Every once in a while, we all need to break out of our everyday ruts and do something we’ve never done before.  For those of us without tons of money to spend on things like skydiving, it can be fun to explore some of the oddities close to home.  You might be surprised just how many there are (no, I’m not talking about your neighbor…).  Atlas Obscura is a fabulous compilation of just such things.

National Museum of Funeral History

Take Houston, for example.  Now, there’s no question that Texas is full of…  erm…  oddities.  Houston has some incredible cult followings for places like the Aurora Picture Show, Orange Show and the Art Car Museum.  Even the giant heads are pretty well known.  But have you heard of the National Museum of Funeral History

Forbidden Garden

Did you know you can visit a scale replica of China’s Forbidden City and the Emperor Qin’s mausoleum?  With such a high concentration of strangeness, you’ll never be bored again.

Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum

Even we docile Midwesterners have some incredible oddities up their sleeves.  The Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum in Milwaukee looks like it has some great treasures.  There’s also a Mustard Museum, where you can meet the Duchess of Mustard.  I wonder if she knows the Earl of Sandwich…

[via GOOD | images via Atlas Obscura]