Posted in South Dakota
July 13, 2016
Here Are 6 Museums In South Dakota That Are Just Too Weird For Words
There are normal museums that display exhibits of science, history, or art, and then there are wacky museums that display just about anything. These six museums in South Dakota present their interests in very specific and sometimes bizarre things that they proudly display for all to see. Check them out if you’re up for some pretty unusual tours:
You probably didn't know that the world's only museum dedicated entirely to vinegar was located in South Dakota. This museum specializes in all types of vinegar and tasting. It shows you exactly how vinegar is made and introduces you to vinegar from all over the world. The museum's mascot is a pickle which makes the place perfect in my eyes.
If you have a strange fascination with all things pickled, check out the International Vinegar Museum at 502 Main St, Roslyn.
If you have a strange fascination with all things pickled, check out the International Vinegar Museum at 502 Main St, Roslyn.
Personally, wax figures always creep me out a little bit. They're so lifelike and yet so very much not alive. At the National Presidential Was Museum, you can take a tour of one of the largest collections of wax sculptures of US presidents. From the founding fathers to Clinton with his saxophone (yes, it is the real, actual saxophone he owned, being held by a wax version of him), this museum is packed with sculptures in scenes that will have you doing double takes due to their realism.
If you feel like being fascinated as well as slightly freaked out, check out the National Presidential Wax Museum located at Main Street, US 16A, Keystone.
If you feel like being fascinated as well as slightly freaked out, check out the National Presidential Wax Museum located at Main Street, US 16A, Keystone.
A long time ago, there was a very dangerous pit in South Dakota that claimed the lives of pretty much any mammoth that fell into it. This pit, currently an ongoing excavation site, is now open for public viewing. This real mammoth graveyard showcases the extinct creatures' bones exactly where they fell. The museum also has other exhibits of fossils and skeletons of the kind of animals that used to roam the area that is now SD.
You can visit The Mammoth Site at 1800 US 18 Bypass, Hot Springs.
You can visit The Mammoth Site at 1800 US 18 Bypass, Hot Springs.
This place isn't quite what you'd normally expect for an art gallery, but it's bizarre in all the best ways. These pieces are called termespheres and are basically spherical canvases. If you thought drawing on flat paper was hard, try making a vivid and detailed scene on one of these. Proportions are skewed in order to get the best effects, and these pieces do it amazingly well. Unusual, but really interesting!
The Termesphere Gallery can be found at 1920 Christensen Dr, Spearfish.
The Termesphere Gallery can be found at 1920 Christensen Dr, Spearfish.
When you stop at a gas station and head into the convenience store to stretch your legs or grab a snack, you probably aren't expecting to see this huge creature (or his surrounding friends) at your feet! The Call of the Wild Museum is a collection of taxidermy animals that is also connected to a gas station. Not a combination you'd expect, but it certainly makes a pit stop an interesting one. The best part is that it's free to see!
Stop at the Call of the Wild Museum at 3851 Englin St, Rapid City, in a Mobil gas station.
Stop at the Call of the Wild Museum at 3851 Englin St, Rapid City, in a Mobil gas station.
The Pawnseum is exactly what you'd expect: a pawn shop and a museum all in one. They have neat artifacts from the history of South Dakota but on top of that, you can also buy and sell your own cool pieces of history. And it's completely free, so why not stop by? You might end up taking something back with you, which you would probably not be able to do at any other museum, but in this case it's encouraged!
Check out the Pawnseum at 629 St. Joseph, Rapid City.
Check out the Pawnseum at 629 St. Joseph, Rapid City.
Have you visited any of these yourself? If you are curious about some other weird and wacky attractions in South Dakota, the best one to visit is right here. It will mess with your mind!
