When Ripley first displayed his collection to the public at the
Chicago World's Fair in 1933, it was labeled Ripley's Odditorium and attracted over two million visitors during the run of the fair (in an apparent promotional gimmick, beds were provided in the Odditorium for people who "fainted" daily). That successful exhibition led to trailer shows across the country during the 1930s and his collections were exhibited at a number of major fairs and expositions, including San Francisco, San Diego, Dallas, and Cleveland. In New York City, the famed
Times Square exhibit opened in 1939 on Broadway. In 1950, a year after Ripley's death, the first permanent Odditorium opened in
St. Augustine, Florida. The Odditorium is housed in the Castle Warden, built in 1888 by an associate of
Henry Flagler, President of the
Florida East Coast Railway. , there are 28 ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Odditoriums around the world. Odditoriums (in the spirit of Believe It or Not!'') are often more than simple museums cluttered with curiosities. Some include theaters and arcades, such as the ones in
Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and
Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. Others are constructed oddly, such as the
Orlando, Florida, Odditorium which is built off-level as if the building is sinking (a commemoration of a
sinkhole that opened on the site while construction was in progress).
Asia Alphabetical, by country or district: • Shanghai, China (closed) – This location was located at Huangpu River. • Victoria Peak, Hong Kong (closed) – There was an Odditorium in
The Peak that opened in 1998 and closed on March 20, 2005. • Jakarta, Indonesia (closed) – This location (called the "Fun Odditorium") was located in the
Pondok Indah Mall complex. It was the largest Ripley's Odditorium in the world (). It opened on September 28, 1995 and closed in the late 1990s due to the
1997 Asian financial crisis. •
Genting Highlands, Malaysia – This location was located in the
First World Plaza. It reopened as Ripley's Adventureland located on level 4 in SkyAvenue. • Mandaluyong, Philippines (closed) – This location was in the
Shangri-La Mall in Ortigas and was closed after the end of its franchising agreement. • Jeju Island, South Korea (closed) – This is located at the Jeju Jungmun resort. • Pattaya, Thailand – This is located at Pattaya's
Royal Garden Plaza. It appears as if an airplane has crashed into it.
Europe Denmark • Copenhagen – This location is a smaller one located close to the city hall and next to a museum of
Hans Christian Andersen.
The Netherlands • Amsterdam – This location opened on June 23, 2016, at the
Dam Square, Dam 21, in a building that belongs to the Heritage of Amsterdam. It has more than 500 exhibits.
United Kingdom statue in London, one of fifty auctioned for the
NSPCC • Blackpool – Located at
Blackpool Pleasure Beach, this location is based in the popular holiday destination of
Blackpool. It was located further north in the 1980s at a location adjacent to
Central Pier. • Great Yarmouth (closed) – There was an Odditorium in
Great Yarmouth on the east coast of England. It opened in 1993 and closed in 1997. It is now an indoor
miniature golf course that uses some of the leftovers from the Odditorium as scenery for the holes. • London (closed) – This location was the world's largest and it opened on August 20, 2008 at the
London Pavilion and closed on September 25, 2017. It housed over 500 exhibits. It was famed for its large collection of
Marilyn Monroe's personal belongings and interactive exhibits over five floors, including a mirror maze and illusion tunnel.
Middle East • Kuwait City, Kuwait (closed) – This location was located in the Hadiqat Al Sheaab Amusement Park. • Dubai, United Arab Emirates – This is located in
Global Village features a mirror maze and a moving 4D theater.
North America Canada • Cavendish, Prince Edward Island – This is located in a concentrated area of tourist attractions adjacent to the
Prince Edward Island National Park. A lighthouse (the top being broken) features the Ripley's sign. The museum is adjoined to a wax museum and also features a mini-golf attraction. • Niagara Falls, Ontario – This location is shaped like a toppled over
Empire State Building with
King Kong standing on top of it. This is the second oldest Ripley's Museum in the world and is one of three in Canada. The museum was closed for major renovations between November 2015 and May 2016. The newly updated museum is the largest and most valuable museum for the company. Located across the street is a Ripley's
Selfie Studio, and up the street there is a Louis Tussaud's Wax Works which is owned by Ripley's. • Toronto, Ontario – The
Ripley's Aquarium of Canada opened in October 2013 next to the
CN Tower and
Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The structure boasts the longest underwater tunnel in North America. The aquarium was originally set to open in
Niagara Falls, Ontario (near
Great Wolf Lodge) in 2007, but relocated to Toronto.
Mexico • Guadalajara – Opened in 1994, this location is a small one like Mexico City's location. It is near downtown. • Mexico City – Opened in 1992, this location is shaped like a medieval castle and has 14 exhibition halls within it. This was the first of three locations to open in Latin America. • Veracruz – Opened in 2011, this location is small and available in a mall with the associated Veracruz Aquarium and Wax Museum, has 150 figures on display, and features a mirror maze and rotating tunnel. • Cancún – Opened in 2021, this location is in La Isla Mall and features a mirror maze and laser maze.
United States California • Buena Park (closed) – This location was located in Buena Park's E-Zone district on
Beach Boulevard, close to
Knott's Berry Farm. It opened in August 1990 and closed on March 30, 2009. • Hollywood – This location is in the
Bank of America Building on
Hollywood Boulevard. • San Francisco – This location is near
Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco.
