The Stoogeum: Unusual Place near Philadelphia

Things to do in Philadelphia at an Unusual Place near Philadelphia

INTRODUCTION

A visit to the Stoogeum was an unexpected treat. Please join me.

We have lived in the Society Hill area of Philadelphia for many years and many times passed by the Larry Fine mural. Larry was born at this location in 1902. The mural depicts him playing the violin which he did play. Larry was one of those cultural icons The Three Stooges from 1928 until 1970. I might add that Philadelphia is home to many outstanding murals. You can check this out at Mural Arts Philadelphia https://www.muralarts.org/

Recently, I heard of a museum dedicated to those cultural icons known as The Three Stooges I saw that it was not far from my home and decided to check this out. Could be very interesting to see a whole museum dedicated to those cultural icons.

Steve at the Stoogeum

The museum is called The Stoogeum (the name appears to be a combination of Stooges and Museum). Google Maps has it at 37 miles by auto from my home in Center City Philadelphia. The museum is at this time only open by appointment. You have to fill out a visitor request form at stoogeum.com/visit. Also, you call them and leave a message at 267-468-0810. They said they may expand their visiting hours in the near future.

Its physical address is:
904 Sheble La.
Ambler, PA 19002

Short History of The Three Stooges

For all you youngsters, who are not familiar, The Three Stooges were a vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970. They were known for slapstick comedy that was physical. They made 190 movie shorts for Columbia Pictures. Two of the Stooges were Moe Howard and Larry Fine. They were accompanied by a third Stooge. They were in order: Shemp Howard, Curley Howard, Shemp Howard (a second time), Joe Besser and “Curly Joe” DeRita.

My Visit

My appointment was from 10:00 am until 12:00 pm. The building was not that easy to find. I arrived promptly for my appointment. The Stoogeum is a 3-story, 10,000-square-foot building that is located in an office park. The Stoogeum has been operated by Gary Lassin, grand-nephew-in-law of Larry Fine. since 2004.

You have three floors of Stooges memorabilia, including posters, drawings, sculptures, cartoons, caricatures, photos, costumes, and personal items from the Stooges. There is an 85-seat theatre playing many of the Stooges hit films. Also, there is a gift shop selling items that a Stooge fan would be happy to take home.

I did not know what to expect before my visit. however, I was quite impressed. The museum is very well run with well-organized exhibits and clear labeling of every item The Stoogeum is very clean.

The Stoogeum

After my visit

I finished up my visit by 12 noon. There are several nice spots for lunch in the area. I choose Spring House Tavern, 1032 N. Bethlehem Pike, Ambler, PA 19002. I had a nice Cheeseburger and a Blue Moon brew. The sign outside says the tavern was established in 1719. I guess the food must be good if the tavern is over 200 years old.

If you are looking for other choices, you can go to Open Table’s website. If you are seeking overnight accommodations, you can go to Trip.com as I do and save, save, and save.

An Argentinian cousin??

For all my readers in Argentina and those planning to visit. There is a Three Stooges Museum in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is called El Chifladoseo. since The Three Stooges are called Los Tres Chiflados in Spanish. My Peruvian-born wife tells me that Chiflados translates to wackos, crackpots, or nuts in English. El Chifladoseo is a take-off on the Philadelphia area Stoogeum where you combine Chiflados with the Spanish word for museum ( museo ).

I do not know much beyond that. I guess if you are a hard-core stooge fan, it should be quite worthwhile.

The address is:
El Chifladoseo
Avenida Segurola 1152
1st floor
Office 2
Adrogue
Province of Buenos Aires 1846
Argentina

Email: info@chifladoseo.com

Website: www.chifladoseo.com.ar

Thanks for reading,
Steve Abel