As promised, I begin this round of guest posts with an acquaintance of mine, Chicago artist and writer Dmitry Samarov (check out his artwork, his book, his other writings, even his twitter). Thanks to everyone who has submitted a piece or has promised to send one. Look for yours in...
We end our guest posts as we began nearly two weeks ago with a piece written by artist and writer Dmitry Samarov (check out his artwork, his book, his other writings, his twitter). We’re back in Wisconsin (just like we were yesterday…sorry for the focus on the American Midwest but...
I can’t think of a better time to tell you about the World’s Largest Turkey. Because I know you want to know where it is. Well, if you ever find yourself in Frazee, Minnesota, Tom the giant turkey sits at the entrance of a public park, just to the west...
Everybody hates clowns. Well, that’s true except for the people who run the Klown Doll Museum in Plainview, Nebraska. I don’t know if spelling clown with a ‘k’ makes makes everything less scary, but I sincerely doubt it. A local musical group from the 1950s called the Klown Doll Band...
You like watermelons? Happen to be visiting Beijing, China. Well, you’re in luck. The world’s only watermelon museum is located in the southern part of the city in the Daxing district, supposedly the “hometown of the watermelon.” In case you didn’t already know, China has an ancient melon culture. It’s...
Now on to a new country. Cuba is home to the Rum Museum, housed in an 18th century colonial townhouse. Guides show visitors in Spanish, English, French, German and Italian all the steps in the manufacture of the original Cuban Rum. You start with the process of raw sugar cane...
The Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines is located in the basement of a small technical university in Moscow. A green cinder block walled stairway leads down to a military-grade metal door. When the door is unlocked, you enter a room full of old games. The entrance fee is 300 rubles...
The Polish Museum of America is one of the oldest ethnic museums in…you guessed it…AMERICA! In honor of Casimir Pulaski Day, a holiday that only appears to be celebrated in Chicago, (even though Wisconsin supposedly gets some action on this day too) I bring you this Polack museum. I’ve been...
Trying to continue with the religion theme I set for myself because of the Passover/Easter week. What better way to honor the holidays with a visit to the Palestinian Gardens, a 20 acre recreation of the Holy Land made out of cinder blocks and concrete. Constructed between 1953 and 1960...
Happy Good Friday! Well, maybe not so happy, but today is the religious holiday observed primarily by Christians in commemoration of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. So they’re happy because they know he’s coming back. Or something. Did you know at the Israel Museum there is a heel bone punctured...
Yesterday’s tragedy in Arizona had me thinking lots of things. But considering this blog is usually about strange, little museums and not political events, I thought I’d look up a weird museum located in Tucson, Arizona. Founded forty-five years ago by a former pharmacist, the History of Pharmacy Museum is...
Happy May Day! No, I’m not talking about the celebration of spring, like in the film Wicker Man, today is about honoring the international labor and left-wing movements from around the world. It all started in Chicago on May 1, 1886 when unionists, reformers, socialists, anarchists and workers got together...
