The Live Turtle and Tortoise Museum

Located inside the Japanese Gardens, a park dedicated to traditional northern Chinese landscaping, the Live Turtle and Tortoise Museum in Singapore hosts more than 800 turtles and tortoises across more than 50 different species.

The menagerie is surprisingly colorful and diverse with varieties such as the long-necked snake-headed turtles, the otherworldy mata-mata, and the regal golden soft-shell turtle. The hard-shelled reptiles are spread out in pools, ponds, and tanks where visitors can view the living specimens. There are vegetables for purchase to feed the creatures, but anyone wishing to get up close and personal with the turtles is advised that they may mistake your fingers for carrots.

In addition to the zoo collection, the museum has thousands of terrapin-shaped ceramics, dishes, furniture pieces, and knick-knacks of all sorts. In Japanese tradition, turtles represent long life and good fortune, so if you are lucky, a visit to The Live Turtle and Tortoise Museum might not just be educational, but also life-extending.