Inside Baltimore’s Oddities and Curiosities Expo: Bones, Uranium, and a Haunted-Item Hunt
Inside Baltimore’s Oddities and Curiosities Expo: Bones, Uranium, and a Haunted-Item Hunt
Hello, spooky cats!
We traveled to Baltimore, Maryland, for our first visit to the Oddities and Curiosities Expo—a traveling convention filled with strange antiques, unusual artwork, taxidermy, bones, insects, witchy creations, and all the delightfully creepy objects a dark-tourism traveler could hope to find.
I also arrived with a mission.
I wanted to find a potentially haunted object that I could take home and test.
Because apparently our house does not contain enough clutter—or enough questionable paranormal experiments—already.
What Is the Oddities and Curiosities Expo?
The Oddities and Curiosities Expo is a traveling event featuring vendors who specialize in the strange, macabre, artistic, historic, and occasionally unsettling.
At the Baltimore event, we found booths filled with:
- Taxidermy and animal bones
- Preserved specimens
- Antique objects
- Insects and butterflies
- Witchcraft-inspired decorations
- Gothic jewelry
- Horror artwork
- Handmade dioramas
- Crochet creatures
- Halloween decorations
- Uranium glass and rocks
- Mystery bags filled with strange surprises
Some objects were cute. Others were beautiful. A few looked as though they might crawl across the room once the lights went out.
In other words, it was my kind of shopping trip.
Entering the Expo
When we entered the convention center, the first thing we saw was the official Oddities and Curiosities Expo merchandise.
Beyond that was a large floor filled with vendors.
I was not sure where to begin.
Although the Baltimore expo was larger than the paranormal convention we had attended in Gettysburg, it was not quite as enormous as I had imagined. We could probably have walked through it in one or two hours if we had simply looked at everything and kept moving.
That was never going to happen.
I stop for every tiny ghost painting, suspicious antique, creepy clown, and bag that might contain unidentified bones.
We were going to be there for a while.
Taxidermy Everywhere
One of the biggest categories at the expo was taxidermy.
There were mounted animals, preserved specimens, insects, jackalopes, skulls, bones, and creatures displayed in jars.
The expo also offered taxidermy classes. During our visit, one class appeared to be mounting a raccoon head.
I could not do it.
I understand why people appreciate taxidermy. It takes skill, and some of the finished pieces were beautifully created. I am also intrigued by the chance to examine animals and natural objects up close.
At the same time, I love animals too much.
I would spend the entire class feeling sad for the raccoon.
A butterfly or moth display would be a little easier for me. Those classes looked delicate and artistic rather than like I had personally betrayed a woodland creature.
Taxidermy is one of those things that simultaneously fascinates me and makes me uncomfortable.
That tension is also part of what makes oddities events interesting. They encourage visitors to look closely at subjects most people normally avoid, including mortality, decomposition, preservation, and the way we turn once-living things into art.
Beautiful, Strange, and Very Bright Booths
Not everything at the expo was dark and dusty.
Some booths were bright, neon, glittery, and almost aggressively colorful. One reminded me of the visual style inside a Spencer’s store—loud, shiny, and impossible to ignore.
Others had a softer gothic look, with velvet mushrooms, moons, little ghosts, witch bells, crystals, handmade jewelry, and Halloween-style wooden decorations.
There were also booths filled with art prints, dioramas, robot boxes, crochet creatures, skull magnets, and glowing decorations.
One artist had lovely little ghost paintings that immediately caught my attention.
Another booth displayed elaborate work involving bones, feathers, and natural materials. Some of those pieces looked like decorations you might find in a high-end Halloween collection—except these were handmade and incorporated real bones rather than molded plastic.
My house could easily be decorated entirely with things from this expo.
My bank account and available shelf space had other opinions.
The Search for a Haunted Object
My main goal was to find an object that might genuinely have a haunted history.
That is more difficult than it sounds.
Many objects at an oddities expo look haunted. An antique doll with cracked paint, a grinning clown, or an old wooden box can immediately trigger an emotional reaction.
But looking creepy does not mean an object has ever been associated with unexplained activity.
I found an antique clown that certainly looked suspicious.
I have a thing about clowns—not necessarily a good thing—and this one looked like it might roam through the house at night.
I considered buying it.
Then I realized that I did not have any reason to believe it was haunted. It simply looked creepy.
