Weirdly Wonderful Museums: Ancient Computers, Curious Scents, and a Poozeum

An Arizona museum devoted entirely to fossilized poop. A collection of more than one million items that washed up on one Washington beach. A Montana exhibit starring Old Brass Brains, a 116-year-old computer. These quirky stops are unlikely candidates for a must-see list, and that’s entirely the point. They deliver what marquee attractions can’t: genuine surprise, a glimpse into a universe you never knew existed, and a little bit of magic—all without a throng of tourists. Our guest, Atlas Obscura cofounder Dylan Thuras, returns to share six of his favorite one-of-a-kind museums, each one a “strange love letter” to the curator’s personal obsession. Along the way, we’ll encounter a fungus that turns ants into teeny zombies, mushroom cloud–watching parties on Las Vegas rooftops, and the Poozeum’s prize specimen: a 20-pound Tyrannosaurus rex poop. As Dylan puts it, these places are a testament to people’s weirdness—and their wonderfulness. Oddball museums we’ll wander: - Museum of Jurassic Technology, Culver City, California: Where fact and fiction are displayed with equal care. - National Atomic Testing Museum, Las Vegas: Explores the cultural impact of Nevada’s 900-plus nuclear tests, from rooftop viewing parties to the Miss Atomic Bomb pageant. - American Computer and Robotics Museum, Bozeman, Montana: “Inch for inch, the best museum in the world,” said biologist E.O. Wilson. Houses a working replica of a 2,000-year-old computer. - John’s Beachcombing Museum, Forks, Washington: Features “washed-up” treasures sorted by type, including a mammoth tooth and part of a Boeing 747 jet engine. - Aftel Archive of Curious Scents, Berkeley, California: Open the many drawers to inhale rare fragrances like real ambergris. - Poozeum, Williams, Arizona: The world’s largest collection of coprolites (fossilized poop), includes insect farts trapped in amber, too. Free to visit, right on Route 66. Guest: Dylan Thuras Dylan Thuras is the cofounder of Atlas Obscura, an online guide to the world’s hidden wonders, and coauthor of three *New York Times* bestsellers: *Atlas Obscura*, *Gastro Obscura*, and *The Explorer’s Guide for the World’s Most Adventurous Kid*. As the host of the series *Small Town, Big Story*, he traveled to local festivals across the country, including a lumberjack championship, pepper-eating contest, and a Texas sandcastle competition (he took third). He’s currently the head of storytelling and creative at Miles Partnership. This is Dylan’s third appearance on the Via Podcast: In our first season, he toured the West’s quirkiest roadside attractions; in season two, he took us off-road to the Southwest’s monumental land art. He lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with his wife Michelle, and two kids, Phineas and Jean.