Exploring paranormal museums worldwide
So, there’s this curious thing about the unknown — it’s oddly inviting. It’s what nudges us towards the spooky tales that send shivers down the spine, yet pull us in for more.
This intrigue has resulted in a bunch of occult museums across the globe, each with its own set of ghostly tales and paranormal artifacts. They’re the sort of places that let us tiptoe around the mysteries of the unseen, giving us a chance to rub shoulders with the supernatural, in a way.
From ghostly whispers to the enigmatic world of cryptids, these paranormal museums are a trove of the peculiar, waiting for us to step inside and take a gander. Through their doors, the veil between our world and the spooky unknown seems to thin, offering a glimpse into the mysterious beyond.
In the world of the unexplained, several museums, both brick-and-mortar and online, have curated collections that attract those curious about the paranormal. Of these, 13 are particularly notable, each offering a unique perspective on mysteries that many dare not speak of — and we’ve profiled them for you below.
From artifacts echoing with ghostly tales to online exhibits accessible from anywhere, these institutions span continents and cyberspace. For anyone intrigued by the unknown, these museums beckon with tales both spine-tingling and thought-provoking.
Paranormal museums in the United States
Buckland Museum of Witchcraft & Magick (Cleveland, Ohio)
The Buckland Museum of Witchcraft & Magick in Cleveland, Ohio, boasts a rich collection revolving around — you guessed it — witchcraft and magic. This museum has piqued the interest and admiration of many who have crossed its threshold.
Built on the collection of the writer Raymond Buckland, this occult museum showcases historical artifacts tracing back to the Salem witch trials and the rise of the Wiccan religion. Offering timed tours for a more intimate exploration, this unique museum not only presents artifacts but also showcases the mystic arts, providing a peek into the world of witchcraft for the intrigued visitor.
The Mystic Museum (Burbank, California)
The Mystic Museum in Burbank, California, is a whimsical blend of gift shop and paranormal museum dedicated to oddities, antiques, and a glimpse into the macabre. It’s not just a place to view bizarre and unusual items, but also a hub for local art, with artwork from local artists being a notable part of its appeal. The museum is designed in a way to provide a unique experience to its visitors, making it more than just a passive viewing of oddities.
The museum is described as both weird and wonderful, displaying a collection full of antiques. They host weekly and monthly classes, limited-run pop-up museums, local art shows, signings, and even have a Witch Club. Their social media channels are updated with information regarding these events, making it a lively place that embraces the community and the curious alike.
It’s a lively place that also offers immersive experiences like their notable Evil Dead Exhibit, making the visit both intriguing and interactive.
Bloody Mary’s Tours Haunted Museum (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Bloody Mary’s Tours Haunted Museum in New Orleans is a spot that offers much more than just a glance at paranormal artifacts.
The paranormal museum is part of a veteran tour company that’s been presenting uniquely researched and curated tours for over 22 years. The team behind it lives the supernatural life they showcase to visitors, with their expertise spanning across being authors, priests, psychics and paranormal investigators. They offer a variety of experiences including private custom tours, ghost hunts, voodoo and cemetery tours, making it a hub for those intrigued by all things occult.
Visitors can explore a 200-year-old historic haunted house, a Voodoo spirit shop and get acquainted with haunted collections, occult items, dolls, altars, and much more. They offer ghost tours, seances, psychics readings, parties, rituals, Voodoo weddings, and paranormal city and cemetery adventures.
Museum of Shadows (Plattsmouth, Nebraska)
The Museum of Shadows in Nebraska, reputed as one of the world’s most haunted museums, hosts over 3,000 haunted artifacts. Offering daily self-guided tours, guided tours, and ghost hunting events, it provides a blend of spooky yet interactive experiences for visitors. The staff and owners have been commended for their friendly and welcoming demeanor, making the visit a bit more comforting amidst the spooky ambiance.
