers was involved in a scheme to steal “damaged” sculptures from Chihuly’s warehouse and sell them on the black market. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-museums-as-in-way-too-specialised/838052/110 "2026-01-20T03:11:23Z")
The Spam Museum in Austin MN is one of my favorites. I have visited it twice–once in about 2002 in its former digs and once in 2016 in its new-and-improved home. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-museums-as-in-way-too-specialised/838052/111 "2026-01-20T03:29:07Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > [Chihuly Garden and Glass](https://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/) in Seattle is an entire museum dedicated to the glass sculptures of Dale Chihuly, and there’s the more general but still very Chihuly-centered [Museum of Glass](https://www.museumofglass.org/) not that far away in Tacoma > [@Smapti](#): > > I’ve been to the former, but not the latter. I much prefer the latter. Plus you can also visit the WA State History Museum (very much worth a trip - check out the model train exhibit) and/or Tacoma Art Museum while you’re there. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-museums-as-in-way-too-specialised/838052/112 "2026-01-20T03:30:48Z")
Perhaps I’ll make a point of it the next time I have a reason to go to Tacoma. I worked in Tacoma (commuting from Olympia) for six years but never really explored it much, and these days I usually only find myself there if I’m passing through on my way to Seattle or to visit my sister in Sumner, or if I’m going to a show at the Tacoma Dome (which I’m honestly surprised STILL hasn’t sold its naming rights to some corporation like every other large arena or stadium in the country). ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-museums-as-in-way-too-specialised/838052/113 "2026-01-20T03:31:19Z")
The Newseum closed shortly after this post appeared. > **[Newseum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newseum)** > > The Newseum (April 18, 1997 – March 3, 2002 and April 11, 2008 – December 31, 2019) was a journalistic museum located first in Rosslyn, Virginia, and later at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, in Washington, D.C., United States. It was dedicated to news and journalism that promoted free expression and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, while tracing the evolution of communication. > The purpose of the museum, funded by the Freedom Forum, a nonpartisan U.S. foundation dedicated to ... ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-museums-as-in-way-too-specialised/838052/114 "2026-01-20T03:31:29Z")
I visited the [Merry-Go-Round Museum](https://www.merrygoroundmuseum.org/) in Sandusky, Ohio. Rode on a vintage go-round with mechanical music. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-museums-as-in-way-too-specialised/838052/115 "2026-01-20T03:34:07Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > [Chihuly Garden and Glass](https://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/) in Seattle is an entire museum dedicated to the glass sculptures of Dale Chihuly, and there’s the more general but still very Chihuly-centered [Museum of Glass](https://www.museumofglass.org/) not that far away in Tacoma. Is there still a McDonald’s in Tacoma with a Chihuly? ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-museums-as-in-way-too-specialised/838052/116 "2026-01-20T03:47:34Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > the next time I have a reason to go to Tacoma Side note: The McMenamin’s there is also fun: [Elks Temple Hotel - McMenamins](https://www.mcmenamins.com/elks-temple) It used to be an Elks Lodge, but it was bought and restored into a hotel/restaurants/basement tiki bar/dance floor/music venue/garden. Some of the history remains, and the architecture is still cool. (McMenamins is a Pacific Northwest family-owned chain of hotels/pubs/restaurants that buy up old historic properties and turn them into quirky tourist places, while keeping much of the original vibes) ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-museums-as-in-way-too-specialised/838052/117 "2026-01-20T03:49:12Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > A couple of unique museums in New Mexico: You missed the Old Town Albuquerque tourist trap that still manages to be fun: [The International Rattlesnake Museum](https://www.visitalbuquerque.org/listing/american-international-rattlesnake-museum/248/) > **[American International Rattlesnake Museum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_International_Rattlesnake_Museum)** > > The American International Rattlesnake Museum is an animal conservation museum located in Albuquerque, New Mexico in Old Town Albuquerque. The museum is devoted to snakes, particularly rattlesnakes, and is dedicated to rattlesnake education. With the staff that is a participant in regular international viper research events, the museum hosts a diverse collection of living rattlesnakes and an extensive library of study material and educational tools. > The museum has the largest collection of dif... I’d say that’s pretty darn specialized and an unusual topic, with (per wiki) 34 live snakes on premises. Though it’s been at least ten years since I was there last. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-museums-as-in-way-too-specialised/838052/118 "2026-01-20T03:51:33Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > McMenamins is a Pacific Northwest family-owned chain of hotels/pubs/restaurants that buy up old historic properties and turn them into quirky tourist places They’ve got one in Olympia, an old diner from the ‘30s called the Spar. The original business ran up until about 20 years ago, when the indoor smoking ban did them in (they were also a tobacco merchant and smokers were a large part of their clientele). They’ve kept the original decor. The menu is a little generic but their fish & chips are decent. The Spar also had a sister location up near the Stadium district that I think is still in business. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-museums-as-in-way-too-specialised/838052/119 "2026-01-20T03:53:57Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Is there still a McDonald’s in Tacoma with a Chihuly? Not sure, but about ten years ago or so I saw Mick Foley do a spoken word show at a comedy club in Bellevue. It was on the third floor of an indoor mall, and just outside the entrance was a balcony with a massive Chihuly on the ground floor, and I quipped to my friend who I was there with that it looked like something Foley would have done a dive onto back in his wrestling days. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-museums-as-in-way-too-specialised/838052/120 "2026-01-20T14:54:52Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > visited the [Merry-Go-Round Museum](https://www.merrygoroundmuseum.org/) in Sandusky, Ohio. Rode on a vintage go-round with mechanical music. I’ll raise you with the [Musée des Arts Forains in Paris](https://arts-forains.com/en/visitors) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MhUmFDIiXf0/hqdefault.jpg "Muséé des Arts Forains, Bercy, Paris") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhUmFDIiXf0) And the [Speelklok](https://www.museumspeelklok.nl/en/) (mechanical musical instruments) in Utrecht [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-museums-as-in-way-too-specialised/838052.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-museums-as-in-way-too-specialised/838052.md?page=7)