Weird Wonders And Peculiar Oddities Abound At This Curious Tourist Spot In Austin, Texas

The motto of Austin, Texas, is "keep Austin weird," which celebrates the unusual, independent, and funky spirit of the city. Austin is a great place to visit if you love Hollywood movie magic, but don't want to deal with Los Angeles. It's full of unusual art and eclectic world cuisine in East Austin, and it has some fantastic boutiques in the very walkable Second Street District as well. However, one of the hidden gems that celebrates the city's motto in a really fun way is the Museum of the Weird. 

Located on 6th Street in the downtown area, the museum is inside the Lucky Lizard Curios & Gifts shop, owned by Steve and Veronica Busti. The store itself is full of unusual and fun gifts that celebrate Austin, but the museum takes it further, with wax figures of movie monsters, preserved body parts, shrunken heads, and a Fiji mermaid (often written as "FeeJee"), a hoax creature like the one once displayed by notorious huxster P.T. Barnum, that is supposed to be a combo of a primate and a fish. In fact, the museum itself says on its official website that this place is a "dime museum," similar to those that Barnum made famous in the 19th century. 

It's the perfect pit stop during your Austin visit, which can take around 30 minutes to see (longer if you like to linger over the weird and wonderful experience). If you were a fan of the TV series "Oddities" (2010-2014), which showcased a shop that sold items in the same realm, you have to check out this museum. 

The Museum of the Weird is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and there is a fee to enter (under $15 and less for kids). Do note that there are stairs here, so it's not completely accessible. One reviewer on TripAdvisor said of the spot, "Great visit! $38 for 3 adults, kids 2 and under free. We all enjoyed the experience, my 2 year old was into the exhibits. The wax museum was fun and has a photo opportunity with King Kong."

In addition to what was already mentioned, you'll get to see items like a statue of Audrey the venus fly trap from "Little Shop of Horrors," a jackalope, wax figures of horror icons like Nosferatu, creepy dolls, and the mysterious "Creature in Ice," which toured the country in the 1960s and '70s. There is an animatronic from "Gremlins 2," and something else very fun for lovers of the weird and wonderful: The museum also has the only surviving "prototype" of the original photograph "Frances and the Fairy Ring," from the Cottingley Fairies hoax of the early 20th century. The hoax came from two young girls in Cottingley, England (who admitted their deception in the 1980s), which even got the attention of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes books. 

When you've finished your visit at the Museum of the Weird, you can head over to the nearby Casino El Camino, a supposedly haunted bar and restaurant that has a dungeonesque feel. It's even got gargoyles.