The SPAM museum has a new home...and unfortunately it's not as nice as the previous location. It seemed smaller and just a little underwhelming, though still a fun place for a little road trip visit. I guess it's nice that it's downtown now, though I'm not sure I saw much of anything else near by to explore - just a second hand/antique store. Maybe more traffic will bring some life to DT Austin? My only real complaint - last time we visited we had TONS of Samples. This time...just one. Boo!! Oh! But in the store you can buy a bunch of different kinds of SPAM that aren't always available in stores (or in the US at all!) This time we picked up some "Portugese Sausage" flavor. read more

This place was the highlight of my trip to Minnesota! This is sad to say because I came for a family reunion! Lol but honestly, I freakin love spam! I came with my family, to include my 4 yr old son. He was the first person to run off and explore! My grandparents took him over to the play ground which kept him busy for a good 30-45 min. After that he raced my mom in the spam production game and really enjoyed checking out the different countries! He had lots of fun! Some great things about this place: - kids play area - lots of fun facts & history - interactive games and videos throughout - great photo ops! - lots of spam recipe ideas - spam samples - spam gift shop - and most importantly, it's FREE! The only negative thing I can say about this place... I didn't want it to end! I wanted more! It should be bigger!! Lol read more

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Stopped in for a quick visit as a lark and a way to stretch our legs while heading cross country. The town of Austin is very cute, with a nice town center. The museum itself has loads of free parking, excellent bathrooms, and a top-notch gift shop. Who could have thought, though, that history of the Hormel family and their contributions to canned food would be so interesting?! Spent 40 minutes here and could have stayed longer had the road not been calling. read more

Great presenter. Lots to see. Really great store to purchase items!! Lots of hidden knowledge. Found out about this reading a book. Glad I visited!! read more

I heard about the SPAM museum on an NPR program and have always wanted to visit, just for the kitsch factor - and boy does it deliver! Of course there are SPAM puns everywhere you look, and there are silly games, musical instruments of SPAM cans, moving cans of SPAM overhead, Monte Python videos, a worlds fair assortment of pavilions where hungry nations devour gourmet SPAM dishes. It is open, spacious, colorful and memorable. This is a place that you will never forget visiting, and in case you are afraid that you might; the gift shop has a plethora of items to purchase - my favorite was the SPAM branded lip balm. I spent more at this gift shop than any other place on my vacation. This place has something for everybody! SPAM - SPAM - SPAM - SPAM.... read more

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It's a beautiful building and exhibits, well worth taking time to visit. Lots of fun and tons of information and hands on exhibits. Spent almost two hours visiting, best part you can take the family as it's FREE read more

Overheard people talking about the Spam Museum at lunch on our cross-country trip. Looked it up and made a slight detour to Austin, MN. This is a great place for all ages. Hand-on activities -- with lots of hand sanitizer -- a super conveyor belt of Spam varieties weaving all throughout the museum. Great history of Spam cross-culturally and through the decades. Also a good history of the Hormel company and its innovations. Only 5 years old (replacing an older one from down the street. Great upbeat staff -- they even wished us a Spamtastic day as we left! Large, indoor, kid's play area closed during COVID. read more

A very clever and interactive museum along our path. My sister was kind of freaking out, being a vegetarian, but I made her do it anyway. The staff was so, so nice and welcoming. Like they are just so happy that you stopped here. It's cool and air conditioned inside. The facility and bathroom are very clean. We sat through a short little movie and walked quickly through the museum which led us to the gift shop. I brought some specialty spam items home to friends. A fun stop on an otherwise uneventful drive. read more

SPAM Museum - One of us was happy to be here - Museums Near Me - Austin, Minnesota

My wife and I lived in Minnesota for about four years and traveled extensively all over the state and one of the places we knew we had to visit was the Spam Museum in Austin. It's a small, intimate Museum, that takes about an hour to an hour and a half to tour and includes the history of spam and Hormel, and features cooking demonstrations, recipes and famous chefs showing how to cook their favorite spam recipes. As Minnesotans would say, " it's a real hoot". read more

I thought my husband was crazy when he suggested we stop by on our way through the area... so glad we did! We had no idea about the history of Spam and it was so much fun! Now we tell friends they should stop by if they get a chance! read more

How could you be passing through Austin and NOT stop here? Well, maybe because your Garmin sent you first to the wrong address (apparently it used to be someplace else), but after re-booting and seeing that a second address was in there,you drive through the cool old downtown and there it is! We were lucky- there was no line when we showed up early afternoon, but one had formed later. The employees were as welcoming and friendly as all midwesterners seem to be, and the museum was fun, free, and small enough to enjoy without getting burnt out. (Always a danger when you loathe a product as much as I loathe Spam). I did make a tactical error by informing the Anaconda we could exit through the gift shop. Never assume anything. It had a separate entrance on the side and quite a line had formed, squelching my desire to buy souvenirs just because I think Spam is funny. It did look like pretty enticing though. Next time. Who's kidding who? No need for a next time. read more

