Something Strange in Your Neighborhood

It's OK to be different. After all, even museums can be really, really weird

These museums are, err, a little out of the ordinary. And that's putting it politely.

National Museum of Health and Medicine at Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Ave. N.W.

Ever wondered about battlefield surgery or Civil War-era medicine? And we sort of hope you haven't, because otherwise we're going to start seeing you as a little bit creepy. But even creepier is the stuff you'll actually see here. The comparison of a smoker's lung to a miner's lung (with the actual lungs on display), a hairball removed from the stomach of a 12-year-old girl, and a whole lot more grossness that will probably lead you to eat only spinach, do 12 hours of yoga a day and lock yourself in your basement after you see it.

National Museum of Crime and Punishment
575 7th St. N.W.

Criminals throughout history: pirates, Wild West outlaws, bootleggers … and corrupt politicians, too? Discover the fascinatingly naughty history of crime, with artifacts such as the Bonnie & Clyde "death car" (from the 1967 movie, not real life. 'Cause, otherwise, that would be way too disturbing). You can try your hand at passing a lie detector test and cracking a safe, too.

The International Spy Museum
800 F St. N.W.

OK, so you were probably never gonna go unless your 11-year-old nephew came to visit. Ticket prices are a little steep ($15-18). BUT! Ever hear about Spy At Night? (No? Well, yes, now you have.) On Friday and Saturday night, the 18+ crowd gets "exclusive late night access" (oooooh!) with the museum's interactive exhibit Operation Spy -- but it comes with a signature beverage and weekly guest appearances. We're hoping for Inspector Gadget ourselves.

Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum
1025 F St. N.W.

Barack Obama, the Clintons, Ronald Reagan and … Beyonce. This could be the best tourist experience you're still too embarrassed to tell your friends about. We get it -- it's no stroll through the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art. But we hear they've draped Brad Pitt's form with baby dolls, and hey, this IS about as close to Tyra as you're ever gonna get.

National Postal Museum
2 Massachusetts Ave. N.E.

Did you know that Ben Franklin got to send his mail for free? Or that five postal workers died on the Titanic while trying to save the mail? (Wow, that's depressing.) You can learn a lot if you just stop thinking of the Postal Museum as simply that big while building you need to walk past on your way to the movies at Union Station. So go on: Go Postal.

Bead Museum
now closed

You juuuust missed this one. The museum of th eBead Society of Greater Washington closed its doors on Dec. 31, 2008. Bet you're kicking yourself now. So go see the rest while you still can.

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