A rich Victorian dilettante collected crazy stuff from all over the world, and rather than let it gather dust, he built a museum in South London. This repository of some 350,000 items has since blossomed into a wild educational ride, with something for everyone, particularly children. To wit: a cherished collection of 7,000 musical instruments (Boosey & Hawkes, once the U.K.’s largest instrument maker, donated its archive) and a huge range of items regarding anthropology (masks, puppets, folk art) and natural history (stuffed creatures galore).There’s even a modest aquarium, a cafe, and some gorgeous gardened grounds on a hill with a panorama of London 6 miles north.