 415 Barren Springs Dr I hadn’t seen my friend Cindy in way too long and I was especially excited to see how we would spend our day together over Christmas break. You see, Cindy and I have a penchant for the weird. For instance, we once ate at an allegedly haunted restaurant right before we saw actually reserved human remains as part of the Body Worlds Exhibit. That was exactly what I remembered when I asked Cindy if there was anything in Houston she has been meaning to check out and she told me, “the funeral museum!” I laughed and thought it was best suited for our lunch we had planned at Pho Binh by Night where they serve bone marrow pho. Bone marrow and funerals! It’s another themed date! If you’ve been following along my blog or twitter long enough, you might gather I’m a sucker for novelty and wacky experiences. So I was super ecstatic about going to a funeral museum. However, I didn’t expect an awesomely curated museum. When someone says “want to check out a funeral museum?” The image that comes to mind is a run down house converted to a “museum” with a shabby collection of funeral programs and models. I was pleasantly surprised to find the National Museum of Funeral History has an impressive amount of artifacts and originals. There is a heavy emphasis on presidential history with the original hearse that drove John F. Kennedy and Reagan. There is also a whole wing dedicated to the funeral ritual for popes, heavily emphasizing the death of Pope John Paul II. The papal wing even has an original pope mobile! You’ll also find original hearses from around the world and a section dedicated to the funeral and deaths of celebrities. I learned Walt Disney never had a funeral! I highly recommend giving this place a visit if ever you find yourself in Houston. It’s ten dollars well spent and you’ll get a fascinating history lesson.  Japanese hearse  Eerily accurate model of Pope’s viewing  Custom three person casket Question: What is your favorite unique local attraction to show your visiting friends? |