When you think of a museum, what comes to mind? Are you imagining dinosaur fossils and gemstones? Works of art painted or sculpted by the masters? Displays of historic weaponry and armor? Exhibits about cultures of the past, with examples of baskets, pottery, and tools? Maybe you're thinking of a museum dedicated to space travel or earlier forms of transportation.
Or maybe you're thinking about potatoes.
A museum does not have to address a big, important topic to be entertaining and educational. I have a special place in my heart for quirky museums and today I'll be sharing some of my favorites.
Quirky Museums That You Should Definitely Visit
A museum dedicated entirely to potatoes? Yep! And it's fabulous. Plan to eat in their cafe and don't skip the potato ice cream.
I don't particularly like mustard, but that didn't stop me from loving every minute at a museum focused entirely on this yellow condiment. The Mustard Museum was one of the highlights of that entire trip for me!
American Pigeon Museum
American Pigeon Museum
I knew very little about pigeons before visiting this museum. I left absolutely amazed by these fascinating birds! Pigeons are so cool.
When you get the chance to visit a museum boasting the world's largest boot, you go. It's the highlight of the Red Wing Shoe Company Museum, but there are plenty of other really interesting exhibits.
The Jelly Belly Museum is distinct from the Jelly Belly Factory Tour. Definitely do both. The museum goes into depth about the history and culture of Jelly Belly and has a lot of really interesting artifacts.
This museum is jam-packed with artifacts and exhibits about roller skating. I learned so much! Roller skating is a fascinating mix of sport and cultural phenomenon.
This museum has over 10,000 bobbleheads covering all sorts of topics and genres. It is definitely something to experience!
I debated including this in a list of quirky museums because it's more specific than quirky. Ultimately, I decided to include it because it's such a great museum that the more I mention it, the better! No matter who you are, you'll learn a lot at the American Banjo Museum.
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I'm always on the lookout for interesting museums to visit. I have a few on my to-do list, but if there's a place you know of that I definitely need to check out, let me know in the comments!