Their collection has even caught the eye of mainstream media, with artifacts that have been spotlighted on the Travel Channel. This paranormal museum invites a deeper exploration into the paranormal while offering an interactive experience for those looking for a fun, unconventional museum visit.
Occult museums in Europe
Galdrasýning á Ströndum/Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft (Hólmavík, Iceland)
The Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft in Hólmavík offers an insightful look into Iceland’s 17th-century witch craze through a blend of historical facts and folklore. The occult museum’s main exhibit in Hólmavík is complemented by another exhibit in Bjarnarfjörður, called The Sorcerer’s Cottage. Together, these exhibits offer a comprehensive overview of the role sorcery and witchcraft played in the lives of the people residing in the Strandir region during that tumultuous period.
It caters to a diverse audience, with guides available in multiple languages, including: English, Czech, French, Hebrew, Dutch, German, Italian, Russian, and Spanish.
Additionally, the museum operates a small restaurant placing emphasis on local seafood, particularly blue mussels farmed in the nearby fjord. This allows visitors to not only explore the mystical past but also savor a taste of the local cuisine, adding a cultural dimension to the historical exploration. Both the museum and the restaurant are open year-round, providing a well-rounded experience of Iceland’s mystical past.
Mittelalterliches Kriminalmuseum/Medieval Crime Museum (Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany)
The Mittelalterliches Kriminalmuseum (Medieval Crime Museum) in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany, provides a distinct look into the dark facets of human behavior through history, particularly focusing on crime and punishment. It’s located in a charming medieval town, adding a historical aura to the entire experience.
The museum is known for its significant collection of legal history, spread across two buildings and six floors, making it Germany’s most important collection of this kind. The layout of the museum is well-organized over three floors, providing a learning experience that is accessible both in German and English.
One of the special exhibitions, Luther and the Witches, expands on the history of witchcraft and sorcery from its early origins to the major witch hunts of the 17th century. This exhibit reflects a part of the broader theme of the museum, which explores the history of crime and punishment through a collection of artifacts and exhibits, illuminating the darker side of human behavior across different eras. It’s scarier than the supernatural, honestly.
Torture Museum (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
The Torture Museum in Amsterdam serves as a stark reminder of a time when justice was delivered through brutal means. The museum showcases the grim history through a collection of torture instruments used in the past. The display includes a variety of tools such as masks, a heretic fork, hanging cages, and an inquisition chair, each representing different forms of punishment inflicted for various alleged crimes like gossiping or heresy.
Despite not being inherently paranormal, those who enjoy a spooky atmosphere will find this museum worth a visit — with darkly lit corridors leading visitors through exhibits that detail various torturous methods once employed, it provides a rather chilling experience. With explanations available in multiple languages, this destination caters to a diverse audience.
Paranormal museums with a global presence
The Miyoshi Mononoke Museum (Hiroshima, Japan)
The Miyoshi Mononoke Museum, situated in Miyoshi, Hiroshima, Japan, stands as a tribute to the mystical world of yokai — supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore.
This paranormal museum is a realization of a decade-long endeavor and is backed by Japan’s eminent yokai art aficionado, Yumoto Koichi, whose 30+ years of ardor for yokai art has culminated in an impressive array of about 5000 pieces. His diverse collection sprawls across a range of mediums — from woodblock prints, books, scrolls, to mummies, kimono, weaponry, netsuke (miniature sculptures), charms, talismans, folding screens, statues, dishes, housewares, and toys. The artifacts even stretch the bounds of imagination, featuring life-sized yokai cryptids from old news reports and statues discovered in a yokai-dedicated temple that withstood religious reforms.
Visitors to the museum are also treated to a unique learning experience about yokai. The museum hosts educational programs, where attendants can learn about yokai through different media such as film and anime, giving us a look into the historical, cultural and social contexts of these supernatural beings in a fun and engaging way.