For the experiment I had in mind, I wanted three objects:
- One reportedly haunted item
- One object that looked as though it should be haunted
- One ordinary control object with no paranormal reputation
I could then test all three under similar conditions and compare the results.
The clown might have worked for the second category, but I decided to leave him behind.
He did not feel haunted.
He merely looked judgmental.
Antiques and Potentially Suspicious Objects
The antique booths seemed like the most promising places to search.
Objects that have passed through multiple homes and owners may have interesting histories, but that does not automatically make them paranormal.
It is tempting to assume an unknown history means a dark history. In reality, most antiques probably spent decades sitting quietly on shelves while people dusted around them.
Still, antique objects can make useful subjects for paranormal tests because they often produce strong emotional reactions. People bring expectations to them, especially when an item looks old, damaged, or unusual.
That makes it possible to test not only the object, but also the effect of suggestion.
Would investigators report more sensations around the creepy antique than around a normal object, even if neither produced measurable activity?
That is the kind of experiment I would like to try.
Unfortunately, I did not find an item with a convincing haunted claim attached to it during this visit.
The haunted-object search will have to continue.
Stuff in Jars
Several vendors offered preserved specimens in jars.
I referred to one area as the “wet stuff,” which may not have been the official booth name.
There were biological specimens, animal parts, and objects floating in liquid.
Wet specimens are common at oddities events, and they can be visually striking. They can also be unsettling if you are not prepared to see them.
This is not the type of convention where you should blindly reach into a container.
You never know whether you are about to touch a sticker, a tooth, or something that once had a name.
Jackalopes, Bones, and Human-Looking Furniture
Jackalopes appeared to be especially popular.
For anyone unfamiliar with them, the classic jackalope is presented as a rabbit with antlers. The creature comes from North American folklore, although many decorative versions are created by combining rabbit forms with antlers.
They were everywhere.
We also found skulls, loose bones, bugs, preserved wings, and furniture that looked as though it had been constructed from human remains.
I do not believe it actually was.
At least, I hope not.
Still, it fit the expo perfectly.
Taking a Break From the Dead Things
Eventually, my husband needed a break.
Fortunately, the expo had plenty of open seating for anyone who became tired, overwhelmed, or simply needed a few minutes away from the raccoon heads.
Food was also available inside the convention center, including pizza, hot dogs, barbecue, and a small bar.
My husband naturally located the drinks.
We eventually decided to leave the expo temporarily and have lunch nearby while considering our purchases.
This was a tactical decision.
Walking away from an object for an hour is a good way to discover whether you actually want it—or whether convention excitement briefly convinced you that your home needed a glowing skull lamp and twelve framed beetles.
Lunch at Pratt Street Ale House
We walked to Pratt Street Ale House, which was only a short distance from the convention center.
After leaving the front of the building, we turned left and found the restaurant across the street.
It was a convenient place to stop if you are attending an event nearby and want something more substantial than convention food.
The building had an interesting old elevator, which I found more exciting than the restaurant sign.
I ordered a barbecue smash burger. My husband ordered an enormous triple-decker sandwich.
We had already eaten crab dip before I remembered to film it.
As usual, we ordered too much food.
This is one of our most consistent travel traditions.
We look at a menu, temporarily forget the physical limitations of the human stomach, and order as though we have not eaten in several months.
Lunch was good, but extremely filling.
Afterward, we returned to the expo for one final look—and several final purchases.
What I Bought at the Oddities Expo
I tried to be reasonable.
Our house is already cluttered, so I wanted to choose objects that were useful, small, or interesting enough to justify the space they would occupy.
That is how I ended up leaving with:
- A fluffy rabbit made with real rabbit fur
- An official Oddities and Curiosities Expo shirt
- A uranium necklace
- A bag of uranium rocks
- A second necklace
- A large $100 mystery bag
- Enough bones and trinkets to begin several questionable craft projects
This was apparently my definition of restraint.
The Rabbit
One of our first purchases was a small fluffy rabbit made with real rabbit fur.
It was adorable.
It also made me sad.
This was the emotional contradiction I experienced throughout the expo. I could appreciate the craftsmanship and beauty of an object while still thinking about the animal it came from.
I do not remember the name of the vendor, although I hoped I had filmed the booth so I could identify it later.
The rabbit came home with us.
He is very cute and probably judging me for my complicated feelings.