If you're within 20 minutes of this place you may as well make a detour and stop. It's very much a corporate museum (read: very positive about their brand, it's history, and impact on the world), but that's to be expected. The exhibits are a little light, but I was kind of glad to just make a quick trip around and get the highlights. A nice gift shop, of course (I got Spam earrings) and they give out samples if you've never had Spam (for the record I still never have, but that didn't stop me from liking this place). read more

SPAM Museum - Museums Near Me - Austin, Minnesota

We needed a rest stop while driving cross-country from VA to WA and happened accidentally upon this FREE museum! Definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Austin, Minnesota is where SPAM originated from. Inside the museum there are several exhibits explaining the global history of spam. Afterwards, check out their gift shop for some merch and also spam that might be hard to find in other stores. The people at the SPAM museum were super friendly and engaging. You also get a free tiny spam sticker as part of your trip! This is a small town, so there was ample free street parking. I would say that this whole trip can last less than an hour, and is definitely worth a stop on your road trip!! read more

Fun and informative and great merch. You can even buy SPAM there. Worth the time spent.

We saw the sign on the way up to Minneapolis. Decided we'd visit on the way back. Almost decided to skip it because we were tired and wanted to get home. It was 40 minutes out of our original travel path. However, I expressed that I still like to go so we did. It seemed like it'd be an interesting place to visit. Wow. The people who work here are some of the friendliest and welcoming individuals that I have ever come across. Imagine that. Making patrons feel like they want to be here. The gentleman who greeted us was very informative. The ladies who work in the gift shop were so nice and talkative. The museum is free. Best part on top of that..samples! There are lot of interactive displays. I enjoyed the section where you get to time how fast it takes you can some Spam. You can learn how many Spam cans tall you are. I was standing reading a display. One of the gentleman walked by and pushed the displays button. It played a solider ranting about having to eat so much Spam. It was actually amusing. So...about the samples. One of the samples was chorizo Spam. Ooooh man. I love chorizo. How did it taste to a chorizo fan? Great! Better than some Mexican restaurants serve. I had to buy some in the gift shop. I also got a container of mezclita which is popular style in Puerto Rico. I have not tasted it yet but I can only imagine it's good. I surprised at how entertaining the Spam museum was. I could not give the place less than a 5. The friendly workers alone make it deserving of that rating. read more

This is a hidden gem in Austin, MN and a must-see if ever you're passing by Austin. Admission is free. People working there are really helpful and attentive. The museum, although small, is really nice. There's a play area for kids for when they're done with all the SPAM thingy they see and do. The clean toilets are also a plus. Don't forget to stop by their gift shop. Plenty of street parking. read more

SPAM Museum - Museums Near Me - Austin, Minnesota

What a fun place! And it's free! Great for kids and adults. In a beautiful location surrounded by shops.

Kewl This is a treasure jem hidden in Minnesota Almost impossible not to sing the Monty Python Spam song ( yea, they have it there too ) but the history - different products and well . . . Spam ! read more

The place is small and once you have done everything though it gets boring but if you go through slow enough and read it will provide and hour or so fun with friends and family. read more

I, personally, am a sucker for kitch and cheese (literally and figuratively). The Spam Museum just happens to capture both with their giant deconstructed Spam sandwich (with cheese) flying across the ceiling of the main room. But wait, let me start at the beginning. When you drive up to the Spam Museum, you're going to be questioning if you are in the right place. This is a pretty normal small town, and it doesn't look like much. But the street parking is plentiful, and the museum is inauspicious. Go in. You'll be greeted by at least two employees. You will not be asked for any money. What is this, you say? That's right, folks! The Spam Museum is free! So start your tour, wandering around the perimeter to tour Spam around the world. The advertising was great, and I loved seeing the themed country displays in each city. There is a bit of the museum where you dip into the patriotic F YEAH MURKIA!!!! history of Spam with a WWII section, but you can head through that pretty fast if war isn't your thing. All of the displays were well-designed to be both interactive and informative. I enjoyed reading the walls as much as my kinesthetic sweetie enjoyed pulling and pushing and playing and poking at the "please touch!" displays. The "test your speed" section is too fun! You'll get a chance to see if you can assemble cans of Spam faster than the assembly lines around the US that are also assembling Spam. (Spoiler: you can't. They're wizards.) But it offers some entertainment AND the chance to try on some fetching headgear. Next, make sure to see how tall you are in cans of Spam. I am 19 and a half cans tall. At the end of that loop around the museum, the large room has a rotating selection of Spam memorabilia and fan creations. What I saw on my visit probably won't be the same as your visit because they are constantly changing and curating these displays. There are some items that were on the website that I wish were out when I visited because I wanted a chance to see them up-close, but I got to peek at a great Spam can guitar! Very neat! The store is your final stop, and they stock some great Spam merch. I enjoyed shopping for a few friends celebrating summer birthdays, and I scored some great postcards, too. If you need Spam onesie, it turns out that this is your spot. Since the museum is free, you can also skip the Spam Experience™ and just stop in to the gift shop for a few random items, too. Would I recommend you get off the highway? YES! This place is great! Bring your kids! Do some weird things! Embrace the kitchy side of American food! Get yourself there! Accessibility notes: Doors open out. Can get loud at peak hours. No Braille signage or tour info. Interactive exhibits all over. There is space for mobility devices to turn and tour the museum. read more

