Taxidermy frogs? A museum of broken relationships? Mummified criminals? Here’s where things get seriously weird.
There’s a certain magic to a museum. But while most of us expect ancient artifacts or fine art, the world’s most unforgettable museums are often the ones that leave us confused, delighted, or deeply disturbed. These are the places that don’t just showcase history—they challenge your sense of reality.
From offbeat oddities to full-blown existential experiences, here are 10 of the weirdest museums on Earth—and why they might just be worth the trip.
1. Froggyland — Split, Croatia
What It Is:
A museum with 507 stuffed frogs, arranged in detailed, anthropomorphic tableaus. Think: frogs going to school, playing volleyball, and running a courtroom. Created by Ferenc Mere, a 20th-century Hungarian taxidermist, the frogs are displayed in glass cases doing very human things—teaching class, playing poker, even getting their teeth pulled.
Why It’s So Strange:
Because it’s weirdly… adorable? The frogs were preserved with meticulous care, and each one is frozen mid-action, often with tiny props like desks, dumbbells, or violins. It’s both unsettling and kind of brilliant. The museum plays with the uncanny valley: you know it’s absurd, but you also can’t stop watching. Kids laugh, adults get existential.
Visit Tips:
Located in downtown Split, an easy walk from the Riva promenade.
Bring a friend. You’ll want someone to confirm this actually happened.
They don’t allow photos of all the exhibits—so savor the weird in real time.
2. Museum of Broken Relationships — Zagreb, Croatia
What It Is:
An emotional collection of donated objects from failed romances, each with a story—some funny, some heartbreaking, all real. Exhibits include teddy bears, wedding dresses, even a toaster or an axe (used symbolically).
Why It’s So Strange:
Because it turns deeply personal experiences into universal storytelling. Each object is paired with a short note from the person who donated it—some sweet, some angry, some cryptic. You laugh at a plush bunny from a summer fling and suddenly cry at a love letter from a soldier who never came back. The museum offers a rare space where vulnerability is celebrated, not hidden.
Visit Tips:
Zagreb location is the original, in a charming old baroque palace.
There’s also a sister museum in Los Angeles for West Coast heartbreaks.
Don’t rush. Read the stories. You’ll walk out different.
Visit: Museum of Broken Relationships
3. Museum of Mental Health — Salem, Oregon, USA
What It Is:
Set inside a former psychiatric hospital, this museum tells the real—and often haunting—story of mental health treatment in America. Known as the Oregon State Hospital Museum of Mental Health, it explores the evolution of psychiatric care over the last 150 years.
Why It’s So Strange:
It’s not strange because it’s silly—it’s strange because it’s real. You’ll see antique medical equipment, personal stories from former patients, and artifacts from a time when electroshock and isolation were standard treatments. The building was also one of the filming locations for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, giving the whole space an eerie, cinematic gravity.
Visit Tips:
Book a tour if you can—staff are passionate and deeply informed.
Some of the exhibits are heavy. Take your time.
Don’t miss the Memorial to the Unnamed Dead—a sobering outdoor installation.
Visit: Museum of Mental Health
4. The Museum of Bad Art — Boston, Massachusetts, USA
What It Is:
A celebration of art that went wildly off the rails. Terrifying portraits, confusing landscapes, and sculptures that should probably come with a warning. MOBA collects art that is “too bad to be ignored.”
Why It’s So Strange:
Because it’s strangely liberating. This museum flips the elitist art world on its head. Some pieces are clearly the result of too much wine and too little training, but others are weirdly profound. You start by laughing, but eventually realize there’s something beautiful in failure—maybe even more human than perfection.
Visit Tips:
MOBA has no fixed location as of 2025—check their website for pop-up exhibits.
Often found in libraries or community spaces in the Boston area.
Bring your sense of humor and a forgiving eye.
5. Avanos Hair Museum — Avanos, Turkey
What It Is:
A small cave room underneath a pottery shop, filled from floor to ceiling with locks of hair donated by thousands of women. Each lock is labeled with a name, hometown, and sometimes a note.
Why It’s So Strange:
It began in the 1970s when a local potter asked a female friend for a lock of hair to remember her by. Other visitors followed, and today it’s a surreal space filled with more than 16,000 samples. The effect is eerie, but also oddly touching—a bizarre kind of collective memory woven from something as personal as hair.
