Washington, DC - Museum at Palace of Wonders

The Palace of Wonders is a two story bar with showcases of carnival and side show memorabilia and mummified/stuffed memorabilia. There is a stuffed unicorn, a mer-fish, a five pawed dog, x-rays of a sword swallower, and various preserved fetuses and fake "pickled punks."

There are frequent burlesque acts on the weekends, when there is a cover charge. Definitely worth a visit to the bar if there is a burlesque or belly dancing crew performing. Be sure to check palaceofwonders.com to see what group is in town that weekend. Get there early to get a (good) seat.

There is parking across the street at a Murray's Auto store, but they will tow if before 9 PM. As for the safety of the area, it is not the kind of place tourists want to walk around at night. Cab in and cab out. [VCOM, 05/06/2008]

The Museum at Palace of Wonders recreates the great days of 19th century Dime Museums and preserves one of their many grand traditions: Sunday matinee museum lectures, demonstrations and performances.

Featuring the largest collection of the strange, the weird, the odd, the bizarre and the unusual, the Museum houses over half a thousand exotic artifacts from all over the globe. [Charon Henning, 12/03/2007]