The Ultimate Guide to America’s Weirdest Museums

Who doesn’t enjoy life’s more weird and wonderful attractions where the ordinary gives way to the quirky, bizarre, and utterly eccentric wonders? If this sounds like you, then join us as we highlight the top five weirdest museums in America you will want to visit this year, from the flawed masterpieces from the Museum of Bad Art to the National Mustard Museum, America’s Favorite Condiment Museum.

Laugh and Cringe at the Masterpieces on Display at the Museum of Bad Art in Boston, Massachusetts

Our first recommendation on our shortlist of the best and weirdest museums in the US has to be the Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) in Boston, Massachusetts, that celebrates “art too bad to be ignored,” which will have you chuckling all the way as you stroll past 700 catastrophically flawed pieces of art. The museum’s own origin story is the stuff of legends after its founder, Scott Wilson, rescued the now-iconic ‘Lucy in the Field with Flowers’ from a trash heap back in 1993, which started him on his journey to begin collecting spectacularly terrible art.

As a result of this strange museum’s appeal, famous pieces in the free-to-visit Museum of Bad Art now include ‘Sunday on the Pot with George’ and ‘Bone-Juggling Dog in Hula Skirt’. Perhaps the most appealing aspect of a visit to MOBA is that every piece in the collection was created with serious intent, making the entire collection oddly compelling and unreservedly hilarious.

Wander through the amusingly unconventional displays at the Museum of Bad Art in Boston, Massachusetts, and then unwind in style when you are in town at the Best Western Plus New Englander.

Visit the Golden Temple of Condiments at the National Mustard Museum in Madison, Wisconsin

Next on our recommended list of bizarre museums in America finds us heading to the savory National Mustard Museum, located just outside Madison, Wisconsin, home to more than 7,000 jars of mustard from every corner of the planet. Founded by former Assistant Attorney General Barry Levenson after a late-night epiphany following the Red Sox’s 1986 World Series loss, the museum has grown from just a dozen jars to become one of Wisconsin’s most flavorful attractions.

Free to enter, visitors can stroll through the multiple mustard exhibits that provide a fascinating insight into mustard ranges that include the sweet-hot blends, fruit-infused varieties, fiery pepper concoctions, and very rare European mixes. Amazingly, there is even a free Tasting Bar in the Gourmet Gift Shop where you can sample dozens of mustards to help pick out a tasty souvenir to commemorate your tangy pilgrimage to the National Mustard Museum.

Explore the thousands of tangy varieties on display at the National Mustard Museum in Madison, Wisconsin, and get a great night’s sleep at the Best Western Premier Park Hotel.

Uncover the Secrets of the Skeleton at Oklahoma City’s Osteology Museum

We head to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, next on our tour of America’s weirdest museums to the intriguing Museum of Osteology – also referred to by fans as the Skeleton Museum – which routinely rotates over 450 articulated skeletons from its more than 7,000 specimen collection. As the largest privately held bone collection on the planet, the unusual museum was founded by Jay Villemarette, whose creative and immersive exhibits are uniquely prepared with a little help from the dermestid beetle.

Immensely popular with adults and kids alike, the educational exhibits on show include a fully articulated humpback whale suspended overhead, the rare skeleton of a Javan rhino, and an unrivaled private collection of 46 marine mammal species. Interactive stations within the Museum of Osteology mean you can also handle real skulls alongside a resident osteology expert who can explain the fascinating mechanics of skeletons throughout the animal kingdom.

Investigate the world of bones at the Museum of Osteology in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and ensure you get restful nights’ sleep by booking your stay at the Best Western Greentree Inn & Suites.

Take a Step Back in Time at the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio

For those of you who enjoy a nostalgic trip down memory lane, our next spot on our shortlist of the weirdest museums in America finds us in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the American Sign Museum, whose 42,000-square-foot venue is dedicated to displaying over 800 famous signs and 4,000 cataloged artifacts from the last century and beyond. First founded in 1999 by Tod Swormstedt, the museum also has an immersive “Signville” streetscape that provides an inspiring and evocative glimpse back to the golden age of roadside Americana.

On arrival at this quirky museum, you’ll be greeted by a towering 20-foot fiberglass genie and a bounty of retro illuminated and neon street signage that will instantly teleport you back to your youth. Here, you can spend hours wandering around and reminiscing at the American Sign Museum; however, be sure to also meet the brilliant team at Neonworks of Cincinnati, who work onsite, providing guests with first-hand live demonstrations of glass bending as they build their latest bespoke neon signs.

Take a tour among the vintage signs at the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio, and relax with a cozy night’s sleep at the Best Western Premier Mariemont Inn.

Show Off Your Skills at the National Yo-Yo Museum in Chico, California

Our final extraordinary destination on our list of the weirdest American museums can be found in Chico, California, where the National Yo-Yo Museum is home to the world’s largest public display of yo-yos and memorabilia. Showcasing this timeless toy’s evolutions from its classic 1920s wooden models to modern-day precision-engineered versions, the National Yo-Yo Museum also doubles as the headquarters for all major U.S. yo-yo contests, as well as orchestrating the National Yo-Yo Day celebrations held every June 6 in honor of yo-yo marketing guru Donald F. Duncan.

Undoubtedly, the primary attraction for every visitor is the massive 256-pound, crane-operated wooden yo-yo, lovingly called “Big-Yo,” which remains the largest working wooden yo-yo in the world and stands at over 4 feet tall. Whether you’re a keen yo-yo enthusiast or just inquisitive by nature, the National Yo-Yo Museum’s exhibits superbly chronicle the transformation of old-school yo-yos and their original fixed-axle designs to the more modern ball-bearing systems, and features a mesmerizing gift shop so you can start your own yo-yo collection.

Witness the incredible yo-yo displays at the National Yo-Yo Museum in Chico, California, and enjoy a superb night’s sleep at the Best Western Paradise Hotel.