22 of the quirkiest museums in Pennsylvania

There’s no shortage of strange (and fun!) museums in Pennsylvania, whether they have a niche focus or oddities on exhibit. Big Mac Museum, anyone? 

So you’re interested in weird museums in Pennsylvania? Well, Pennsylvania’s 46,000 square miles are filled with unusual and offbeat stories. For centuries, Pennsylvanians have unveiled museums documenting these unique stories—or sometimes, we should say, documenting their personal idiosyncrasies.

The museums on our list are diverse: some display odd or strange exhibits, some have intriguing histories, and others are simply devoted to one interesting topic. But they’re all a great way to spend an afternoon. Go forth and learn!

Quirky museums in Eastern Pennsylvania 

Mütter Museum – Philadelphia 

Philadelphia’s Mütter Museum has been devoted to medical history since it first opened its doors in 1863. Since then, it’s documented the advances in medicine and the sometimes-disturbing procedures used to diagnose and treat illness and disease in years past.

Because the human body is strange, mysterious, and sometimes gross, the Mütter Museum—though a fine institute of science—also has exhibits that are strange, mysterious, and sometimes gross. For instance, the museum is home to a (once-secret!) malignant jaw tumor that was cut out of President Grover Cleveland, as well as a tool used to do the job.

Historical Dental Museum Collection – Philadelphia

Held at Temple University’s Kornberg School of Dentistry, the Historical Dental Museum Collection traces the history of the oral health field, with a focus on the advancements made over the past two centuries.

You’ll see antique dental instruments, period photographs, and an exhibit dedicated to a “dental circus” (featuring a bucket of teeth) that ultimately catalyzed ethical norms in the industry.

Ryerss Museum and Library – Philadelphia

The Ryerss Museum in Northeast Philly’s Burholme Park is a free museum housing the Ryerss family’s massive collection of art, weapons, religious iconography, and general curiosities from around the world. It first opened in 1910, after Robert Ryerss bequeathed his home and land to the City of Philadelphia.

While its items are diverse, the Ryerss Museum has a particularly impressive collection of Asian art. 

The Stoogeum – Ambler

Montgomery County’s Ambler is home to a Three Stooges museum cleverly known as The Stoogeum. A visit to The Stoogeum, the only Three Stooges museum in the world, allows you to be privy to nearly 100,000 pieces of memorabilia related to the legendary comics.

Houdini Museum – Scranton

Scranton’s Houdini Museum covers the career and legacy of famous illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini. Visitors learn about the man himself and how he developed his legendary tricks and are then treated to a magic show à la Houdini.

Mercer Museum & Fonthill Castle – Doylestown

Smithsonian affiliate the Mercer Museum, along with nearby Fonthill Castle, represents the life’s work of eccentric archaeologist and tilemaker Henry Mercer, who died in 1930.

The Mercer Museum—a six-story, concrete castle—was designed by Mercer himself to hold his collection of roughly 17,000 pre-Industrial tools. Fonthill Castle, another castle that was Mercer’s home, showcases Mercer’s collection of decorative Moravian tiles and art prints.

Visitors on a guided tour of Doylestown’s Fonthill Castle. (Bob Krist/Visit Philadelphia)

Quirky Museums in Western Pennsylvania

Center for PostNatural History – Pittsburgh

In a departure from the typical natural history museum, Pittsburgh’s Center for PostNatural History is dedicated to living organisms that have intentionally been altered by humans, whether through genetic engineering, breeding, or domestication.

One of the museum’s stars is Freckles, a taxidermied goat that was genetically modified by the company Nexia Biotechnologies to produce spider silk in its milk, with which the company created a super strong fiber.

Trundle Manor – Pittsburgh

A private home in the Swissvale neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Trundle Manor is a self-described tourist trap that contains one couple’s collection of things that are macabre, creepy, or just plain weird. You’ll find vintage taxidermy, strange weapons, jarred creatures, odd medical devices, and more.

The Bayernhof Museum – Pittsburgh

The Bayernhof Museum holds a collection of musical instruments that all share an interesting feature—they can play by themselves! The automatic music machines are all antiques dating from the 19th or 20th centuries.

Bicycle Heaven – Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh institution Bicycle Heaven claims the title of the largest bicycle museum in the world. The free museum has thousands of bicycles on display, including one of the Schwinn DX Cruiser bikes used in the 1985 film “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” as well as two bicycles trapped in a tree that grew over and around them.

