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?

@SummerSazz

Oradour sur Glane in France. This is their write up and sounds really not like a great day out but it's fascinating and the atmosphere incredible. Everyone was just silent and taking it in

On 10 June 1944, the village of Oradour-sur-Glane in Haute-Vienne in Nazi-occupied France was destroyed when 643 civilians, including non-combatant women and children, were massacred by a German Waffen-SS company.

Yes, we visited there last year, incredible place

The D-Day Museum in Portsmouth was a decent way to spend a wet morning - anything related to the wars isn’t my cup of tea but this was fascinating, especially the tapestry/embroidery.

I’ll second the Discovery in Dundee, the Riverside Museum in Glasgow is also good, and the Grampian Transport Museum has good events where you can get trips around the track.

Another vote for the Royal Yacht Brittania. It was brilliant!
I'd like to add the Cotton mill in Matlock, that was great

The Petrified Forest in Mississippi

We also liked this when we saw it recently.

The dc also remember car henge in Nebraska very well.

In the UK my favorites have been mentioned including the coal mining museum.

And while we're near Cornwall, Dingles heritage fairground in Devon was fab too!

@sleepyhead, oh noooooo.... we have been a couple of times. I’ve found the news reports, how dreadful.

Duxford Air Museum

I never get tired of seeing the Vasa. Grew up in Stockholm and went often. Now try and go and see it whenever I visit. Also adore Skansen.

Another vote for Jerash in Jordan - incredible place.

I went to Cragside NT property in Morpeth a few weeks ago - the house is great, (the first in the world to be powered by hydroelectricity), and the grounds are immense. I stayed all day.

Dungeness

Favourite overseas sites:

Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg and the DDR Museum in Berlin.

The People's Palace in Glasgow. Still love going there.

And randomly, Hoy Kirk in Orkney. When we went it had a history of metrology on the islands, and you could use the kitchen and make yourself a cup of tea.

I think my ultimate obscure museum, which was quite interesting, was the Idaho Potato Exposition. The main attraction were the “free baked taters for out of staters”. North America is great for unexpected museums in small towns.

The "Miniatur Wunderland" in Hamburg, Germany. The largest model railway in the world, and enjoyed even by a lot of people I know that only visited a model railway under duress :)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniatur_Wunderland

The Pumping Station museum and Drainage museum sound right up my street. I’d add to this list, the Goole Waterways Museum, but it closed down last year.

@LavendulaAngustifolia so glad you said Lea Gardens, we have an annual pass but we mainly go for the amazing cakes.

The VW Factory tour in Wolfsburg, Germany. And the museum just up the road full of dozens of old VW's.

Tropical World in Roundhay Park in Leeds.
Very cheap, warm, bigger than you think it’ll be. Free for U5s. Set in a great park for picnics, playground etc.

I went to the Museum of Sewage in Lodz, Poland. It's not really a museum, but a tour of a ring-shaped sewer. You clap your hands and the echo travels all the way around the ring and comes from behind you.

Never been there but must be fascinating to visit Chernobyl.

Titan Missile Museum, Arizona, it's a decommissioned Titan Missile with an excellent guided tour, telling how they had to potentially live below ground after launching, not knowing what was going on above them. Sitting at the launch controls, going through the checks etc and eventually turning the key, or pressing the button, deep down I knew that nothing bad would happen but I still cringed and crossed my fingers!

@DinaofCloud9

Western Approaches museum in Liverpool. It doesn't get the visitors that the big museums do but it's fascinating.

Lived in Liverpool over 20 years and didn't know this existed!

Computer game museum in Berlin, in New York do the top of the rock at rockerfella centre-awesome views of the Empire State. Manatee lagoon in west palm beach area of Florida-it's actually a power station I think-but as the water that they use is slightly warmer it attracts the manatees. And it's free.

YY to Falkirk wheel, Kelpies, Ellis Island.

Also the Scottish Deer Centre in Fife, we popped in for am hour and stayed all day, The Victorian Tunnel in Newcastle, Sir John Soane's Museum and my DD's all time favourite The Gem Rock Museum in Creetown, D&G. Also love the Cabinet War Rooms and Imperial War Museum.