People collect the strangest things and some of them even end up opening museums to show the world their incredible achievements. Sure you don’t learn a lot about history or art, by visiting them, but they’re definitely a lot of fun.

Museum of Salt and Pepper Shakers

Andrea Ludden and her family love seasoning! I didn’t ask, but why else would they collect over 20,000 pairs of salt and pepper shakers from all around the world? It all started 25 years ago when they were looking for a working pepper mill. Things got a little out of hand and now the Luddens have a collection of over 1,500 pepper mills, from the simplest to the more complex mechanisms.

Because the collection grew and grew, over time, they moved to Smokey Mountains, to open the world’s first and only Museum of Salt and Pepper Shakers. The main purpose of this unusual establishment is to show the changes in society, reflected in salt and pepper shakers, dating from the 1500s to present day.

Burlingame Museum of PEZ Memorabilia

Said to be the only museum in the world where you can see every PEZ dispenser ever made, Burlingame Museum of PEZ Memorabilia is located in beautiful downtown Burlingame, California. Character-head PEZ dispensers first appeared in 1950 and around 550 unique models have been issued since then. At Burlingame Museum you can check out every one of them and even buy the ones you like.

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Unfortunately, the Austrian candy company that makes PEZ sued Burlingame Museum of PEZ Memorabilia for copyright infringements and asked that the 7-foot-10 PEZ dispenser, custom made for the museum, be destroyed. We’ll have to see how that plays out, but hopefully Burlingame PEZ Museum will still be around in the years to come.

The Carrot Museum

Romana Zawarti’s obsession for carrots began 15 years ago, when she and her husband traveled to Maine. The market there was full of lobsters and blueberries, so she bought carrots. Since then she has been purchasing “carrotobelia” every chance she gets and even set up a small museum in the Amistead Cottage, in Newport, which she calls the Carrot Room.

Her ever growing “carrotobelia” collection now numbers over 2,000 items, including carrot themed glasses, jewelry, slippers, mugs, sweets, stuffed animals and more. It’s safe to say Romana Zawarti has the world’s largest collection of carrot paraphernalia.

Lunchbox Museum

Metal lunchboxes were a child’s best friend during the mid 1900s. They contained food, made a statement about your favorite TV show and could act as a powerful weapon against school bullies. Although the reign of the metal lunchbox ended in 1986, when plastic took over, Allen Woodal keeps their memory alive through his popular Lunchbox Museum.

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His metal lunchbox collection includes over 3,500 items, some of which are duplicates used for trading. Painted with scenes from some of the most popular shows in history, these precious metal lunchboxes take visitors on a trip back in time.

SPAM Museum

I’m pretty sure everybody has had SPAM at least once, and if they haven’t, at least they’ve heard of it. Who knew canned meat could be popular enough to have its own museum, right? Located in Austin, Minnesota, the SPAM Museum has “SPAMbassadors” ready to tell visitors everything they want to know about SPAM.

From the crucial role SPAM canned meat played during World War II, to the various shapes of the can throughout history and the rarest SPAM varieties ever, the SPAM Museum covers it all. There’s even a wall made of 3,390 SPAM cans, and best of all, there’s no admission fee.

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