Photo by Rosemary Darigo place
So you've spent a day gambling in Atlantic City and you're down
to your last ten bucks. Should you try your luck one last time
at the tables or call it a day? Neither. Haul your hinder to the Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum on the
Boardwalk. It's hard to miss the place - the facade is made to
look like it's about to come crashing to the ground. But the sturdy
interior houses a small part of Robert L. Ripley's collection
of strange and unusual... well, stuff. Ripley, born in 1893, spent
his life traveling the globe in search of the weirdest things
known to man, then presented them to America in the form of a
weekly newspaper cartoon. Part with your green at the door and spend a good two hours wandering
among the themed rooms. Greeting you as you walk in is a wax figure
of Robert Wadlow, the world's tallest man at 8'11". Then make
your way to the fairly tame Arts and Crafts room, which has a
purse made from human hair and a sweater made from dog hair to
match. Those with slightly less lunch to lose may enjoy the Primitive
Temple, where a video of natives eating tarantulas is juxtaposed
with a wax figure of a man hanging by his nipples during an ancient
rite. Don't leave without checking out the genuine shrunken head!
Some of these exhibits are truly cool, like the Tibetan bowl made
out of a real human skull. And some are just plain icky, like
the real hairballs taken from a cow's stomach. This place mixes
the right amount of fun with "Eww, gross!" to provide a great
break from the cha-ching of the slot machines. Whether you believe
it or not, that's up to you. Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, New York Ave. and the Boardwalk,
Atlantic City, (609) 347-2001. - Rosemary Darigo
Ripley's Museum