NHacker Next
  • new
  • past
  • show
  • ask
  • show
  • jobs
  • submit
Niche Museums (niche-museums.com)
OkayPhysicist 8 minutes ago [-]
The Rosicrucian Egyptian museum is a pretty neat museum in San Jose. I remember going several times as a kid, really cool place with a remarkably large collection. Only relatively recently did I dig into who the heck the Rosicrucians are, and that's a wild deep-dive in of itself which probably should feature somewhat in the museum. Basically, in the early 17th century, a couple of essays were published describing this ancient order of mystics called "The Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross" which protect secret and powerful knowledge. At some later point, a bunch of societies popped up that claimed to be descended from the "original Rosicrucians" (of which not only is there no evidence of ever existing, but the guy who presumably wrote the first essays about them published an essay about how he made them up as a bored 16 year old). Today, the largest such group is headquartered in San Jose, and run a pretty sick Egyptology museum.
in_a_hole 6 hours ago [-]
I would like to signal boost The Museum of Jurassic Technology in Los Angeles.

https://www.mjt.org/

I've never been anywhere quite like it. My friend once described it as "an art piece that uses museum curation as its medium" and that's the best description I've come across. To get an idea of what that means, understand that it's fully laid out as a museum with exhibits featuring various objects and artifacts and expositions thereof but these exhibits wildly vary between truth and fantasy. Some are showcases of real, if niche, cultural practices and some are histories of entirely fictional figures that are nevertheless compelling and beautiful.

The creator was awarded a McArthur grant in 2001 and I feel it was more than deserved.

da-bacon 3 hours ago [-]
The book "Mr. Wilson's Cabinet of Wonder" about the museum is a good read: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Wilson%27s_Cabinet_of_Wond... Recommend reading it after visiting, don't want to spoil the first journey into the Jurassic.
bookofjoe 6 hours ago [-]
Another strong recommendation for this unique place. I visited soon after its 1988 opening. The museum was so off the grid and unknown that early visitors like me received personal guided tours of unlimited duration from its founder/creator, David Hildebrand Wilson.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_Jurassic_Technology

in_a_hole 6 hours ago [-]
I am green with envy, that sounds amazing.

Do you remember any exhibits from that time that aren't in place today?

bookofjoe 5 hours ago [-]
It was wonderful. Scintillating. Alas, that was in the late 1980s and I haven't been back, though from the photo in Wikipedia its kind of derelict/dumpy entrance looks like it hasn't changed at all.

If you read "Mr. Wilson's Cabinet of Wonder: Pronged Ants, Horned Humans, Mice on Toast, and Other Marvels of Jurassic Technology," Lawrence Weschler's superb 1995 book about the museum with extended interviews with Wilson, you will find it hard not to want to visit.

https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Wilsons-Cabinet-Wonder-Technology/...

bsenftner 4 hours ago [-]
https://laist.com/news/los-angeles-activities/museum-of-jura... We almost lost it, a fire nearly destroyed it.
jonstewart 4 hours ago [-]
I once explained to a friend as "imagine Umberto Eco made a museum when he was drunk, and he was a mean drunk."
heyitsmedotjayb 37 minutes ago [-]
Adding my nomination for the Manitoba agriculture museum - https://mbagmuseum.ca/

They have 'Big Roy', one of the largest tractors ever built. It came into existence during a progressively competitive era of building super large tractors in the 60s. They also have several operating steam tractors and a workshop that restores them.

arnorb 2 hours ago [-]
I believe the Icelandic Phallological Museum fits the bill! https://www.phallus.is/
Bridged7756 33 minutes ago [-]
There is a Cuba museum in my hometown, Tuxpan, Veracruz Mexico. History goes that, Fidel Castro, after exiling, organized and trained men and then sailed from the port to Cuba, ultimately this starting the Cuba revolution and his regime's start.
Brajeshwar 4 hours ago [-]
My friend from school days, who is into a digging up lot of WWII stuffs, have a museum in a remote corner of India. Backed by Japan, and the local government, it is located near to other Japanese related location in Imphal, Manipur (INDIA).

Here are some pictures I took while visiting it some time before the official opening. I think I got some of the Indian Currency printed by the Japanese during the war. I might also have copies of some videos from during that time (I think the 40s-50s).

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Gao3hq1qYsgNBnzy6

Official Website https://imphalpeacemuseum.com/

boredinstapanda 5 hours ago [-]
I really liked the American Precision Museum in Windsor, Vermont when I went to visit. https://americanprecision.org/
jonstewart 4 hours ago [-]
It's a fantastic museum and featured a bit in Stewart Brand's Maintenance of Everything (https://books.worksinprogress.co/book/maintenance-of-everyth...).
bookofjoe 4 hours ago [-]
Can't wait to read this. His 1995 book, "How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They're Built," is excellent.

https://www.amazon.com/How-Buildings-Learn-Happens-Theyre/dp...

dmd 4 hours ago [-]
I'm a bit surprised that here in Boston, the nearest museum listed is in New York.
simonw 2 hours ago [-]
It's only museums I've visited myself. I actually do have a draft entry in the works about the Glass Flowers at the Harvard Natural History Museum, I should finish and publish that!
bookofjoe 31 minutes ago [-]
Again I ask, do you have the time, interest and energy to bring it back from hibernation since 2019?
madcaptenor 2 hours ago [-]
I think the site is compiled by one person. If you look at the map (https://www.niche-museums.com/map) it's heavily biased towards the southern UK and the SF Bay Area.
bookofjoe 31 minutes ago [-]
Yes, by Simon Willis
mcphage 60 minutes ago [-]
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is in Amherst, MA and quite excellent.
SideburnsOfDoom 2 hours ago [-]
There is or was a Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) in Boston.

https://museumofbadart.org/history/

ecshafer 3 hours ago [-]
Corning NY has a Glass museum that is run by the Corning Glass Company (company that makes iPhone glass). Which is pretty cool, if you are ever in that area.
wolfi1 4 hours ago [-]
Musee Champollion in Figeac, France about Champollion and his deciphering of the hieroglyphs and deciphering of ancient texts generally
robertclaus 4 hours ago [-]
If you're ever in Wisconsin - House on the Rock and the Mustard Museum.
FuriouslyAdrift 53 minutes ago [-]
The Red Room at HOTR is my happy place (along with the Don Q Inn cheese vat bathtubs)
contingencies 2 hours ago [-]
Museum of World Religion https://www.mwr.org.tw/mwr_en
oulipo2 3 hours ago [-]
There's also the beautiful harp museum in Bruges https://www.visitbruges.be/en/things-to-do/culture-and-herit...
jeffrallen 4 hours ago [-]
The UK entrant to Eurovision Song contest, Look mum, no computer, runs a museum!
simonw 2 hours ago [-]
And it looks perfect for the site, I'm hoping I can visit next time I'm back in the UK.
vismit2000 5 hours ago [-]
Another addition to list: Indian Music Experience Museum - https://indianmusicexperience.org
sta1n 30 minutes ago [-]
[dead]
sidharthrath 3 hours ago [-]
[dead]
Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact
Rendered at 16:18:05 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) with Vercel.