Camp and curiosity collide in this elaborate ode to carnival freakshows.

by Contributor

The Scene
A carnival attitude pervades every molecule of this attraction, from the slanted exterior to its thickly ornamented, maze-like hallways inside. You tour room after room of natural oddities, seeing everything from optical illusions to African and Oriental artifacts to human and animal oddities to weird and wacky art, and then some.

Highlights
The abundance of tribal masks; the tilted room; the many unique animal and human eccentricities (two-headed kitten, the elastic man, etc.); the wacky art, particularly the Van Gogh portrait made of stamps and the life-sized Model-T Ford made of matchsticks; the petrified human body; the medieval torture device exhibition; and the humorous, albeit innocent, bits of voyeurism peppered throughout the tour.

Disappointments
The museum needs to be more interactive and flashier in parts, particularly in the optical illusions section, which often feels and looks tired. Also, the final bit of the tour, particularly the rotating tunnel, seems out of place.