Visit Tips:
It’s in Cappadocia, near the fairy chimney formations.
Ask locals to help you find it—it’s not always well marked.
Women can still donate; men can just try to process the whole thing.
6. Museum of Death — New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
What It Is:
A raw, unfiltered look at mortality, crime, and the macabre. The museum houses everything from body bags and embalming tools to artwork by serial killers and execution memorabilia.
Why It’s So Strange:
It doesn’t hold back. Where most museums might allude to death, this one kicks down the door and stares straight into the abyss. It’s part true crime exhibit, part anatomy lab, and part philosophical provocation. You may leave rattled—but you won’t be bored.
Visit Tips:
Definitely adults-only. Not suitable for kids or sensitive travelers.
Give yourself time after to decompress.
The museum also has a sister site in Hollywood, California.
7. International UFO Museum and Research Center — Roswell, New Mexico, USA
What It Is:
A museum dedicated to the 1947 Roswell Incident, when an alleged flying saucer crash landed in the New Mexico desert. Today, the museum is filled with photos, newspaper clippings, and exhibits on alien encounters.
Why It’s So Strange:
Because it straddles the line between kitsch and conviction. Some visitors come for the laughs; others come to earnestly research alien life. The museum doesn’t push an agenda—it lets you decide. Either way, the giant alien dioramas and endless tinfoil hats make for a surreal experience.
Visit Tips:
Open every day, with plenty of parking and friendly staff.
The Roswell UFO Festival each July turns the whole town into a cosmic carnival.
Don’t skip the gift shop—it’s an interstellar goldmine.
Visit: International UFO Museum and Research Center
8. CupNoodles Museum — Yokohama, Japan
What It Is:
A modern, interactive museum celebrating instant noodles and their creator, Momofuku Ando. You’ll learn about the history of ramen, see noodle-themed art, and even make your own custom Cup Noodles.
Why It’s So Strange:
It takes something mundane and elevates it to cult status. This place treats Cup Noodles like fine wine. There’s even a “Noodle Tunnel” with every packaging variation ever made. What should be silly ends up being oddly moving—a tribute to food innovation, survival, and delicious simplicity.
Visit Tips:
Book a slot at the “My CUPNOODLES Factory” in advance.
Great for families or travelers looking for a break from temples and tech.
There’s also a rooftop playground shaped like a giant noodle bowl.
9. Sulabh International Museum of Toilets — New Delhi, India
What It Is:
A surprisingly detailed museum dedicated entirely to the history and evolution of toilets, sanitation systems, and human waste management. Created by Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, a social reformer and sanitation crusader, the museum spans centuries of commode culture across the world.
Why It’s So Strange:
Because it’s about toilets. Really. From 18th-century English chamber pots to intricate gold-plated thrones once used by royals, this museum doesn’t shy away from what many avoid. But it’s not just bathroom humor—it’s also a powerful education on public health, innovation, and the global need for proper sanitation. You’ll leave thinking about something you use every day… in a totally new way.
Visit Tips:
Don’t miss the collection of toilet-related cartoons and historical trivia—it’s oddly delightful.
Located in Delhi’s Palam area; best reached by taxi or tuk-tuk.
The museum is free and only takes about an hour to explore.
Visit: Sulabh International Museum of Toilets
10. Siriraj Medical Museum — Bangkok, Thailand
What It Is:
Housed in Siriraj Hospital, this complex includes multiple mini-museums dedicated to pathology, anatomy, forensic science, and parasitology. Nicknamed “The Museum of Death,” it’s not for the squeamish.
Why It’s So Strange:
The exhibits are real—and graphic. Preserved bodies, cross-sections of organs, and mummified murderers line the walls. Yet it’s also deeply educational, showing the real cost of disease, crime, and anatomy. It’s where med students, coroners, and curious travelers come to confront mortality head-on.
Visit Tips:
Take a ferry to Wang Lang Pier—it’s a short walk from there.
Entry is cheap and includes access to all five museums.
Don’t bring snacks.
Final Take: The Weird is Worth It
Travel isn’t just about famous monuments or five-star meals. Sometimes, the most unforgettable places are the ones that challenge your curiosity, make you laugh nervously, or just completely weird you out. These museums might not make the guidebooks, but they’ll stick in your brain forever.
Want more strange adventures from locals who love the weird stuff? Dive into Cerca’s guides and get the stories that don’t show up on postcards.
