Spotlight on Museums - the Amazing and the Bizarre

Museums are of course some of the best attractions for educational tours.What do you think of when you consider them?  Historical artifact?  Contemporary art?  Automobiles and aircraft?  The exciting thing about museums is that no matter your greatest interest, there is probably a museum to satisfy it.

In Times Square there is a museum devoted to a man who has been called the real life Indiana Jones.  You may have heard of it because of the television show it used to inspire, Ripley's Believe it or Not.  The museum contains a collection of items retrieved all over the world by Robert Ripley and his successors, including an albino giraffe, an actual iron maiden, and - you may have guessed from the picture - a lock of Elvis' hair.  (Photo by Oddsock on Flickr).

Another less than traditional museum that can be visited on New York City graduation trips or educational tours is Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum.  Incomparable artistry meets pop culture in this museum with its amazing collection of wax figures based on various celebrities.  One of their newest figures is the teenage phenomenon Miley Cyrus.  And not to be outdone by the previously mentioned lock of hair, at Madame Tussaud's you can actually speak with Elvis in one of their interactive displays.  These are just two of the more unique museums in the country.  There are countless others, large and small, obscure and world-renowned.  They're a wonderful way to ignite greater interest on just about any teachable subject.