You think that because you’re from New York you’ve seen it all? You haven’t. Take a look at some of the weirdest museums and roadside attractions from around the state.
SING SING PRISON MUSEUM
Where: Ossining (in the Joseph G. Caputo Community Center)
What you’ll see: A replica of an electric chair (the real “display” chair is on loan at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.), two Sing Sing cells (one that you can actually sit in), confiscated prison weapons, pictures of prisoners being flogged, and other gruesome items.
JELL-O MUSEUM
Where: Le Roy
What you’ll see: Le Roy in Upstate New York is the birthplace of Jell-O, and at this museum, you can see old TV commercials, print ads, and even a “gelometer” that was once used to measure the “gel quality” of the product. If you want to actually buy some Jell-O, though, you’re out of luck; the gift shop doesn’t sell any.
THE LUCILLE BALL–DESI ARNAZ CENTER
Where: Jamestown
What you’ll see: Lucille Ball was born at 69 Stewart Avenue in Jamestown, and Lucymania reigns in her hometown. At the museum, visitors can see her wedding dress, one of Little Ricky’s outfits, and sets from the I Love Lucy TV show.
HAVERSTRAW BRICK MUSEUM
Where: Haverstraw
What you’ll see: It’s basically…bricks.
AMERICAN MUSEUM OF CUTLERY
Where: Cattaraugus
What you’ll see: Eventually, this museum hopes to “establish itself as an important research and educational facility,” but for now, visitors can edge up to swords, knives, scissors, and weapons in a funky storefront in a town where cutlery companies used to flourish.
The tallest player ever to play for the N.Y. Knicks: Slavko Vranes (7′5″) The shortest: Wataru Misaka (5′7″).
Where: Oneida
What you’ll see: On a wooden platform in the middle of a pond is the 29-square-foot (nondenominational) world’s smallest church. The simple white wooden structure and steeple seats just two and is accessible only by boat.
NEW YORK STATE OLD TYME FIDDLERS HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM
Where: Osceola
What you’ll see: Fiddles made of wood and metal—one even has a scroll (the top part) shaped like an old man’s face—pictures, and other memorabilia of old-time fiddlers…fiddling.
MUSEUM OF SEX
Where: Manhattan
What you’ll see: Are you over 18? OK, then you’re permitted to visit these exhibits about everything from fetishes to pin-ups.
MUSEUM OF THE EARLY AMERICAN CIRCUS
Where: Somers
What you’ll see: This museum’s exhibits are constantly changing, but they focus on the beginnings of the circus in America. It’s housed in the Somers Town Hall, which is inside the Elephant Hotel, which is named for Old Bet, an actual elephant who lived in Somers in the early 1800s.
HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN WAX MUSEUM
Where: Lake George
What you’ll see: Fifty-two exhibits of dummies being tortured, including an electrocution where visitors flip the switch, all to the sounds of piercing screams being played on a constant loop. (Around the corner is Dr. Morbid’s Haunted House, where live actors scare you by jumping out from dark corners.)