Florida • Key West (closed) – Opened on April 15, 1993 in the former Strand Theatre, this location was located on
Duval Street. It then relocated to the former
Planet Hollywood building nearby on July 6, 2003. It closed permanently in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. • Orlando – Opened in July 1992, this is located on the busy
International Drive tourist corridor and is built to appear as though it is dropping into a
sinkhole. • Panama City Beach – Opened in June 2006, this location is at the intersection of Front Beach Road, Middle Beach Road and Thomas Drive on Panama City Beach and is designed to look like a 1950s luxury cruise liner that has run aground on the beach. It also has a moving 4D theater. • St. Augustine – This is the oldest ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' Odditorium, located in the Castle Warden. It was purchased shortly after Ripley's death in 1949 and opened in 1950. Before becoming home to his vast collections from his travels, "The Castle", as it is known, was once a hotel which played host to a number of famous guests, including Ripley and author/owner
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. It was originally a
Moorish Revival style mansion, built in 1887 by millionaire William G. Warden as a winter home. Its popularity and success led Ripley's associates to open new establishments throughout the United States and the world. Perhaps not surprisingly, it is rumored to be haunted. Segments of the most recent Ripley's TV series were filmed here, including the opening credits. Among the attractions here are a mummified cat, a scale model of the original
Ferris wheel made out of erector sets, life and death masks of famous celebrities (including Abraham Lincoln), and shamanistic apparati from cultures around the world.
Illinois • Chicago (closed) – Opened on November 21, 1968, this location was located on
Wells Street in the Chicago Old Town area until its closure in 1987.
Maryland • Baltimore (closed) – This location opened on June 26, 2012 in the Light Street Pavilion of
Harborplace on the
Inner Harbor. The museum's entrance featured a sculpture of a sea monster known as
Chessie. It was dismantled and closed permanently in May 2020. • Ocean City – This location opened in 2001 and is located on the boardwalk at Wicomico Street. It is a popular destination for tourists and it sits at the entrance to
Jolly Roger's Pier Amusement Park. It features a large model of a shark that appears as if it has crashed through the museum.
Missouri • Branson – This location looks like a stone edifice that was cracked by an earthquake.
Nevada • Las Vegas (closed) – Located at the
Four Queens hotel-casino, it opened on October 1, 1985, and closed in 1993.
New Jersey • Atlantic City (closed) – This location was located on the Boardwalk. It opened in late June 1996 and closed on December 31, 2022.
New York • New York City (closed) – This location opened in
Manhattan on
42nd Street in July 2007. This was the largest Ripley's in the world, housing over 1000 authentic artifacts and interactive exhibits. It closed on November 28, 2021.
Oregon •
Newport – This location was funded by Jacob Walters and built in 1986. It is at the Historic Bayfront and one of two amusements known as Mariner Square, the other being
Wax Works.
South Carolina • Myrtle Beach – The artifact museum is located near the center of Myrtle Beach's
Ocean Boulevard. It opened in 1976. Also in Myrtle Beach is Ripley's Crazy Golf, a mirror maze,
Ripley's Haunted Adventure, Ripley's Illusion Lab, and Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach. The aquarium, opened in 1997 at
Broadway at the Beach, does scientific research and veterinary care for sharks, turtles and other fish.
Tennessee •
Gatlinburg – The original museum was built in 1970. On July 14, 1992, a fire started from a neon light fixture in a neighboring T-shirt shop. It quickly spread and engulfed a total of twelve businesses in one city block and damaged almost every building along the main street. From that Tuesday night to Wednesday morning, firefighters managed to get the situation under control, but the Ripley's Odditorium was one of the twelve to be completely consumed. Some of Ripley's most prized and unique possessions were lost in the fire, although some artifacts were able to be salvaged. The museum was rebuilt and opened in 1994 with nearly twice the amount of exhibit space, plus a tribute to the city's firefighters included among the collections. Artifacts salvaged from the blaze sport decals saying "I Survived the Fire". As with other Ripley museums, it has an architectural theme by looking as if it has survived a major earthquake, with interior and exterior feature cracks throughout. The Ripley's Company has since opened several other attractions in the Gatlinburg-
Pigeon Forge area, including a "four-dimensional" theater, a state-of-the-art aquarium, a haunted factory, several arcades, two miniature golf courses, and a mirror maze, all of which carry the Ripley's brand name and logo.
Texas • Grand Prairie – This is located at 601 East Safari Parkway in
Grand Prairie, Texas. It is west of downtown Dallas on
IH-30 and is on the northwest intersection of Belt Line Road and IH-30, east of
Six Flags Over Texas. •
San Antonio – This is located across from the historic
Alamo. Next door is
Louis Tussaud's Waxworks and just a short walk down the road is Ripley's Haunted Adventure.
Virginia • Williamsburg – This location opened in 2006. It has 11 galleries and over 350 exhibits. There was also a 4D theater that shows 3D movies with added effects (air, water, scent, etc.), however this feature is no longer open.
Wisconsin • Wisconsin Dells – This location is owned by Concept Attractions. It opened in May 1990. The exterior of the original museum is designed as a temple with a plane crashed into its side. It feature 3 floors with 11 galleries with illusions and puzzles. It is located on Broadway, the downtown strip of Wisconsin Dells. The museum recently relocated to a larger building about two doors from its original location on July 8, 2023.
Oceania Australia • Gold Coast – This location is at the popular tourist destination
Surfers Paradise. It reopened in the new Soul Centre on January 22, 2010, featuring a band of human oddities playing songs at the entrance. ==Inaccuracies==