Believe it or Not Museum in London with a double rainbow by Tom Raftery

A few museums worth mentioning for their curiosity value is the Mental Health Museum, the Museum of Witchcraft and the Dog Collar Museum. In addition, museums like the Pitt Rivers Museum and Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum must surely house some of the strangest museum collections in the country.

The importance of the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford cannot be emphasized too much. This is a museum that contains a variety of curiosities, many of which would appear strange to our modern eyes. Oxford has been a centre of culture and education for centuries and has collected a wide range of anthropological and archaeological artefacts which the museum now contains. The museum focuses on how people all over the world have treated their bodies, from make-up, cosmetics and scents to tattoos and body painting. The museum also discusses the stuffing of dead animals and why and how it is performed.

It is a good idea to plan a stay overnight in Oxford as the place has much more to offer than just the museum. Oxford is home to some of the most beautiful architecture in Britain, as well as beautiful scenery in surrounding Oxfordshire. Hotels to stay in charming Oxford can be easily found for all budgets. There is good dining and convivial atmosphere here, throughout the year.

Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford, UK by Jorge Royan / http://www.royan.com.ar / CC-BY-SA-3.0

It is a three hour drive from Oxford to Blackpool, where Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum is located. The museum specialises in outlandish artefacts and contains some extraordinary stories of people and events that surprise every visitor. One of the new exhibits is a wax model of a man called Eric Sparague who tattooed his entire body with green scales, sharpened his teeth and split his tongue in order to resemble a lizard. But this museum isn’t just about weird things; it is also about human creativity and dedication.

After tiring yourself out seeing the amazing and bizarre exhibits, like the two headed calf, the fertility statue, the portrait of Princess Diana made out of pennies, the floating tap, the tallest man in the world, and similar other curiosities, book into a Blackpool seaside hotel, because there is a lot more to do in Blackpool. There is a good zoo, a pleasure garden, a winter garden and the country’s sole surviving tramway! And then again, one can always go back to Ripley’s museum for a second dose of strangeness.

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