And if the museum inspires you to ride your own bike, good news: Bicycle Heaven is also a bike shop. 

The entrance to Bicycle Heaven in Pittsburgh. (daveynin/CC BY 2.0)

The Living Dead Museum – Monroeville 

Located in the Monroeville Mall, where the original 1978 “Dawn of the Dead” zombie movie was filmed, the Living Dead Museum is dedicated to all things zombies. You’ll see props and memorabilia from zombie films, including “Dawn of the Dead,” “Night of the Living Dead,” “Evil Dead II,” and more.

The Pittsburgh Tattoo Art Museum – Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Tattoo Art Museum, located in the city’s Shadyside neighborhood, is a small museum focused on the history of tattoo art, including how tattoo designs have changed over time. It’s located in a tattoo shop, so you could even get a tattoo and then explore the exhibit.

The Big Mac Museum – North Huntingdon

Did you know that the first Big Mac was served in Western Pennsylvania? A McDonald’s franchisee created the burger and first sold it in his Uniontown restaurant. It wasn’t long before it became a hit and a McDonald’s staple.

You can learn more about the history of the iconic burger at the Big Mac Museum, located inside a North Huntingdon McDonald’s.

Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum – Gibsonia 

The Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum not only tells the story of the model train hobby but also the story of Pennsylvania’s railroad history through the medium of model trains. The museum’s holiday train show features a model railroad that replicates the path between Pittsburgh and Cumberland, Maryland.

First founded in 1938, the museum is run by an all-volunteer staff and is only open between November and January.

The Mattress Factory – Pittsburgh 

The Mattress Factory, a contemporary art museum in Pittsburgh’s North Side neighborhood, is only as strange as the installation art it houses.

As is the way of contemporary art, the museum’s installations often inspire discomfort, alarm, or wonder. (A recent temporary exhibit filled a large warehouse room with all of the trash the museum threw away over ten months.) But all of the Mattress Factory’s installations, from the rotating exhibits to the core collection, are unique and memorable.

Pennsylvania Trolley Museum – Washington 

You can learn all about the history of trolleys and streetcars at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum. The museum is home to more than 50 antique streetcars, many of which are used to give rides to guests; a 4-mile trolley ride is included with your museum ticket.

Donora Smog Museum – Donora

The Donora Smog Museum chronicles the small mill town’s 1948 air pollution disaster, when a thick, poisonous smog—resulting from factory emissions that didn’t disperse—sickened thousands of people and claimed the lives of at least 20.

Operated by the Donora Historical Society, the Smog Museum also includes artifacts and displays on the history of the town, including that of its steel mills and families.

Quirky Museums in Central Pennsylvania

The National Museum of the American Coverlet – Bedford

Located in the charming South-central Pa. town of Bedford, the National Museum of the American Coverlet is unusual because it is the only museum wholly dedicated to American woven coverlets. The first thing you may learn at the museum is that coverlets are not quilts, which are made from existing cloth. The coverlets at the museum, spanning from 1771 to 1889, were woven on looms and helped tell the stories of their weavers and their time.

House of Oddities and Curious Goods – Elizabethtown 

Reminiscent of dime museums and their bizarre collections, the free House of Oddities and Curious Goods in Lancaster County’s Elizabethtown displays odd items like two-headed creatures, “Edger the Alligator Man,” and folk art sourced from sideshows and roadside attractions. 

National Watch and Clock Museum – Columbia 

Lancaster County’s Columbia is home to one of the few museums in the world devoted entirely to timepieces: watches, clocks, and other tools used to tell time. The National Watch and Clock Museum collection boasts thousands of timepieces, through which you’ll learn about the history and development of timekeeping.

Time, after all, is a social construct—how was it constructed?

A clock on display at the National Watch and Clock Museum in Columbia. (Discover Lancaster)

The Pennsylvania Lumber Museum – Galeton

Tucked into the woods of Potter County in the North-central part of the state, the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum details the history of the lumber industry in Pennsylvania. Here, you’ll learn how the state’s lumber industry led to rapid economic growth—and rapid ecological destruction.

The Zippo/Case Museum – Bradford

American brands Zippo and Case are both based in McKean County’s Bradford, and you can learn all about them at the Zippo/Case Museum.

You’ll learn about the history of lighters in the U.S. via the history of Zippo lighters and the story of the company’s Case knives. Rest assured that the free museum is not just one giant ad: the space is engaging and filled with Americana and vintage memorabilia.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.