The Uranium Necklace
I purchased a uranium necklace from Fairy Bone Feathers.
The material glowed brightly under ultraviolet light, giving the necklace an eerie radioactive appearance.
Naturally, I wanted to test it with my Geiger counter.
The vendor presented it as wearable, but I still planned to check the readings before casually placing radioactive jewelry against my body for extended periods.
“Probably safe” is not my preferred scientific measurement.
The Uranium Rocks
Another vendor, Oddly Fascinating, sold bags of uranium-bearing rocks.
A bag cost approximately $10, and I spent a surprising amount of time deciding whether I needed radioactive rocks.
The responsible question was:
What would I actually do with them?
Would I use them in an experiment or art project? Or would they join the hundreds of other craft supplies waiting patiently for me to become a different person with unlimited time?
Eventually, curiosity won.
I selected some of the rocks that glowed most brightly under ultraviolet light and brought them home for Geiger counter testing.
This purchase at least had an investigative purpose.
That is what I told myself.
The Official Expo Shirt
I initially decided not to buy an official event shirt.
Then I changed my mind.
Because this was our first Oddities and Curiosities Expo, I bought a shirt featuring a demon design.
My plan is to purchase a shirt from the first event and then avoid buying one at every future expo.
This is an excellent plan that will probably collapse the moment another shirt has a particularly cute skeleton on it.
The $100 Mystery Bag
My largest purchase came from Fairy Bone Feathers.
The booth offered mystery bags in several sizes. I bought the largest one for $100.
The bag was heavily stapled shut, preventing anyone from peeking inside.
That was probably wise.
Mystery bags are dangerous because they combine shopping with gambling. You do not know what you are buying, but the possibility of discovering something amazing encourages you to take the chance.
The bag was also surprisingly heavy.
That should have warned me that I was about to become the owner of several bones.
Opening the Mystery Bag
The first item was a fabric bag decorated with a tree-of-life design.
Inside were smaller bags filled with trinkets, charms, tools, and decorations.
There were bags inside bags inside more bags.
The mystery bag was apparently designed by a nesting doll with gothic interests.
Some of the smaller items included:
- A miniature Ouija board
- A skeleton safety pin
- A yes-or-no decision coin
- Charms shaped like a turtle, tooth, and skeleton key
- Stones and crystals
- A vial of fairy dust
- A bell
- A decorative silver spoon with a crystal
- A witch’s broom
- Pens and pins
- Stickers featuring moths and moons
- A small moon-themed notebook
The miniature Ouija board may have been smaller than the tiny one I already owned.
Apparently, I am now collecting Ouija boards for increasingly tiny ghosts.
A Death’s-Head Moth Cloth
Another item was a fabric cloth decorated with a death’s-head moth.
It reminded me of wrapping cloths used in Japan, where fabric can be used to protect or carry gifts and personal items.
I already used a Japanese cloth to wrap jewelry while traveling, so this one would serve the same purpose—except with a much creepier design.
Finally, my travel accessories would properly match my personality.
The Bones Begin
Then I found the first large bone.
I suspected it might have come from a deer, although the bag did not include clear identification for every piece.
More bones followed.
There appeared to be a rib, a shoulder-like piece, a section with what looked like an eye socket or jaw, and several other large fragments.
Some were cracked or incomplete.
That may have been why they were included in the mystery bag. A vendor creating finished art may not be able to use damaged pieces, but they could still work perfectly well for one of my projects.
I began considering whether I could assemble the bones into some type of bizarre fictional creature.
Frankenstein’s deer will rise.
The Mystery Skull
Near the bottom of the bag, I found a partial animal skull.
It had teeth, although one came loose while I was examining it.
I attempted to replace the tooth, briefly becoming an unlicensed skeletal dentist.
I was not certain what animal the skull came from. It appeared too large to be a domestic cat and may have belonged to a fox or another similarly sized animal.
I would need someone with more expertise to identify it properly.
I was pleased with the skull, even though it was incomplete. Similar pieces at the expo could be expensive, so it helped make the $100 mystery bag feel worthwhile.
An Unexpected Living Passenger
One of the bones contained a small bug.
We immediately took the bone outside and released the insect.
Perhaps it had been living inside the bone.
Perhaps it simply climbed into the bag at some point.
Either way, it was the only creature from the expo that definitely proved it was active.
Hopefully, it went on to have a happy life somewhere far away from my cats.
