A few years ago, I told you guys about Salvation Mountain, an art installation piece created by Leonard Knight of nearby Slab City, California, which is located not far from the Salton Sea. Knight was forced to leave his mountain due to failing health, but it lives on as “a...
I’ve never been to Ireland, but my friend visited once during St. Patrick’s Day and to her surprise it was a very quiet day. The only other people celebrating the holiday appeared to be Americans (we’re annoying wherever we go). I should have warned her. When I was living in...
Ever heard of bauxite? Apparently it’s the main source of aluminum. And there’s actually a town in Arkansas named after it, which is appropriate considering that’s also the state where you can find the Gann Museum. Built in 1896 as the medical offices for Dr. Dewell Gann Sr., it is...
Tonight is the 85th Academy Awards aka The Oscars aka The Big Night For The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences aka These Are The Stupid People Who Gave An Oscar To Gwyneth Freakin’ Paltrow. Anyway, long before Hollywood was Hollywood, it was a citrus ranch. In 1895, a...
The Museum of Fairground Art (Musée des Arts Forains) in Paris hosts an excellent collection of old fairground equipment & attractions from the historic period of 1850-1950. It all started thirty years ago when Jean Paul Favand, an actor and antiques dealer, began collecting objects from fairgrounds and the entertainment...
I know. Why not go to a completely new continent? Yes, I am speaking of Antarctica. I once worked with a guy who went there on “vacation”, so I guess people do go there. I wouldn’t know, because it’s not like I’ll ever get to leave my home continent again....
As much as I can say I’ve been to nearly every museum in the Chicagoland area, one that was always on my to-do list looks to be permanently closed (as you can see from the sign in this photo). We’ve covered museological shut downs here before (the Madison Museum of...
History’s first push-up bra, dating back to 1880, was on display for the first time last year at London’s Science Museum. In the 19th century only wealthy women could afford such luxuries as brassieres were considered quite rare. Most women wore corsets. Not until an appearance in Vogue in the...
I’m not a huge fan of asparagus. Occasionally I’ll have it in a salad or quiche, but to visit a whole museum dedicated to it is a bit much, even for me. Since 1985, the European Asparagus Museum (Europäisches Spargelmuseum) has been located in Schrobenhausen, Bavaria, Germany. In Germany the...
If you find yourself either attending Michigan State University in East Lansing or paying a visit to the Abrams Planetarium on the campus, make sure to stop by the office of the Planetarium’s production coordinator, John French. Two of his big bookshelves are officially known as the Moist Towelette Museum....
Considering it was just last month, I’m sure most of you still remember our guest posts. But everyone seems to have the 3 second attention span of goldfish, so who knows? Well, we have another piece written by Alli Burness, who documents her travels around the world visiting museums at...
I don’t know where you are in the world, but where I am it’s been raining all week, which means it’s officially autumn. But it also means something else. It’s officially October so I can begin my annual tradition of telling you about spooky museums and attractions and things. And...
