Fodor's Expert Review Museu Carmen Miranda

This tribute to the Brazilian bombshell Carmen Miranda is in a circular building that resembles a concrete spaceship (its door even opens upward rather than out). On display are some of the elaborate costumes and incredibly high platform shoes worn by the actress, who was viewed as a national icon by some and as a traitor to true Brazilian culture by others. Hollywood photos of Miranda, who was only 46 when she died of a heart attack in 1955, show her in her trademark turban and jewelry. Also here are her records and movie posters and such memorabilia as the silver hand mirror she was clutching when she died. Guided tours are given by appointment, but the guides do not speak English.