National Museum of Funeral History

“Every day above ground is a good one,” is the motto for Houston’s National Museum of Funeral History, which adopts a somewhat—ahem—deadpan approach to one ofman’s oldest customs. Here, visitors will discover everything from the mysterious traditions surrounding the burial of a Pope, to a recreation of Abraham Lincoln’s state funeral. But the real must-see here is arguably the enormous 1916 Packard graveyard bus, created to “eliminate funeral processions.” It could carry a coffin, pallbearers and 20 mourners, but was hastily retired after the sheer weight in the back caused it to tip over on a San Francisco hill, sending bodies (both living and dead) bouncing down the street.