7 Weird, Cool, and Unusual Museums in Portland, Oregon
Krampus at the Freakybuttrue Peculiarium
Portland has plenty of traditional museums dedicated to broad and important topics like art, history, and science. It also has a lot of rainy winter days to occupy and something tells me you’ve already considered OSMI and the Portland Art Museum if you’re reading this list.
These museums are the specialists, the niche interests, and sometimes the downright odd. Sure you may learn something, but it’s not really the point. Whether you’re looking for unique and under-the-radar activities or just want to get out of the house on a rainy day, here are my suggestions for weird, cool, and unusual museums in Portland.
A quick note about museum hours: The museums listed here are small-scale operations sometimes run by a single individual. Museum hours may be limited and subject to change. Although I only included museums here with fairly regular hours, it’s a good idea to double-check for changes or holiday hours before heading out, especially if you’re making a special trip.
Portland Puppet Museum
Portland Puppet Museum
Cost: Free, donations welcome
When to visit: Thursday - Sunday 2 PM - 8 PM. The museum’s Facebook page is updated regularly and would be a good place to double-check current hours before visiting.
Kid-friendly: Yes
The space: The Puppet Museum is on two levels of a building that looks like a house. The ground floor is the gallery, performance space, and workshop. The gift shop is upstairs and can only be accessed by climbing a flight of stairs.
About the museum: Sometimes an unusual museum will only be interesting if you share the curator’s passion for the subject. Other times, the museum can spark a new-found appreciation for an unfamiliar topic through its collection. As someone who went to the Portland Puppet Museum with no knowledge of or interest in puppets, I confidently place it in the second category.
The Puppet Museum has puppets from 141 countries, including some that are hundreds of years old. There are too many puppets in the museum’s collection to display at once, so exhibits rotate often. Each puppet is tied to the stories it was made to depict, ranging from epic tales of heroism to ribald comedies. Curator Steven Overton knows them all and can describe each puppet in the museum like an old friend.
The Puppet Museum puts on regular shows in its intimate space, most recently The Nutcracker in honor of the holidays. It would be a good stop for anyone who enjoys performance, design, and good stories, or has been wondering how to make sequins out of petrified goat milk.
Address: 906 SE Umatilla St, Portland, OR 97202
Portland Insectarium
Terrarium at the Portland Insectarium
Cost: Adults $8, Kids (2-18) $5, Kids under 2 are free. On Thursdays, adults can visit for $5.
When to visit: Thursday - Sunday 12 PM - 6 PM. Check the Insectarium’s website for updates. Note that masks are required inside.
Kid-friendly: Yes, very.
The space: The Insectarium is a single room packed full of terrariums for spiders and insects. It fills up quickly and is more fun if you happen to visit at a quiet time.
About the museum: The Portland Insectarium is one of the newest additions to Portland’s unusual museum scene. Once a pop-up insect zoo, the Insectarium now has a permanent space in Sellwood’s Milieu Collective. You can admire an impressive variety of critters there, including mounted specimens and living spiders and insects. Look for the ghost mantis, numerous tarantulas, roaches, and the evocatively-named Horrid King Assassin Bug in the terrarium displays. Some of the insects can be taken out and handled with the help of a staff member.
Not a fan of spiders? Consider checking out the Insectarium’s Arachnophobia class designed to increase comfort around them. Big fan of spiders? Public events like the recent Arachnophilia class provide in-depth information about arachnids as well as plenty of hands-on time.
The Insectarium connects to the retail shops in the Sellwood Milieu, which are worth browsing when you are done enjoying the bugs. Look for a variety of local, sustainable, and handmade products there from jewelry to soaps to chocolates. It is also within walking distance of the Portland Puppet Museum if you’re up for a quirky museum double feature.
Address: 7836 SE 13th Ave, Portland, OR 97202
The Freakybuttrue Peculiarium and Museum
Entrance to the Peculiarium
Cost: $10/person. $7 on Tuesdays. Free if you wear a good costume. Dogs are welcome.
When to visit: Open daily 11 AM - 6 PM. Check the Peculiarium website for updates.
Kid-friendly: Yes, although some exhibits might be scary for younger children.
The space: The Peculiarium is in a dedicated building with multiple rooms of exhibits. You’ll know you’ve reached it when you spot the oddities on the sidewalk outside.
About the museum: While most of the museums on this list are more niche than truly weird, the Freakybuttrue Peculiarium comes through with exhibits showcasing all things odd, curious, and bizarre. If you love a weird roadside attraction or stories of unexplained phenomena, this museum is for you.
The Peculiarium is full of strange displays that begin on the sidewalk outside the museum and continue through several exhibit rooms, offering some new curiosity everywhere you look. You can take a photo with Krampus, then read a history of the Peculiarium’s founding, described as being based on a dream the founder Conrad Talmadge Elwood had, then forgot. Keep an eye out for Bigfoot, zombies, aliens, and Al Capone’s real safe as you explore.
Although the Peculiarium is a fun visit by yourself, it helps to bring a friend to take advantage of the photo potential. The best photos come from the Peculiarium’s interactive displays, like the one where you are falling from a skyscraper and another where you are the subject of an alien autopsy.
Address: 2234 NW Thurman St, Portland, OR 97210
The Zymoglyphic Museum
The Zymoglyphic Museum
Cost: Free
When to visit: Open on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month from 11 AM to 3 PM. Check the museum’s website for updates before visiting.
