Best Wacky Museums

Modern amenities have made RV’s these days a virtual paradise on wheels, but that wasn’t always the case.  Explore over 25 years of innovation and history at the Jack Sisemore Traveland RV Museum in Amarillo, including the oldest Fleetwood in existence and the first Itasca motor home ever built.  This is American road trip history at its finest, people.

Here’s a cool place for all you history-loving pyromaniacs! The Fire Museum of Texas, located in a working 1927 Central Fire Station, has everything from the 1856 Howe Hand Drawn Pumper to the Gamewell Call Box Alarm System. And if you’re like us and aren’t sure what those are, you should definitely pencil in a day to find out! Even the kids will be entertained with the opportunity to sit in a real fire engine or even dress up in a real uniform! And did we mention that admission is free?

It all started with Mary Elizabeth Hopkins’ Santa Claus collection in 1913. Jump to today, where more than two thousand Santas are currently on display at the Santa Claus Museum in Columbus. This includes Hopkins’ original collection, various Haddon Sundblom Coca-Cola Santas and even Santa art by Norman Rockwell and Thomas Nast. Situated in a cozy house, the mood is set the second you press the Santa nose doorbell to begin its cheery rendition of “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.”

Why be buried in a traditional coffin when you could be buried in one shaped like a chicken or an airplane? These “fantasy coffins” designed by Ghanaian sculptor Kane are on permanent display at Houston’s National Museum of Funeral History.

Don’t knock this one before you try it.  Even though “quilting” is generally categorized as an activity best reserved for your grandmother—a common misconception, we might add—the Texas Quilt Museum contains the work of some seriously talented quilters. Stop by the museum to check out textile art at its finest, with quilts ranging from intricate patterns and designs to landscapes and portraits of everything from people to iguanas.

The Alamo, the River Walk…the Toilet Seat Art Museum?  Yes, San Antonio is just full of attractions. See more than 700 toilet seats, all decorated by museum founder Barney Smith. It all started when he needed to mount a set of deer antlers, and it just so happened that a toilet seat was the right size. He’s been adorning toilet seats ever since and shows no signs of stopping.

Housed in the original Dr Pepper bottling plant, the Dr Pepper Museum is quite possibly the favorite of Texas’ wacky museums, chronicling the invention and history of Dr Pepper. Before you leave, make sure to stop at the soda fountain for some original formula Dr Pepper made with Imperial Cane Sugar!