One of the things I like best about running this silly blog is that frequently, rather than seeking out the weirdness, the weirdness comes to me.

Lisa Hix, a writer for Collectors Weekly, sent me this over the weekend:

Morbid Anatomy—a blog, library, curiosity gallery, and lecture series dedicated to the places where death and beauty intersect—often revels in the macabre, albeit in a thoughtful, intellectual way. Thanks to its swelling popularity, Morbid Anatomy is expanding into a three-story, 4,200-square-foot museum in Brooklyn this spring.

Learning to Love Death: New Museum Takes a Walk on the Shadow Side

I talked to founder Joanna Ebenstein about her strange fascinations with Santa Muetre, the holy saint of death; medical specimens; depictions of deformity and disease; superstition and paranormal research—and eccentric Victorian taxidermist Walter Potter. She explained why she thinks pondering mortality is good for all of us.

And then half a dozen of my friends sent me the same story, one with the suggestion that we all organize a field trip to New York for a visit.

So, yes; awesome blog Morbid Anatomy, which has maintained a small physical presence with limited hours for a while now, is expanding into a full-scale museum in Brooklyn. In addition to a café and gift shop, the space will include a lecture hall where “rogue scholars” can give talks on everything from ancient Egyptian funerary customs to jackalope taxidermy.

They’ve got a Kickstarter campaign to help build out the space, and some of the rewards look fantastic (one of them is the Halloweentown gates set piece from Nightmare Before Christmas).

The whole thing sounds very cool; if you’ve got a visit to New York planned, this would definitely be worth adding to your itinerary.

(Incidentally, be sure to check out some of the other articles that Hix has written; there’s some cool stuff about dark rides and creepy clowns and mourning jewelry.)