Okay, I confess, I eat SPAM on occasion. Once a year; Wonder Bread, fried SPAM, mayo, mustard, pickles. Don't you dare judge me! The museum is everything you could hope for; fun, informative, compelling, easy to find, ample parking, nice people... and it is dedicated to food. The gift shop is a HOOT! Left with six different SPAM flavors. read more

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I was not really expecting much from this museum but I was delightfully surprised. The history of this company is fascinating and their philanthropy inspiring. Makes me want to incorporate Spam into my diet on a weekly basis. Looks like their move to the downtown area has been a big boost to the many businesses and restaurants surrounding the museum also. read more

SPAM Museum - Museums Near Me - Austin, Minnesota

I love the spam museum, my Granddaughter goes at least once a month, just to play in the kitchen. And she still loves to look around at everything. Thank you Dawn read more

We were greeted by a very friendly employee when we entered the Museum. He was very kind and gave us great information. It's really nice you can take a self guided tour and look at everything at your own pace. The gift shop was full of wonderful SPAM items at reasonable prices. We will definately be back. read more

SPAM Museum - Huge SPAM can - Museums Near Me - Austin, Minnesota

Awesomeness! This place offers quite a tour through the history of Spam and it's super intriguing! It's great to see how it all began and what it's grown into today. They even have a nice gift shop to get all of your Spam souvenirs. Highly recommend. Just wish there were more restaurants offering spam on their menus in that area. read more

Love spam and I love this museum! They have lots of great swag too!! You can buy every flavor of spam! The history or Hormel is great and just loved the layout. read more

My kids and I love to visit the Spam Museum! Very friendly staff and the environment is kept clean. We enjoy each visit!

On a mini-roadtrip with my guy through southeast Minnesota, and it was his idea to stop by Austin and visit the Spam Museum. I'll admit, I was skeptical...I mean, really? The SPAM Museum? Yoooooooookay, boyfriend. By the way, it's free. Well...okay. I suppose I can look at Spam for free. However, I must retract all of my misgivings, as the museum was really great, and I had a fun time! There are lots of cool interactive exhibits, the space is very clean, and although the tour is self-guided, there are helpful employees (volunteers, perhaps) to offer little tidbits about each exhibit. Unfortunately, as other reviewers have noted, there are no samples. I've had Spam in some dishes, but it's the regular Spam, and it would've been really neat to try some of the other flavors! In fact, as we were getting the intro spiel, the lady noted that a new flavor had just been released that morning - teriyaki! I would've loved to get a forkful of that on the tour! We did pick a can up in the museum store though. Speaking of the store, definitely stop in -- they have Spam everything! I bought some postcards, a foam pig named Spammy, and a Spam bike water bottle. Heh. Definitely recommended if you are in the area! For FREE DOLLARS, you could do a lot worse. ;) read more

This is a totally free museum that acts like a museum you pay some big bucks for. My sister-in-law and I brought along three seventh-grade girls and a fourth-grade boy and we basically didn't see them the whole time. This is a pretty big, interactive museum, state of the art. Kids can don science lab coats and see how fast they can package spam. You can look at the bottom of the can of Spam and learn how and when that can was created. There are computer screens with quizzes so you can learn random facts about Spam. You can gaze at a life life-size sculpture of the guy who created the company and look at old pictures and historical documents. You can hoist up cases of Spam see how strong you are. Kids can go in a large play kitchen area and cook up plastic food for the family. Kids can go climbing in a McDonald's Playland Type structure. We had to ask for them, but a Spam Ambassador will cook you a sample of Spam, a little cube on a pretzel stick. I don't want to say "delicious" but it was warm. There is also a gift store where you can buy Spam, every flavor available. The ladies that work there are local and can tell you anything you want to know about the museum, the products, the area. If you want an easy, cheap, fun way to break up the drive from the Twin Cities to Forrestville State Park like we did, don't even think twice about heading to the Spam Museum. read more

