ECCENTRIC PLACES OF CULTURE

Have You Ever Heard About These Weird Museums? Read On And Find Out!

Image: Andrew Neel

While museums are truly elevated keepers of timeless art and superb culture, we can all probably agree that they can sometimes be a bit stuffy. We have all felt moved by a particularly majestic piece of art, but sometimes we just want to engage our wacky sides. Sometimes you walk into a museum not looking to contemplate the truth about human nature: you are just looking to have some fun.

Don’t worry, we got you covered! We have gathered ten iconic museums from around the world that showcase and study unconventional subjects, and truly find beauty in common, unusual, and downright zany items.

Image: 4.0

In the world of soft drinks, few sodas have a history as rich and interesting as Dr. Pepper. The tale of this beverage, invented by pharmacist Charles Alderton in 1885, is filled with fun facts and details that will surely surprise you. But don’t take our word for it: if you ever find yourself in Waco, Texas, take the time to visit the Dr. Pepper Museum and learn all about one of America’s favorite drinks.

The museum is housed in the Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Company. This 100-year building is commonly known as "The Home of Dr. Pepper", since it was the first building specifically built to bottle the soft drink. Besides numerous exhibitions detailing the history of Dr. Pepper, it also allows visitors to create and bottle their own soda.

Image: Lars Blankers

Potatoes are truly the "jack of all trades" of vegetables. There are so many different ways to enjoy a potato: you can bake them, fry them, mash them, turn them into delicious French fries, or turn them into a nurturing and comforting potato soup. With so many ways to eat this beloved vegetable, is it any wonder that many countries around the world have decided to honor our "spudtacular" friends with various potato museums?

Considering the number of potato museums around, we have selected a few of our favorite locations. Belgium’s Frietmuseum is entirely dedicated to French fries, and is housed in a beautiful 1399 building. The Canadian Potato Museum is home to "the Potato Hall of Fame" and proudly displays a 14-foot high fiberglass potato in its entrance. Here in the United States, you might want to visit the Idaho Potato Museum in the city of Blackfoot, which houses the largest potato chip, measuring 25 inches.

Image: Yunsik Noh

Approximately 30 years ago, antique dealer Scott Wilson was walking down the streets of Boston when he came across a painting protruding between two trash cans. Interested only in the frame, Wilson originally intended to throw away the arguably bad painting, titled "Lucy in the Field with Flowers". However, both he and his wife found themselves captivated by the piece, and sought to acquire and exhibit other equally objectionable pieces. And thus, the Museum of Bad Art was born.

MOBA’s mission is "to celebrate the labor of artists whose work would be displayed and appreciated in no other forum", and has been doing so since 1993. Their collection includes 700 pieces of "bad" art, curated through a severely rigorous process: to be included in the museum, a piece must have serious intent, but exhibit significant flaws. Deliberately bad or kitsch art is not displayed.

Image: Cz XIE

Instant noodles might be the main source of nourishment for millions of college students across the world: affordable, easy to make, and easily consumable during an all-night study marathon. In case you want to pay your respects, the man to thank for this miraculous invention is Japanese businessman Momofuku Ando, who created instant noodles in 1958, and whose life is remembered by Japan’s Cup Noodles Museums.

These museums are located in Yokohama and in the city of Ikeda, Osaka, where the first instant noodles were created. Both locations heavily feature visitor interaction, encouraging tasting and having fun with different kinds of noodles. Ando’s entire life story is told in detail, including his first experiments in the 50s, and the "space ramen" he designed in 2005 to be consumed in outer space.

Image: Bibi Pace

Have you ever dived underwater to visit a museum? You definitively will have to in order to see the amazing pieces of art that the Underwater Museum has to offer. Located in Mexico, this museum features 500 sculptures exhibited deep in the ocean at the Cancun National Marine Park.

Curiously, this museum was started in an effort to preserve natural coral reefs from damage produced by tourist divers. Dr. Jaime González Cano came up with the idea of creating an artificial coral reef as a way to drive away massive diving from the reefs. This idea later evolved into the artwork the museum showcases: diverse submarine sculptures and statues, including a famous 400-piece installation called The Silent Evolution.

