Just like most truly great places, the Bluegrass State is no stranger to the bizarre. You don’t have to look very hard to find an oddball gift shop or an interesting collection of oddities in our state because we have so many interesting and awesome people to run such amazing places. But did you know the world’s only museum dedicated entirely to ventriloquism is located right here, in Fort Mitchell? Vent Haven Museum has to be one of the strangest places in the world. Let’s take a look around this strange and incredible place, shall we?
Vent Haven Museum has been around since 1973, but the collection was actually started when a man named William Shakespeare Berger purchased his first dummy in 1910.He wasn’t a professional ventriloquist, though he was involved in the ventriloquist community for many decades.
Facebook/Vent Haven Museum (No relation.)
Mr. Berger collected so many ventriloquist dummies that he had to renovate his garage—and later build a second building—just to accommodate them.
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It was Mr. Berger’s careful estate planning that allows the extensive collection to remain open to the public.
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When we say they have a lot of ventriloquist memorabilia, we really do mean A LOT.
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There are more than 900 dummies in the museum, and they were used by ventriloquists from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
Tripadvisor/lveach19 You may find some pairs of eyes following you around, but don’t worry. 900 dummies only have 1800 eyes between them.
The museum is open from May 1st to September 31st and you can only see it by scheduling a tour, since they are open by appointment only.
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It’s not like you’d want to venture into these rooms all on your own, though.
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There are an awful lot of watchful eyes at Vent Haven.
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This attraction truly is like no other. You’re not going to find another Vent Haven in the entire world, and we’re proud it calls Kentucky home
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You can follow Vent Haven on Facebook at this link.
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(No relation.)
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You may find some pairs of eyes following you around, but don’t worry. 900 dummies only have 1800 eyes between them.
Tripadvisor/Cynthia D.
Facebook/Vent Haven
So tell us, have you ever been inside one of the strangest and most fascinating museums in Kentucky? We’d love to hear all about your experiences with Vent Haven.
Did you have another strange, but wonderful place here in the Bluegrass State in mind? You can nominate that place on our nomination page.
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Address: 33 W Maple Ave, Fort Mitchell, KY 41011, USA
