Museum of World Treasures

The Museum of World Treasures in Old Town packs a remarkable range of objects into a compact space: Egyptian mummies, a Triceratops skull, World War I and II artifacts, samurai armour, medieval weapons, and a comprehensive collection of presidential memorabilia. The eclecticism is the point — this is a cabinet of curiosities scaled up to museum size, and it works for exactly the same reason cabinets of curiosities have always worked: the unexpected juxtapositions reward wandering attention.

The dinosaur section is the most popular with families, and the fossils are genuinely impressive. The second floor's international collections cover everything from Aztec figurines to items from the Titanic. Admission is modest. The location on Douglas Avenue in Old Town puts it within easy walking distance of the neighbourhood's restaurants and bars, making it a good first stop before dinner.

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A story
The museum's most eye-catching display is a collection of presidential signatures — letters, documents, and signed photographs from every American president, arranged chronologically. The jump in formality from early presidents who signed in careful copperplate to modern presidents with their barely-legible executive scrawls tells its own story about how the office has changed.