Image: Sergiu Nista

You don’t have to wear an inconspicuous raincoat or deliver codes on a park bench to visit this museum, but it helps. Located in the heart of Washington D.C., the International Spy Museum focuses on the history of espionage, dating as back as the Ancient Greeks and the Roman Empire.

Visitors entering the International Spy Museum must first go through a "Briefing Center", on which they are assigned a mission that helps them get into the mind of an international spy. The museum proudly holds the largest collection of international spy objects, including an Enigma Machine and a coat with a button camera designed by the KGB.

Image: Jon Sailer

We know that Fox Mulder from "The X-Files" would have been at the entrance of the International Cryptozoology Museum on opening day, excitedly waiting with his ticket in his hand. Located in Portland, Maine, this museum focuses on the field of cryptozoology, the study of hidden or unknown creatures and animals. It features an unparalleled collection of objects related to famous cryptids, such as Bigfoot or the Yeti.

The museum was opened in 2003 by Lore Coleman, one of the most prominent experts in cryptozoology. Its main exhibit is a 5.5-foot-long, life-size model of a coelacanth, an ancient fish first discovered in 1938.

Image: Pacto Visual

Are you a cat person? You are definitively not alone: cats tend to find a way to snuggle and purr into the hearts of the grumpiest of owners. If you ever happen to find yourself looking for new ways to express your love for our feline friends, you might want to pay a visit to Kattenkabinet, a museum in Amsterdam entirely dedicated to artworks depicting cats.

This museum’s collection includes artwork from big names in art history, such as Pablo Picasso and Rembrandt. It was founded by Bob Meijer in 1990, to honor the memory of his beloved tomcat John Pierpont Morgan. Fun fact: the 2004 heist film "Ocean’s 12" used the Kattenkabinet as a filming location.

Image: Kelly Sikkema

Even if they are amicable, the end of most relationships is followed by a sad time, filled with comfort food and listening to sad, romantic songs. However, most relationships end for the better, and, after a brief mournful period, people realize that the future holds great things. In the case of Croatian artists Olinka Vištica and Dražen Grubišić, what came after the end of their four-year relationship was the opening of the Museum of Broken Relationships, in the city of Zagreb.

The idea behind the museum was to showcase different breakups and heartaches: Consequently, its collection is composed of seemingly common objects that tell the stories of different couples. The museum is considered by many to be a place to heal, and to learn how to move on from failed relationships.

Image: Uninteneded Concept

If you are looking for a place to open up a UFO museum, chances are that you’ll look to open it in Roswell, New Mexico: After all, this city was the site of the most famous UFO sighting in history. However, should you visit the International UFO Museum and Research Center in downtown Roswell, you’ll find carefully curated exhibitions that delve into hundreds of UFO sightings around the world.

Founded in 1991, the museum seeks not to convince people of the existence of alien life forms, but rather to encourage them to ask questions and conduct research on their own. It showcases documentaries, pictures of encounters, and, of course, heavily features the 1947 Roswell crash that made this New Mexico city the heart of extraterrestrial enthusiasts.

A LITERARY GIANT

Discover The Life Of R.L. Stevenson, The Ultimate Writer-Adventurer!

Image: kladcat

The sea breeze blowing our hair. The wind pushes the sails towards the sun rising on the horizon. Life as purpose, celebration, challenge, and legacy. The adventure lies ahead every day, and an inescapable villain, ruthless and tenacious, following in our footsteps.

All these qualities that build the spirit of an extraordinary literary character are embodied in one of the greatest adventure writers of all time. Robert Louis Stevenson - The Man Who Lived.

Image: Dylan Chan

If anyone seemed to have his destiny assured, it was Robert Stevenson. Like his grandfather, father, uncles, and cousins, the Stevenson illuminated the world: Three generations of lighthouse builders along the entire coast of Britain. Over 50 buildings since 1791, some of which are still standing, attest to their outstanding work.

And although he did not know it yet, Robert would also light up the world in his unique and marvelous way.