Tarot Cards and Bone Casting
The mystery bag also contained a deck called The Illuminated Tarot.
It appeared to contain 53 cards and could be used for divination or gameplay. The structure resembled a traditional playing-card deck more closely than a full tarot deck with the usual Major Arcana.
This meant I could potentially use it for readings or ordinary card games.
Nothing unsettles your opponents quite like playing Go Fish with divination cards.
There was also a guide to bone casting.
Bone casting is a divination practice involving the interpretation of bones and other small objects after they are cast onto a surface.
I had not previously explored it.
Fortunately, the mystery bag had also provided enough bones to begin an entire skeletal education program.
A Dragon Coloring Book
One of the last major items was a coloring book called Mythotopia: A Dragons and Doodles Coloring Book.
That was a particularly useful surprise because I review coloring books.
It gave me something I could feature in another video and on my website.
A good mystery bag should contain at least one item that does not require me to explain why there is a skull in the living room.
Was the Mystery Bag Worth $100?
I think so.
The skull alone may have carried a significant portion of the value. The tarot deck, coloring book, crystals, charms, fabric, bones, and other trinkets added up quickly.
Not every item was something I would have purchased individually, but that is part of the mystery-bag experience.
It also gave me supplies for future crafts, paranormal experiments, and videos.
The biggest challenge will be deciding what to make from the bones.
And convincing my husband that creating a fictional skeleton creature is a perfectly normal summer project.
Did I Find a Haunted Item?
No.
At least, I did not find anything with a documented haunted history that felt suitable for my planned experiment.
The creepy clown remained at the expo.
The bones, uranium, jewelry, and mystery objects may look strange, but appearance alone does not make something haunted.
That distinction matters.
An object can create an emotional reaction without producing any measurable anomaly. If we expect an item to be haunted, we may interpret normal sounds, sensations, or equipment fluctuations differently.
A useful test would require consistent procedures, environmental controls, repeated sessions, and comparison objects.
Buying the first unsettling clown I saw and declaring it paranormal would not accomplish much.
It would only give the cats something new to knock over at three in the morning.
Is the Oddities and Curiosities Expo Worth Visiting?
Absolutely—especially if you enjoy creepy art, antiques, bones, gothic décor, insects, unusual jewelry, witchy objects, or strange handmade creations.
The event offered enough variety that most dark-tourism and horror fans could find something interesting.
You do not need to buy taxidermy or preserved specimens to enjoy the expo. There were plenty of prints, jewelry, books, clothing, decorations, sculptures, and handmade objects for visitors who prefer their art slightly less deceased.
There was also adequate seating, food inside the venue, and restaurants within walking distance.
The event became more crowded later in the day, particularly near the entrance. Arriving early gave us time to look around before the busiest period.
Tips for Visiting an Oddities Expo
Set a budget before entering. The individual objects may seem affordable, but purchases add up quickly.
Take one complete walk around the floor before buying larger items. You may find something you prefer at a later booth.
Bring a sturdy tote bag, especially if you plan to purchase fragile artwork, glass, bones, or preserved specimens.
Ask vendors where their animal materials came from and how they were sourced when that is important to you.
Do not assume an antique is haunted simply because it looks creepy. Ask about its history and whether the claim comes from documented experiences or clever marketing.
Finally, leave room in your house before attending.
Otherwise, you may return home carrying uranium rocks and an unidentified skull while wondering where everything went wrong.
Final Thoughts on the Baltimore Oddities and Curiosities Expo
Our first Oddities and Curiosities Expo was strange, fascinating, occasionally uncomfortable, and a lot of fun.
We saw taxidermy classes, glowing uranium, real bones, preserved specimens, strange antiques, ghost paintings, gothic art, jackalopes, mystery bags, and more dead things than I could count.
I did not find the haunted item I was searching for, but I left with plenty of objects that could inspire future experiments and artwork.
The $100 mystery bag was especially entertaining. It gave me bones, crystals, tarot cards, charms, a miniature Ouija board, a coloring book, and a skull in need of dental work.
That is difficult to beat.
The expo travels to multiple cities, so keep an eye out for one near you. If you enjoy creepy objects, unusual art, dark history, Halloween décor, or simply looking at things that make you ask, “Why would someone own this?” it is worth visiting.
Just set a budget first.
And perhaps avoid making eye contact with the antique clowns.
Stay spooky, cats!