St. Augustine, Florida: Lightner Museum

The Lightner Museum is still open for its posted hours, but it has undergone some major renovations. The old storefront area is gone, replaced by a gift shop (be sure to get a silhouette done on the weekends). The natural history oddities are mostly still there (the touchable shells and minerals are in storage) and there are no music machine demonstrations until further notice. A few other odd gems (the cigar band collage and stained glass come to mind) are also in storage, but the other oddities and nifty exhibits are intact. Overall, I'm glad I saw the Lightner as it was, but the renovations are a welcome update.

At the Lighter Museum, the Leonard H. Baer Toaster Collection and Egyptian child mummy.

Tremendous collection of everything. Art pieces, rare furniture and various collections of all kind. Many one of a kind artifacts; collection in the museum is easily worth millions of dollars. Very impressive place.

A short walk from Villa Zorayda, the Lightner Museum has long been considered "the Smithsonian of the South." Like that other august institution, it also has a few surprising oddities for roadside fans, especially in the natural history room. Among these is an Egyptian mummy (a child's mummy, admittedly, but a mummy nonetheless) and an authentic shrunken head (the museum has others, but they're allegedly too hideous to display). Other unique artifacts include elaborate vintage music machines, a stuffed gator suspended from the ceiling, an antique vending machine consisting of an animatronic chicken that laid prize-filled eggs, and a vintage quack medical device mostly consisting of pistons and glass plates.

The rest of the museum has some intriguing pieces as well (the "Little Museum of Toasters" and several unusual paintings come to mind), and its former-hotel setting allows for some unusual history and presentation; the cafe and antique mall, for example, are in the former swimming pool.

Given how tourist-friendly St. Augustine is, the Lightner is very much worth a visit while in the area.