Weird Museums We’ve Come Across in Our RV Travels

One of the fun parts about traveling across the country in an RV is the many interesting little museums and roadside attractions you’ll come across in your travel adventures. We love checking out weird museums with strange displays.

These aren’t the Smithsonian quality museums that are obviously impressive to visit, but some of the out-of-the-way roadside and otherwise quirky museums you may come across.

In our travels in the past 18 months, we’ve visited museums that were well worth the visit and others that were roadside attractions that made for a fun little stop for stretching of your legs after a long day of traveling in your RV.

Here are some of our favorites so far.

Glore Psychiatric Museum in Saint Joseph, Missouri

The Glore Psychiatric Museum is in Saint Joseph, Missouri.

It is housed in the original State Lunatic Asylum No. 2 which opened in 1874 and was run as a public psychiatric hospital until it closed 130 years later.

Read more about our visit in this to the Glore Psychiatric Museum.

Evel Knievel Museum in Topeka, Kansas

Any child of the 1970s and 1980s will likely have fond memories of the daredevil motorcycle rider named Evel Knievel.

This recently opened and incredibly well designed museum, complete with interactive exhibits and a virtual reality motorcycle jump (just like Evel!), is in Topeka, Kansas.

Read more about our visit to the Evel Knievel Museum.

American Museum of the House Cat in Sylva, North Carolina

Outside of Asheville, North Carolina in the tiny mountain town of Sylva, lies the American Museum of the House Cat.

The admission cost goes to help support a local no-kill cat shelter run by a local man whose feline artifacts also stock the cat museum. This weird cat museum will make crazy cat ladies go wild.

For details about our visit, see American Museum of the House Cat.

Museum of Clean in Pocatello, Idaho

The Museum of Clean in Idaho is a worthy stopover for clean freaks and anyone who has ever swept a floor with a broom.

It is founded by Don Aslett, a world-renowned professional cleaner and author who has appeared on numerous TV shows, including Oprah Winfrey’s talk show.

This huge clean museum is filled with over 10,000 cleaning items for your perusing pleasure. See more details in our visit to the Museum of Clean.

The Museum of Clean is a member of the Harvest Hosts program that allows RVers to camp overnight in their parking lot.

RV Hall of Fame and Museum in Elkhart, Indiana

Many people know that Indiana is home to a large number of RV manufacturers in the United States.

It is also home to a fascinating museum that depicts the history of the RVs in the United States and abroad. It’s an interesting stop for anyone with an interest in history, camping or RVs.

We ended up wishing we’d had more time to spend exploring the many RV exhibits and actual RV units on display at the RV museum.

For lots of photos and details about our visit to the RV museum, check out the RV Hall of Fame and Museum.

The RV Hall of Fame and Museum is also a member of the Harvest Hosts program that allows RVers to camp overnight in their parking lot.

Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale, Wyoming

Located in the epicenter of the Rocky Mountain fur trade, the Museum of the Mountain Man in Wyoming is a fascinating historical view of the lives of the mountain men who harvested beaver pelts for the top hats popular in Europe in the 1800s.

These are the same men for whom the Leonardo DiCaprio movie The Revenant is based.

To read more about our visit to this museum, see the Museum of the Mountain Man.

International UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell, New Mexico

We weren’t sure what to expect when we visited the International UFO Museum and “Research Center” in Roswell, New Mexico, which is made famous for being the site of an alleged 1947 UFO crash that was supposedly covered up by the United States government, according to many of the true alien believers.

The town of Roswell has capitalized on the fascination many have with alien life, and this museum is no exception.

See the UFO Museum and Research Center for more details.

Museum of Colorado Prisons

We visited the Museum of Colorado Prisons in Canon City to learn about the history of “doing time” in Colorado.

The museum is housed in the original Women’s Correctional Facility, which was built in 1935. It’s a fascinating place with all sorts of displays, including an actual gas chamber.

See more about our visit to the Museum of Colorado Prisons.

Visiting Weird Museums

We’ve always visited weird museums for the quirkiness of it all. But then we get fully immersed in the interesting displays!

It’s really worth your time to check out these and other strange little museums you may come across in your travels.