Wonder Cabinets

Explorers Club Headquarters

A treasure trove of exploration artifacts, books, and artwork

Behind appropriately impressive heavy doors and ornate turn of the century stained glass windows, the Explorers Club headquarters on East 70th street looks like it has been been there forever -... »

Wonder Cabinets, Natural History, Repositories of Knowledge, Dead Explorers | Edited by Annetta, Rachel and others

House of Mirrors

Lived-in building, bedecked with an astonishing array of mirror mosaics

From the outside, the House of Mirrors truly stands out among the surrounding buildings. A white brick building with an incredible array of mirrors, depicting stars, butterflies, palms, planets... »

Wonder Cabinets, Outsider Art, Unique Collections, Eccentric Homes, Outsider Architecture | Edited by Tawsam, atimian and others

Sougenji Kappa-Dera Temple

Shrine to Japanese water-goblins, complete with their preserved body parts

In Japanese folklore, "kappa" are bipedal, turtle-like aquatic goblins who sometimes grab unsuspecting humans, often children, as they walk over bridges or through swamps, pulling them down into... »

Wonder Cabinets | Edited by ilbonito, wythe and others

Kunstkammer Georg Laue

One man's personal kunstkammer, museum and shop

A passionate collector and art historian, Georg Laue was fascinated by Renaissance Kunstkammer and Wunderkammer since he was working with his father’s antiques business. In 1997 Laue opened his... »

Wonder Cabinets, Unique Collections, Purveyors of Curiosities | Edited by Annalisa and Dylan

Studiolo Francesco I de’ Medici

Secret refuge and museum of the Duke of Florence

A small room in Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy, the Studiolo Francesco I de’ Medici was the secret refuge and private museum of the one-time Duke of Tuscany from 1574 to 1613. Created between... »

Museums and Collections, Wonder Cabinets | Edited by Annalisa and Nicholas Jackson

Radio Guy Collection

Astonishing collection of antique helmets, scientific instruments and medical models

Steve Erenberg, aka Radio Guy, has what could only be described as a one-of-a-kind collection. The collection includes anatomical models, armor, scientific instruments, and objects that are... »

Museums and Collections, Wonder Cabinets, Strange Science, Medical Museums, Unique Collections, Obscura Day Location | Edited by Annetta and Nicholas Jackson

San Mateo, California, US

Zymoglyphic Museum

Private collection of art inspired by cabinets of curiosity

Located at the end of a suburban cul-de-sac and open to the public for only two days a year, the Zymoglyphic Museum houses the cabinet of curiosities created by artist Jim Stewart. Early... »

Wonder Cabinets, Outsider Art, Unique Collections, Obscura Day Location | Edited by Josh, zymoglyphic and 4 others

The Museum of the Weird

Continuing the tradition of the dime museum in style

The dime or dime store museum is by all accounts an endangered species. The first dime museum, "The American Museum," was opened in 1841 by none other than P. T. Barnum himself. It represented a... »

Museums and Collections, Wonder Cabinets, Strange Science, Outsider Art, Unique Collections | Edited by Dylan, wythe and 3 others

Vancouver, Canada

Vancouver Police Centennial Museum

Housing a morgue, rare and confiscated weapons, and autopsy remains, the Vancouver police museum displays the dark side of Canada

When you think about Canada, mayhem and murder are not the first things that come to mind. Like any country, however, Canada has its seamy underbelly, and the Vancouver Police Museum (formerly the... »

Museums and Collections, Wonder Cabinets, Unique Collections, Crime and Punishment, Obscura Day Location | Edited by jiblite, Annetta and 2 others

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US

Trundle Manor: House of Oddities

House of vintage taxidermy and Steampunk sculptures in a quiet Pittsburgh neighborhood

Trundle Manor looks, from the outside, like any other house in the neighborhood of Swissvale near Pittsburgh - except for the coffin on the porch. But the inside is filled with a wide assortment... »

Museums and Collections, Wonder Cabinets, Outsider Art, Medical Museums, Unique Collections, Hunting and Taxidermy, Miniatures, Memento Mori, Purveyors of Curiosities, Eccentric Homes, Obscura Day Location | Edited by VonMinx and Nicholas Jackson