Unusual museums in Columbus

Looking for unusual museums & collections in Columbus? These 7 are the genuinely strange ones — National Barber Museum & Hall of Fame, Mid-Ohio Historical Doll and Toy Museum, Orton Geological Museum and more — each hand-vetted and sourced, not pulled from a top-ten list. Great for an unusual date, a weird afternoon, or showing a visitor the side of Columbus they'd never find on their own.

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National Barber Museum & Hall of Fame This highly niche museum preserves the rich and sometimes gruesome history of the barbering profession. Along… Canal Winchester
Mid-Ohio Historical Doll and Toy Museum Founded in 1984 by Henrietta Pfeifer, this museum houses thousands of historical and antique playthings. The… Canal Winchester
Orton Geological Museum Located inside the historic, castle-like Orton Hall on the Ohio State campus, this free museum houses a spect… OSU Campus
Early Television Museum The only museum of its kind in the United States, showcasing the evolution of television technology with over… Hilliard
Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Home to the world's largest collection of materials related to cartoons and comics, this academic archive fea… University District
The Doll Museum at the Old Rectory Housed in a historic 1845 rectory, this highly specialized museum displays a distinguished collection of 19th… Worthington
Paul A. Johnson Pencil Sharpener Museum A tiny, whimsical shed housing a massive collection of nearly 5,000 unique, non-duplicate pencil sharpeners c… Logan