Cryptology may seem like an obscure line of work, but there is no question that sending, receiving, and decoding secret messages has played a major role in more than one stunning military victory. The National Cryptologic Museum—which is located next to the National Security Agency’s headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland—offers visitors a chance to learn…
Most people associate the city of Los Angeles with rows of palm trees, endless sunshine, and plenty of posh places to eat, drink, and be seen. Lots of folks are unaware that Los Angeles is also home to an ancient crude oil reserve that trapped countless plants and animals in its sticky pools. The La…
If you have ever walked down a city street and found yourself fretting because your favorite neon sign or hot dog stand is no longer there, a trip to the Valley Relics Museum in Los Angeles, California is an absolute must. Valley Relics Museum founder Tommy Gelinas spent decades collecting discarded restaurant menus, dusty ashtrays,…
International Cryptozoology Museum founder Loren Coleman isn’t on a mission to prove that mysterious creatures such as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster exist. Instead, Coleman encourages visitors to draw their own conclusions from compelling evidence—such as supposedly authentic fecal matter that a ferocious snow creature left in its wake. Cryptozoology is essentially the study…
Before there was Las Vegas, there was Hot Springs, Arkansas. Most people are unaware that a sleepy spa town in rural Arkansas was once the center of the organized crime universe in the United States. The Gangster Museum of America in Hot Springs, Arkansas features several rooms dedicated to the history of gangsters, gambling, and…
Outsider artist Butch Anthony has had a lifelong attraction to strange and curious objects. At the tender age of 14, Butch constructed a one-room cabin in his hometown of Seale, Alabama to store found objects such as arrowheads, fragments of bone, and mummified rats. Over time, Butch began to fashion his own unusual creations, which…
As soon as writer Mark Twain set foot in Hartford, Connecticut he fell in love with the place. Mark Twain instantly knew that he wanted to build a lavish home in genteel Hartford where he could write and raise his family in comfort and style. In 1873, Twain enlisted New York architect Edward Tuckerman Potter…
France has been celebrated through the ages as one of the most romantic destinations in the world. For every candlelight dinner overlooking the Seine and leisurely stroll down the Champs Elysees, there is a shadowy side street or quirky museum that is waiting to be explored. If you’re a fan of all that is eccentric,…