I said I would be on a quest to find weird things to see while I travelled and you can definitely say that Austin has its share of weird stuff.
Austin – keep it weird! You can even buy a t-shirt with the saying if you want.
Unfortunately I missed the House of Garbage, but I did find time to visit the Museum of Weird.
Not an easy one to find on the 6th Street in between the jumble of shops, restaurants and bars. Walked right past it the first time.
Once you enter it looks just like a gift shop, but don’t be fooled, the museum entry is at the back of the shop.
It is centrally located in the 6th Street entertainment district in the heart of downtown Austin at 412 East 6th Street. It is open from 10 AM to midnight.
The museum is centered around the story of a Minnesota Iceman and the Iceman was also the beginning of the museum of weird.
The museum is like the old travelling circuses that used to visit cities around the US with its weird and wonderful crew only this time in situ. It states that it is the only remaining dime museum in existence in the US.
Among other things you can read about big foot and see casts of his footprints, see the man-fish, the two-headed chicken, a cyclops pig, the mermaid woman and read about ghost stories from the local area.
One of the stories is about the tribe that used to shrink the heads of the people they killed to show their strength. There is even a full recipe on how to go about making one! I tell you my stomach did not take kindly to the instructions.
In the farthest room in the back of the museum you can also view the original Iceman frozen in time. No photos allowed in this part of the museum, so you have to visit to see it with your own two eyes….
Only $12 for entry for a bit of a chuckle and history of weird. You may even get your fortune told! I thought it was worth it.
Anna's travels to far and near 