For the second instalment in the unexpected travel series, we’ll shift perspectives from viewpoints with the perfect shot to the unexpected variety of cultural oases.

Scouring through my recent travels, this list will look at five off-the-beaten-track museums or cultural monuments that will leave even the most hardened haters lost for words…

The Musical Instrument Museum, Phoenix

Phoenix is something of a cultural behemoth. A stunning metropolis amidst the Sonoran Desert, the city is home to several world-class museums (some of which will appear in later editions), but perhaps none more surprising than the Musical Instrument Museum.

Located in the city’s northernmost reaches, the museum is equal parts innovative and immersive, setting you loose across its two floors to be wholly enraptured in sounds and melodies from around the world. With more than 12,000 instruments on display, it’s impossible not to find a new instrument or style that’ll take your fancy.

Sforzeco Castle, Milan

While fashion and its famous Duomo take the lion’s share of fame, Milan is also home to a striking castle that deserves no less acclaim.

Built by Filarete, decorated by Da Vinci, and now home to no less than nine museums, few castles in the world can match the prowess or cultural charm of Sforzeco Castle. It’s not difficult to imagine losing yourself in the magnificence of its location as you marvel at Michelangelo’s unfinished masterpiece or discover a world of ancient art between the ramparts.

The Norwegian Petroleum Museum, Stavanger

Thanks to the discovery of rich oil fields in the North Sea, Stavanger was once the oil capital of the world. In commemorating these achievements, the city opened the Norwegian Petroleum Museum in 1999.

Diving deep into the oil and energy industries, this quirky museum mimicking a flashy rigging platform features numerous immersive displays. The most imaginative of which puts the visitors squarely into the uncomfortable life of an oil rigger, having them come face to face with the potential dangers that arise daily.

Museum of the Romanian Peasant, Bucharest

When it comes to Romania, everyone knows about the myths of Dracula and the terrifying reign of Vlad the Impaler, but what about the lives of everyday folk?

Deep in the heart of the nation’s capital, Bucharest, lies the Museum of the Romanian Peasant. Dedicated to the everyday, its collection hosts a slew of fascinating items that depict the country’s traditional way of life, as well as including a full-scale reconstruction of a traditional village house and wooden church.

Tumacacori National Monument, Southern Arizona

Due south of Tucson lies what was once frontier country, an area inhabited by only the most foolhardy of pioneers. Today, this landscape is still peppered with monuments that symbolise some of the extremes of human perseverance.

Tumacacori National Monument is one such sight and lays bare the struggles of early settlers in the region. A former Jesuit turned Franciscan Mission, its crumbling bell tower echoes a fraught history filled with skirmishes between pioneers and the natives.