Image: Luke Southern

When he was a child, it became apparent that Robert Stevenson's health was too fragile to follow in the family's footsteps. Like his mother, he suffered from respiratory conditions that later developed into tuberculosis, which plagued him for the rest of his life.

Robert spent extended periods in bed, during which he was cared for by a loving but strict Calvinist nanny. She often told him macabre tales that fed his imagination, both terrifying and captivating him.

Image: martin bennie

As a teenager, Stevenson frequently traveled along the coast of Scotland with his father, a lighthouse engineer. These experiences gave him a deep appreciation for the dramatic landscapes of northern Britain, which would later inspire some of his writing.

But his path was not in engineering, but in literature.

Chased by tuberculosis, he had to emigrate to more favorable climates. But precisely these circumstances led to his first travel books, including "An Inland Voyage", which narrates his journey through France and Belgium, as well as a book about his adventures traveling on the back of a donkey.

Image: Ashim D’Silva

While in France, Stevenson met Fanny Osbourne, an American woman, separated and with two children. They both fell in love, and she left for California to file a divorce. A year later he followed her, although the journey left him bankrupt and almost cost him his life. His experiences were captured in the book "The Amateur Emigrant".

Already married, the couple settled for a time in the American West, where Stevenson wrote stories of travel, adventure, and romance along with essays and poems.

Image: Suhash Villuri

Back in Scotland, the end of a rainy summer forced Stevenson to shelter from the inclement weather, spending his days painting to ease boredom.

Soon, the map of an island began to shape. When it was finished, the painting, with its extremely detailed depiction of bays, beaches, and small docks, intrigued the writer: What did those names suggest? Who had been the unfortunate occupant of "Skeleton Island"?

Trying to discover its meaning, R. L. Stevenson gave rise to his first novel and one of the greatest adventure stories in universal literature - Treasure Island.

Image: gunthersimmermacher

Three years later, Stevenson was trying to create a story about the duality of good and evil in human beings.

One morning, Fanny heard her husband's horrified screams and woke him up from what she believed to be a nightmare. Stevenson angrily scolded her for waking him up from what he called "a sweet tale of terror."

He immediately set to work on a new manuscript, and in just three days, he completed the first version of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

The novel, which was a monumental success, predates by decades the studies of personality disorder that Sigmund Freud outlined in his work.

Image: Alonso Reyes

In 1888, Stevenson embarked on a long voyage traversing the South Pacific with his family to escape his persistent illness once again.

They sailed on a schooner and visited several islands, starting from the Marquesas Islands and moving on to Tahiti. From there, they went to Honolulu, where Stevenson became close friends with the king. After that, they reached the Gilbert Islands and ultimately landed in Samoa.

Image: Alfred John Tattersall

After spending some time in Sydney, Stevenson returned to Samoa and settled there permanently with his family.

The locals were very fond of him and gave him the nickname Tusitala, which means "the storyteller" in their language. He was actively involved in defending the rights of the people of Samoa, and he even spoke out against the archipelago's domination in the British press.

Image: Unknown Author

During his years at Vailima, his residence in Samoa, Stevenson's health markedly improved.

He produced some of his greatest masterpieces: "Catriona," "Tales from the South Seas," "Bajamar" (which he co-wrote with his son), and "Saint Ives." Most notably, he embarked on his most ambitious novel, "Weir of Hermiston," which remained unfinished. In this work, he revisited the dramatic landscapes of Scotland and incorporated elements of his own story.

One night, after working on the manuscript with his son Lloyd, he was conversing with his wife when he suddenly exclaimed, "What is this? Does my face look strange?" and then collapsed.

Image: Peter Gill / UK, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

R.L. Stevenson passed away on December 3, 1894, aged just 44. He left behind a monumental body of work for universal literature and the celebration of a life that persevered every day through all adversities.

At his tomb on Mount Vaea overlooking the sea, his poem Requiem guards his grave: ¨Under the wide and starry sky / dig the grave and let me lie / Glad did I live and gladly die / And I laid me down with a will / This be the verse you grave for me / Here he lies where he longed to be / Home is the sailor home from the sea / And the hunter home from the hill.¨