Bright idea

On our recent vacation, Mrs. Inquisitive Mind and I paid a visit to the leading tourist attraction in Middleton, Wis. I probably don't have to tell you that it's the National Mustard Museum.

I'm sure the hits on my travel website will start piling up now that I have a listing for it. This tribute to mustard is done with a great deal of humor, from the wonderfully silly postcards to "Mustardpiece Theater" in the basement.

The brochure is even funny, and it has an interesting concept. The Museum says it is on "the National Register of Hysterical Places." I took the time to do a quick Internet search for such a register, because anything's possible on line.

Sadly, there is no such list. But don't you think there should be?

The problem is that one person's hysterical is another person's curious. Is Disneyland or Disney World hysterical? Joyful, I guess, but maybe not hysterical.

I can think of three places that might qualify for some, but not for others. There's the House on the Rock, a very odd collection of items in Wisconsin. Then there's the New Jersey equivalent, Northlandz. And finally there's Carhenge in Nebraska.

Then there's the Jell-O museum, which is certainly fun but maybe not hystrical. There are plenty of other places I haven't visited, such as the Barbed Wire Museum.

It's a big task, but your nominations are welcome.