Unexpectedly interesting tourist attractions

[StillCoughingandLaughing]

Just thinking about it because it came up in my ‘On This Day’ on Facebook… a few years ago, I went to Stockholm, and someone I’d met just before told me I absolutely had to see Vasa. (It’s a perfectly preserved 17th Century warship, for those of you who, like me then, haven’t heard of it!) He said it had been a recommendation from a friend and he would never have thought of going otherwise, but found it fascinating.

He was absolutely right. I’d never even heard of it, but was so glad I went. So now I’m wondering, what other ‘hidden’ or underrated gems should I see?

Adding to the Killing House in Budapest which was fascinating is Statue Park if you can find it outside of Budapest whixh is where all the communist statues ended up after the fall of the wall

The Trincomalee guided tour was absolutely fascinating. It's a Napoleonic era warship in Hartlepool

Dartmoor Prison Museum. It’s creepy but very interesting.

When we mentioned that we were going to Edinburgh a friend said that we should visit the Royal Yacht Britannia. I'm glad she did because it really was worth visiting. Also, The Real Mary King's Close on the Royal Mile.

House of Marbles in Bovey Tracey, gateway to Dartmoor! I expected it to be soooo naff but is absolutely beautiful with real live glass blowing, a gorgeous gift shop & amazing marble machiney clocky things working for the littlins!!

This is like a catalogue of holidays for me, I seem to have been to quite a few that have been mentioned. The Vasa is probably at the top, although I would say that the Kennedy Space Centre shuttle exhibit comes close in terms of dramatic effect. The Viking Ship Museum in Oslo is very good.
We visited the wonderful Crannog on Loch Tay several times, gutted that it burnt down this week.
I have a soft spot for reconstructed towns, Beamish is great, Colonial Williamsburg is amazing and the Fortress of Louisburg in Nova Scotia is also well worth a visit.

Another vote for brooklands museum and Mercedes Benz world next door. Especially if brooklands are doing passenger rides on the track and test hill.

[quote 321zyx]@CyberGhost yes Royal Yacht Britannia is definitely worth a visit.[/quote]
It definitely is. I was surprised how un-blingy the queen's rooms were - more Margo Leadbetter style. The rooms where the different ranks if crew lived were fascinating too. Tiny but well organised. I'd recommend it, DH didn't really want to go but even he liked it.

Hovercraft museum in Lee on the solent, Gosport.
They have a huge cross channel car ferry hovercraft that you can walk on to, it ran until 2000 apparently. Fabulously retro!
If you are in the area for the more well known Porstmouth historic dockyard then this little gem is worth a visit.

@Lightswitchesoffatnight

Dartmoor Prison Museum. It’s creepy but very interesting.

Creepy? Agree!! Add: it's absolutely terrifying!! And run by inmates too!!

@cptartapp

El Djem in Tunisia beats the Colosseum hands down. Only 50 people there when we went and were allowed to climb all over (and under) it.

God, yes! I got a bit emotional there, it was so beautiful. The freedom to explore was so surprising, and made it a really immersive experience.

We enjoyed the Abbey Pumping Station museum next to the National Space Centre , it was surprisingly interesting . The space centre on the other hand was crap .

Ooh and the drainage Museum at Prickwillow near Ely. We only went as it was somewhere to go out of the rain but is was really interesting and the volunteers who run the place are lovely and etremely knowledgable

@Melroses

Macduff Marine Aquarium.

Aka “the haddock tank”

I’d also recommend the National Mining Museum Scotland in Dalkeith.

And the RN Submarine Museum at Gosport - the tour guides are ex submariners and have lots of anecdotes.

Someone mentioned the Verdant Works in Dundee, I would also recommend the Discovery, the ship that took Scott to the Antarctic, there as well, fascinating. The V&A next door is a nice building with nothing much in it, quite odd.

@Floralnomad

We enjoyed the Abbey Pumping Station museum next to the National Space Centre , it was surprisingly interesting . The space centre on the other hand was crap .

Yes, that’s an interesting museum.

The Space museum was okay, but fairly small.

Royal artillery museum in gillingham. Everything from medieval castles to modern tanks. Went for an hour or two ended up staying the day.

House of Marbles in Devon

Another vote for Beckonscot model village.

Kelveden nuclear bunker

King Arthur's labyrinth in north Wales.

There's a museum in Paris in the sewers about the history of the sewage system-fascinating!

The Crannog Centre on Loch Tay. Lots of interesting, enthusiastic people showing and telling you about the ancient past and how people did things.

It burned down last night 😭 which is so tragic but hopefully they can rebuild it - the enthusiasm, determination and skills are definitely there.

The underground hospital on Guernsey was the creepiest place I've ever been, I loved it!!

The federal reserve in NYC is also great, they do free tours but they are limited and book out as soon as the tickets are released. Sounds dull, but it was fascinating, they were counting gold and we got to see inside the vault, from behind a locked gate, gold bars are much more yellow than I expected!

Rhyolite is a ghost town in death valley that is just so bizarre. We went at sunset, not planned, just that was the time we passed it, but it was ideal, so eerie!!!

I could go on all day about small town, USA. I'm scottish but love an American road trip!!

Another for verdant works in Dundee: love it! The discovery in Dundee is pretty good too, as is the McManus Galleries and Camperdown Park.

Not a massive fan of the V&A though: beautiful building but not much in it. Really was excited about it too.. now it feels like a bit of a white elephant

Ironbridge, and all the associated museums, including Blists Hill (similar to Beamish)
Also, Morwellham Quay (Cornwall's answer to Beamish)

The museum of brands in notting Hill.
The coffin works, a coffin museum in Birmingham

@sleepyhead the Crannog burnt down? That’s heartbreaking! We went to it in 2019, but had to come off as DS was having an epic meltdown. They told us our tickets were valid for a year and to come back another time... but then lockdown came

My DH has suggested Bodmin jail in Cornwall, we loved it, very creepy!!