Destination: the Museum of Spanking Machines and Initiation Devices (Illinois, USA)

After nine years and 1,900+ posts, I have sometimes wondered how many more genuinely weird places there are in the world. We’ve seen Buddhist hell. A museum of ancient Peruvian erotic pots. A park where paper is made from elephant poop. A museum of counterfeit goods....

Destination: the other OTHER Roman coliseum — this one’s in Pula, Croatia

What’s with the ‘other OTHER’ title? Awhile back we enjoyed one of the Roman coliseum in El Jem, Tunisia. I called that one the ‘other’ Roman coliseum, after the much more widely known Coliseum in Rome. That makes this one the other OTHER Roman coliseum. I’ll note...

From Canada to Croatia: the journey behind the journey

So we’re sitting at my in-law’s dining room table in Nova Scotia… Getting ready for the next big adventure. We had just completed an epic road trip from Nova Scotia to Toronto to Key West — and back to Nova Scotia. I’ve only gotten around to blogging about a...

See the teeny, tiny place where four men lived underwater — Destination: the Man in the Sea Museum (Florida, USA)

For centuries people have been exploring and working underwater. At the Man in the Sea Museum, it’s time to enjoy some of those stories. Panhandle Florida is a lighter on the weird stuff than the peninsula, but the Man in the Sea Museum is a delightful place to see as...

Destination: the World’s Only Coon Dog Cemetery (Alabama, USA)

It’s a resting place for a very specific type of dog — and there’s a lot more going on than you might think. For my non-American readers (or you city slicker types): Coon dogs are a specific breed of hound dogs regarded for their prowess at hunting raccoons. Not as...

The Florida ‘stop-bys’ round two – 9 MORE places worth a few minutes apiece

One set of weird places deserves another. Florida has no shortage of ‘stop-bys’ — those places worth a few minutes of your time as you’re heading somewhere else. Presenting nine more interesting places across the state of Florida worth stopping by as you’re traveling...

One of America’s oldest buildings comes from Medieval times — see the Cloisters of the Ancient…

Yes, the United States has centuries of history. It’s still a baby compared to some countries, but it does have some history that goes way back. Centuries before Ponce de Leon and the mythical fountain of youth, construction began on these cloisters in Sacramenia,...

See the Florida castle built with aluminum printing plates — Destination: Solomon’s Castle (USA)

Let’s get this out of the way: Solomon’s Castle is in the middle of nowhere, Florida. You’ll need to make a special effort to reach a very special place. Presented as Howard Solomon’s ‘dream turned reality’, this castle is the story of a inventive, brilliant man. He...

Destination: World Erotic Art Museum (NSFW) — hide the kids and get ready to blush (Miami Beach Florida, USA)

It’s not every day you explore one of the world’s largest collections of erotica. And no, I’m not talking about the internet. NSFW, obviously. Founded in 2005 by a self-described “middle-aged Jewish grandmother”, the World Erotic Art Museum (WEAM) is the US’ only...

The ‘stop-bys’ of Florida — weird places worth a few minutes apiece

As we’ve traveled Florida, we’re coming across more and more places that are worth stopping by on your way to somewhere else. These are some of those stories. Nalcrest (en route to Orlando) We start with Nalcrest, a tiny retirement community in the middle of nowhere...