Let your freak flag fly

Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus




I don't know about everyone else, but I love a good "freak" attraction. Be it a two-headed cow (I'm obsessed with Siamese twins), sweaters made from human hair, or a pickled, deformed baby - if it's weird, I'm so there!
You see, for as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated by the weird and unexplainable, and my fascination has taken me to some of the weirdest sites like The Mutter Museum in Philadelphia (largest collection of Siamese twins on earth!), Ripley's Believe It or Not (the McDonald's of oddities), freak shows in Coney Island, etc.
Recently I came across the website, Roadside America: the Online Guide to Offbeat Tourist Attractions. Here, I learned that my current state of residence (CT) is not as boring as I thought - and I'm originally from New Jersey (a state so weird that we have our own magazine about how weird it is), so I'm kind of spoiled when it comes to strange attractions. In CT you can see such wonders as:

*The Barnum Museum, Bridgeport, CT - you can get a glimpse of the famous (and creepy) "Feejee Mermaid"here.

*A sight known as the "Vatican Gardens Knockoff," also in Bridgeport - it looks like it would be an awesome filming location.

*The Comic and Cartoon Museum, Cheshire, CT

*The Cursed Dudleytown Ghost Village, Cornwall, CT

*Joseph Steward's Hartford Museum, Hartford, CT - a museum of "curiosities," and taxidermy at it's finest.

*Holy Land USA, Waterbury, CT - my all-time favorite weird CT attraction. Described as: "Post-apocalyptic remnants of a religious theme park, featuring a mini-Jerusalem and the Catacombs death trap."


I encourage everyone to select their state on the Roadside America website and see what strange attractions are near you! You might be pretty surprised...