6 Non-Mainstream & Unique Museums in S’pore That Many S’poreans Didn’t Know About

Last Updated on 2023-02-19 , 5:24 pm

Museums are those places that some people deeply appreciate while others quickly shove to the bottom of their lists, below everything else they’d rather do.

The thing is museums aren’t all equal. Some are more interactive and some are more informative. They can transport you to the past with their retro exhibits, or wow you with the future with more technology.

So even if you think you’re not a fan of museums, stay on and browse through this list of lesser known museums and see if anything piques that interest!

JCU Museum of Video and Computer Games

Yes, it’s a museum for games and it’s the only one in Southeast Asia.

If this looks like a school to you, you’re right, because JCU stands for James Cook University where the university is located.

To thank for this, we have Roberto Dillion, an associate professor lecturing game design and project management classes at JCU (and an author and indie game developer too!). Starting with his own collection of retro consoles and games, donations from fellow gamers have grown the museum.

You get to see gaming consoles from as far back as the 1970s, with a selection of about 300 games, which Dillion believes we can still learn from. And guess what, you can even try out the games since all the consoles are in working order!

Bet you didn’t know video games exist even before you were born, eh?

To visit them, you’ll have to make an appointment at their fixed time slots. Visit their Facebook page to find out more.

Admission Price: Free
Address: 149 Sims Drive, Singapore

Live Turtle & Tortoise Museum

If this sounds familiar, yes, it’s the Turtle & Tortoise Museum that moved from Chinese Garden to Yishun.

If you’re a lover of shelled reptiles, Connie and Danny Tan are too and they’re committed enough to open a whole museum about it, that won the Guinness Book of World Records title of the largest collection of tortoises and turtles.

Yes, this zoo farm park is counted as a museum, so if you want to sound more learned when actually specimens and artifacts in display cases aren’t really your thing, you could cheat by coming here to see species like the Alligator turtle, the Radiated tortoise, the Sulcata Tortoise, the Golden Terrapin and the Six Legged Tortoise. You can pet and hand feed some of them, and watch others roam free.

For more information, here’s their website.

Admission Price: 

Standard Rate:
Adults/Seniors: $14, Children (3-6 years old): $10

Singapore Residents:
Adults: $10, Children (3-6 years old): $6, Seniors (60 years old and above): $6

Address: ORTO, 81 Lor Chencharu #01-16, Singapore 769198

Singapore Philatelic Museum

So, stamps huh?

Not just little squares of paper, a comprehensive enough collection can (and do, in this museum) reveal a country’s past and heritage.

Not just about Singapore’s history, there are also many fun exhibits like The Little Prince: Behind the Story (temporary), and the Room of Rarities.

For more information, here’s their website. Unfortunately, this museum is currently closed, and is expected to be back by end-2020. I don’t know whether aliens have landed in Yishun by then, but hey: good things are worth the wait.

Admission Price: Free for Singaporeans and PRs
Address: 23-B Coleman Street, Singapore 179807

Vintage Cameras Museum & Click Art Museum

For the shutterbugs out there, if it was ever a dream of yours to walk through the lens of a huge, concrete camera, now’s your chance.

Singapore Musical Box Museum

With the diverse collection of musical boxes here coming from the personal collection of the founder of the museum, Mr Naoto Orui, he aims to share the cultural and historical backgrounds of the artifacts.

Tours by a trained guide or curator are a compulsory part of this museum, so prepare 40 minutes to an hour for an educational and inspiring journey through the exhibits.

More information here.

Admission Price: 

Adults: $12.00
Students or Full-time National Servicemen (with valid proof): $6
Seniors (60 years and above with valid ID, must be Singaporean or PR): $6
Children (6 years old and below and accompanied by an adult): Free

Check the website for special prices for certain groups.

Address: 168 Telok Ayer Street Singapore 068619 (Chong Wen Ge)

Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum

Specialising in Southeast Asian biodiversity, this is one impressive museum, if the three huge diplodocid sauropod dinosaur skeletons, Prince, Apollonia and Twinky, aren’t already telling you that.

True to its name, this museum is all about tracing the history of life on earth, with more than 500,000 Southeast Asian animal and plant specimens spread across 2 floors.

Tickets can be purchased on site (cash or NETS only) or online beforehand. Check out the website for more details.

Just remember to shower before you head there, because…erm…nothing.

Admission Price (inclusive of $1 SISTIC booking fee):

Standard Rate:

Adults: $21, Children (3-12 years old), student, NSF, Senior Citizen & Person with Disability: $9

Singapore Residents:
Adults: $16, Children (3-12 years old), student, Senior Citizen: $13

NUS Staff and Students: Free admission from Tuesdays to Sundays and Public Holidays

Address: National University of Singapore, 2 Conservatory Drive, Singapore 117377

For museum enthusiasts, hopefully this list expands your options, and for the others, did anything interest you?

Featured Image: nhb.gov.sg + singaporemusicalboxmuseum.com