Kid-friendly: Potentially, although better for older children due to fragile exhibits in a small space.
The space: The museum is on the upper level of a converted garage in a residential neighborhood. There are a few exhibits and a library on the lower level, but seeing the museum space requires climbing a flight of stairs. There are no restrooms at the museum.
About the museum: The Zymoglyphic Museum is one of the most unique places in Portland and one that defies easy categorization. The museum’s exterior is a large detached garage that fits in with its residential surroundings. Inside you’ll find a fantastical world that explores the concepts of change, weathering, fermentation, and decay through art.
Although housed in a small space, the exhibits are packed in tight and present many intriguing curiosities. While each item is unique, there is a sense of a unified vision throughout the collection, one that is easier to appreciate in person than to convey through a description. It could be called weird, although I’d say experimental or surreal is closer to the mark. Visit on the 2nd or 4th Sunday of the month when you want to step away from the ordinary and explore the passage of time through the artifacts of the Zymoglyphic Region.
Address: 6225 SE Alder St, Portland, OR 97215
Stark’s Vacuum Museum
Early vacuums at Stark’s Vacuum Museum
Cost: Free
When to visit: The museum is located in Stark’s Vacuums on Grand Ave and you can visit whenever the store is open. Mon-Fri: 8 AM – 5 PM, Sat: 9 AM – 5 PM, Sun: 10 AM – 5 PM. Check the store’s website for updates before visiting. Note that Google had the museum listed as permanently closed when I looked it up, but it was open when I visited.
Kid-friendly: Yes, although don’t plan on a long visit since the exhibit is small.
The space: Stark’s Vacuums is first and foremost a retail store that sells and repairs vacuums. The museum is housed in the Grand Ave location and occupies a wall of the store.
About the museum: I don’t want to oversell this one. We’re talking about one wall of historical vacuums on display in the corner of a retail store. The sales associate will ask what brings you in and then ignore you resignedly while you look at the museum, fully aware you are not there to buy anything.
That being said, if you’re in the area or happen to need a vacuum, it’s worth a visit even if your interest in vacuums falls short of true passion. The museum shows the arc of vacuum design over time, from the pump-action models of the early 1900s to a salmon-pink electric model that I’m pretty sure my grandma owned. Many have a futuristic look that seems exclusive to decades past. A sleek metal vacuum suggests, can it be much longer before we have flying cars? Perhaps it is not possible for vacuums to look optimistic, but I would argue that these do.
Address: 107 NE Grand Ave, Portland, OR 97232
Oregon Maritime Museum
The Portland docked in the Willamette River
Cost: Adults $7, Seniors (62 & older) $5, Students (13 - 18) $4, Youth (6 - 12) $3, and kids under 6 are free. Active Military admission (w/id) is also free.
When to visit: Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday 11 AM - 6 PM. I went on a Wednesday at 11:15 AM and the museum was closed without an update to either its website or Facebook page. If you’re making a special trip, consider calling ahead.
Kid-friendly: Yes
The space: The Oregon Maritime Museum is located on a tugboat, specifically a steam sternwheeler called the Portland, docked in the Willamette River. The main deck of the ship is ADA-accessible by a ramp, but the interior has stairs, tight corners, and small spaces.
About the museum: The Portland began helping ships navigate the Willamette River after its construction in 1947. Today, it is the last operating steam sternwheeler tugboat in the United States and home to the Oregon Maritime Museum. Once dilapidated, extensive restoration efforts in the 1990s helped return the Portland to pristine condition in its new role as an unusual museum.
The Oregon Maritime Museum is dedicated to preserving maritime history through artifacts and records, as well as sharing that history with the public. Plan on spending some time here during your visit. Volunteer-led tours take you through the entire ship and last at least 45 minutes. On the tour, look for memorabilia related to all things boating, try out Morse code, and browse the ship’s library of maritime history.
The museum is docked at Tom McCall Waterfront Park and makes for an easy stop as part of downtown exploration day. Walk along the river to reach the Saturday Market after your visit.
Address: 198 SW Naito Pkwy, Portland, OR 97204
Blue Moon Camera & Machine
Blue Moon Camera & Machine
Cost: Free
When to visit: Monday - Saturday 9 AM - 5 PM. Check the store’s website for updates.
Kid-friendly: Yes, if they are interested in photography.
The space: Blue Moon Camera is a retail shop that specializes in analog cameras and film. It’s not a place to go if you’re looking to spend the day at a museum, but there is a large collection of vintage cameras and equipment if you have an interest in photography.
You can also check out the virtual museum here.
About the museum: Don’t go to Blue Moon Camera expecting to browse halls of exhibits. It is a small retail shop that also processes analog film. If you are wandering around St Johns or need camera supplies, it can be a fun stop, more so if you’re interested in photography. I’ve been to buy equipment for my (digital) camera a couple of times and appreciated seeing the impressive collection of vintage cameras on display there.
Address: 8417 N Lombard St, Portland, OR 97203
In summary, Portland’s weirdest, coolest, and most unusual museums are:
Portland Puppet Museum
Portland Insectarium
The Freakybuttrue Peculiarium
The Zymoglyphic Museum
Stark’s Vacuum Museum
The Oregon Maritime Museum
Blue Moon Camera & Machine
Enjoy your visit to the museums of Portland!
With love,
Emma
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