Unusual and Unique Museums in Los Angeles

The Museum of Death could more appropriately be called the Museum of Violent Death. It's collection focuses on serial killer artwork, crime scene photos, body bags and other gruesome artifacts. Highlights include photos of Charles Manson Crime Scenes and the guillotined severed head of the Blue Beard of Paris, Henri Landru. Not for the weak of stomach.

Some of the items to be found in the quirky Museum of Jurassic Technology are real historic artifacts - although not remotely relating to the Jurassic period - and some are completely made up. Figuring out which are which is up to you.

The Bunny Museum is a private collection in the Pasadena home of owners Candace Frazee and Steve Lubanski. It includes almost 30,000 bunny-themed and bunny-related items from stuffed animals and figurines to real live bunnies. The Bunny Museum is free, but open by appointment only. Donations are accepted.

The Museum of Broken Relationships in Hollywood is one of the more recent additions to this list. If you're curious about the detritus of other people's heartbreak, this is the collection for you. 

That the Museum of Neon Art in Downtown Los Angeles exists is not so unusual, but their collection definitely has a quirky side including a variety of R-rated neon pieces.

 

Forest Lawn in Glendale has more celebrities buried there than anyplace else on earth, but they'd rather you didn't go looking for them, and they don't make it easy for you to find them. However, they're happy to have you come and visit their Museum, which regularly features exhibits of stained glass windows, bronzes, and other art, or explore the array of public art around the grounds, which includes a replica of Michelangelo's David. Their various chapels and churches on site are also popular for weddings and christenings. 

Hollywood Forever Cemetery doesn't have an actual museum on site, but they do have a map of their famous inhabitants that you can use to pay your respects to the likes of Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks, and Johnny Ramone. Their website even has an interactive map so you can map out your fan route before you go, or you can take a tour of Hollywood Forever.

Hollywood Forever is also the site of one of the most popular Dia de Los Muertos celebrations in Los Angeles.

The Martial Arts History Museum in Burbank showcases the history of all the Asian martial arts, how they evolved in each country and how they became part of American culture.

The FIDM Museum at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandizing in Downtown Los Angeles showcases historic and current trends in fashion and costume design. FIDM is also home to the Annette Green Perfume Archive on the 2nd floor of the campus.

Watts Towers is a massive sculpture in South Los Angeles created by Simon Rodia. The accompanying Art Center tells his story and features changing community exhibits.

The International Surfing Museum in Huntington Beach is a quirky little museum that tells the history of surfing and the surfers who made the city Surf City USA, through photos, memorabilia, films, and music.

The Velveteria is a private collection of velvet paintings from clown faces to grand landscapes on display in a storefront museum in Chinatown. 

The Animal Museum in the Downtown LA Arts District (formerly the National Museum of Animals & Society in Hollywood)  explores the shared experience of animals and their humans in historic context and contemporary art.

The Corita Art Center is located on the campus of Immaculate Heart High School in Hollywood. It is dedicated to the artwork of Sister Mary Corita Kent, whose pop-art prints of spiritual themes gained her a world following in the 1960s and 70s.