Catacombe dei Cappuccini (Palermo, Italy)
The Capuchin Catacombs in Palermo, Italy, are a place where history and the macabre intertwine, inviting us into a somber world. As you step into this crypt, you walk through corridors of memory etched in stone, stretching over a space of about 300 square meters.
While this site isn’t exactly billing itself as a paranormal museum, the veil between life and death seems thin, as around 2,000 skeletal remains and mummified bodies are meticulously preserved and displayed — making it the largest and most extraordinary collection of mummies globally.
The catacombs tell tales from the 17th to the 19th century, reflecting the customs and traditions of the Palermo society of that era. The meticulous preservation of countless corpses exposes us to a unique point in history, shedding light on the historical and cultural narrative of the time.
The site, initially a burial catacomb, has morphed into a tourist attraction over time. Today, it serves as an extraordinary historical record, providing a glimpse into the ancient tradition of mummification, particularly prevalent in Sicily.
Online paranormal museums
Merrylin Cryptid Museum
The Merrylin Cryptid Museum unravels the mysterious and imaginative world of crypto-naturalist, fringe zoologist and xeno-archeologist, Thomas Merrylin. This place isn’t your typical museum; it’s an alternative history installation project meticulously curated and maintained by artist Alex CF.
With a whimsical blend of turn-of-the-century scientific discovery, science fiction, fantasy and horror, it promises an immersive experience that challenges the boundaries between the real and the fantastical.
But before you get too carried away, it’s essential to know that the Merrylin Cryptid Museum houses a fabricated collection, not actual specimens. The entire museum is an elaborate and creative art project, presenting meticulously crafted models and descriptions of mythical creatures as if they were real.
While the museum’s “specimens” might look convincing, they are the products of artistry and imagination, not discoveries from the natural world. This fictional aspect of the museum was confirmed by a Snopes investigation, which rated the claim of real skeletons of mythical creatures being on display as false.
The museum’s website describes its mission as a means to inspire, to trigger our thoughts about the connectivity of all life and to emphasize the importance of evidence-based science and critical thinking even in a fantastical context. The Merrylin Cryptid Museum encourages us to consider the incredible diversity of life and the importance of preserving and understanding the world’s many species and cultures, albeit through a lens of imaginative speculation.
Museum of Talking Boards
The Museum of Talking Boards offers a collection of Ouija boards, giving insight into the historical and cultural significance these boards held from the late 19th to the mid-20th century.
The website provides detailed images and descriptions of each board, making it a valuable resource for both enthusiasts and curious minds. This occult museum’s digital doors are open for anyone keen on learning about the mystique surrounding Ouija boards and their place in American folklore.
Unique paranormal museums
International UFO Museum & Research Center (Roswell, New Mexico)
The International UFO Museum & Research Center in Roswell, New Mexico, serves as a hub for the curious, dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of the famed 1947 Roswell Incident. Not merely a trove of documents and artifacts — it’s an invitation for us to probe the unexplained.
Besides exploring the Roswell Incident, the museum sheds light on UFO phenomena worldwide. Supported by a network of UFO enthusiasts, the museum thrives on donations and sales from its gift shop. This museum is a statement that the quest for truth about the unknown continues unabated.
National Leprechaun Museum of Ireland (Dublin, Ireland)
The National Leprechaun Museum invites visitors into an enchanting world of Irish myth, folklore, and legend, where nothing is quite as it seems.
This unique museum captivates the imagination with its magical landscape, led by engaging storytellers who guide the experience. The museum offers a delightful exploration into the lore of leprechauns, fairies, and other mystical elements of Irish culture.
These museums offer a doorway into the world of the paranormal, awaiting the curious among us. Every exhibit is a conversation starter, each artifact a silent witness to the unexplained.
They invite us not only to observe but to engage, to question, to share our own brushes with the beyond.
Have you ever stood where the unexplained happened? Felt the chill of the unknown? If you’ve ever been to an occult museum, we’d love to hear your stories! 👻
DON’T MISS: Check out these 5 haunted libraries in the US for their maximum spookiness factor
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