What) Authentic shrunken heads, the world’s rarest egg and
two-headed
animals are only the beginning! Housing an impressive
collection of the
odd, strange and unbelievable from around the world, the
museum
showcases over 500 mind boggling exhibits, oddities,
curiosities and
illusions throughout 12 extraordinary themed galleries. In
addition, a
Jaws-size great white shark appears to have crashed through
and lodged
itself in an upper floor of the building. (1)
Where) 401 South Atlantic Avenue Open daily from
10am to
5pm Adults $12.99
Why) There were actually eight Ripley's Museums on the Florida
Buckys
list. By this point, Pam and I had turned their frequent
occurrence into a bit of a running joke. Of course, as
the photo
record shows, Pam was the only one who was really joking.
By
this time, Pam was not even getting out of the car to look
at the
Ripley's buildings.
What) The 24-foot
tall statue
of
Chief Little Owl of the Nanticoke at the downtown entrance
to Bethany
Beach has been a landmark since 1976. The original statue
was created
by sculptor Peter Wolf Toth, a humanitarian who wanted to
give thanks
to the United States. The sculpture was donated to the Town
as part of
his “Trail of the Whispering Giants” project. He created
more than 50
wooden sculptures of famous Indians and donated at least one
to every
state. He also has some located in Canada.
The
first statue stood from 1976 until, weakened by termites, it
was destroyed by high winds in 1992. The second, done by
sculptor
Dennis Beach, lasted until 2000, when rot forced the Town to
take it
down. Toth created this newest version from a Pacific
Northwest red
cedar log which should last from 50 to 150 years.
Where) Garfield Parkway and Delaware
Avenue
Why)
Shortly after leaving Ocean City, we pulled up at a
stoplight on “Main Street” in Bethany Beach and I had about
30 seconds
to pull out my camera and photograph this totem pole as we
were pulling
away. (2)
For
a "Hurry, you only get one chance at this" picture it's
not bad.
This
is what it really looks like though. (3)
This
is Peter Toth's 1988 sculpture of Nee-Gaw-Bow in Wakefield,
Michigan. (4)