In the sleepy fishing village of Boscastle, England lies the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic. This small museum explores the history of magical practices across these isles, from ancient times to the present day.

The museum's founder, Cecil Williamson, explained the choice in location, saying, "all around us in this quiet corner of England there is a strange feeling that we are not alone and that the shades of persons passed on and over into the world of spirit are very close".

Take me to your curator... In Roswell, New Mexico, the International UFO Museum & Research Center is dedicated to finding the truth out there amongst the stars. The museum focuses on the infamous 'crashed saucer' 1947, but also holds objects related to other close encounters.

But the less open-minded amongst you can still have fun. The museum documents the fascination with aliens and extra terrestrials in popular culture. You can even have your picture taken with Gort of The Day the Earth Stood Still. Now hold steady and say, Klaatu barada nikto!

If you take a trip to Portland, Maine, you'll find a museum dedicated to the animals as-yet unknown to science: bigfoot, the chupacabra, and mothman. While evidence may be sketchy, the museum does good work recording folk stories and the fantastical tales of these sightings.

The world's only museum dedicated to ventriloquism, and with good reason. There are very few people on Earth who appreciate these dolls and their puppeteers for their skills, and many, many more who fear their abominable, rictus-faced creations. Visit, if you dare.

Imagine: you're in a small chamber lit by a thin strip of light from a single barred window, you can only just about make out the names and dates scratched into the damp plaster of the wall, and you know your end is near. A typical London rental? No, the Tower of London!

This castle was built by William the Conqueror, and for centuries it was the most secure place in England. Crown jewels and criminals, queens and traitors - even Second World War spies - were kept here under lock and key. Many entered, but very few ever left.

Just across the River Thames, you'll find the London Dungeons. These attractions have been scaring the public since 1974, with waxworks, actors, interactive exhibits, and plenty of gallows humour, giving a taste of the multitude of horrors to be found in the Big Smoke.

Oh hey you're finally awake, you hit your head pretty hard. Wait, 21st-century medicine, anaesthetics, antiseptics? What are you talking about, it's the 1800s and you're in London's Old Operating Theatre. Now let's get that leg amputated before you see the rest of the museum…

The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 have gone down in history as some of the most frightful miscarriages of justice, as around 150 people were jailed, 19 were hanged, and one crushed to death for supposedly practising witchcraft.

It's surprising there are any vampires in Paris what with all the garlic. For years, Jacques Sirgent has been researching the esoteric and the fantastique, translating texts, uncovering histories of sin and 'cannibal sorcery', and building a Museum of Vampires.