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The new museum is SPAMTASTIC! I was in hog heaven and am definitely going to be bacon reservations to visit again. I'm not sure I could even pig a favorite exhibit. Located in downtown Austin, I was worried I wouldn't be able to find a place to pork my car, but it wasn't a problem. Recommend...? Yes I CAN! (Sorry for being such a ham. I know this review is pretty offal). read more

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So much fun if your into our towns history definitely go there if you want spam museum merchandise this is the place

What a great idea to create this musuem, this attraction placed smack in the middle of Minnesota, right along I-90, just where you need it the most. I was driving home from a wedding in remote Southwestern Minnesota and we decided to take a break from the long, grueling drive to check this place out. I was really happy we did. Now, this isn't really a museum. It's a "Museum" in the same sense the "World of Coca Cola" is a "Museum." It's basically a big tribute to the Hormel Food Corporation's licensed trademark, SPAM (all rights reserved). At a real museum, you learn about things. At this place, you learn about Spam. You learn about how delicious it is. You learn about how people the world over have enjoyed it for many, many years. You learn about how you can purchase it just about anywhere! In fact, conveniently enough, you can purchase cans of Spam right there, on site! Yesiree bob. Spam. I give this four stars because that day I needed the Spam Museum. I had been driving for hours and hours through the flat, featureless prairie of Southern Minnesota, and I needed a break. At that point, I needed to learn about Spam. And, that day, I did. read more

When I heard there was a Spam Muesum, I just had to come, even if it took 100 miles to get there from Minnesota. Boy did it stink outside! I think the stench is from a packaging plant across the street. Entrance is on Spam Avenue (hehe, yes, quite ammused). Anywho, the free entrance did not off set the gas cost it took to get there, but hey, 4 starts, riiight? Admission is free, always a good thing. Despite the smell outside, it was actually extremely clean inside. The guide that greeted us was very friendly. She was only there for the entrance, the rest was self walk through. The museum was very cartoon like, and mostly described a history of spam. There was this cool thing where we could time ourselves in the spam assembly line. I really messed up when putting the spam label on, haha. The gift shop was very expensive. It was $3 for one specialty can of spam, such as bacon flavored. In Hawaii, a can of spam costs $1.79 on sale. There were a lot of cool stuff too, like bandaids, spam spread, mini spam mugs, spam shaped stress ball... read more

Very cool spot every flavor of spam... Go when it's not busy! Cute interactive things to do.. And I love that it is free admission.... A lot of things are not free these days.. If you're in the area or passing by make sure to stop by and check it out... But some spam! read more

SPAM Museum - Playing one of their little games they have see how fast you can assemble... I had 51 seconds! - Museums Near Me - Austin, Minnesota

I brought a group of 16 seniors from the twin Cities here. It was a great tour and our tour guide was fantastic. So fun and so much to learn and a free samples! I highly suggested. read more

4.5 stars! So, we came here as a joke but to our surprise, we had a wonderful time. I was pretty impressed by this cute little museum and I don't even like Spam. The museum is somewhat tiny but has as much info as you could learn about the Spam history. The place is new and clean, and the people are super friendly. There are lots of hands-on equipments which are pretty fun. They also provide some different flavor Spams for you to sample such as the garlic flavor Spam and the bacon flavor Spam. If you happened to be in the area, you won't regret stopping by this little precious museum. You only need to spend around an hour here and the admission is FREE. Visit at least once! read more

Silly. Just silly. Disclaimer-I'm a vegetarian, so I'm already biased. My sister and i went a few months back on a road trip after seeing signs along the highway and decided it was a well deserved and quirky stop to make. When you try to make a disneyland like attraction about an iconic processed food, you get the Spam Museum. We sat through a video of people who loved Spam and the opening of it's door to the museum and we were the only ones. I was dying. You walk around and read how it started and why it was created and it all makes sense. I can't imagine school bus loads of kids being carted here for a field trip. There's a gift shop with everything Spam. I don't know, if you have some time to kill and you love quirky, DO IT! read more

This was pretty great, exceeded my expectations. The graphic design of the entire place is super on point. Very fun to look at and lots of information for you to take in. Also it's wonderful that it's free. The gift shop was cool, however I was a little disappointed that they didn't have much merchandise that said "Spam Museum", but rather just Spam. I feel like I could have bought all that online if I'd really wanted to (which I do not). I think someone mentioned free samples (Spamples!) and those were nowhere to be found when we were there. Would have been cool to try the different weird kinds of spam! Still pretty neat, a great place to stop and kill a few minutes along I-90. read more

What a fun outing! Upon returning from a trip to IA, my friends and me decided to get our SPAM on. Yes, we went off the beaten track of 35, and drove to the small town of Austin, MN. This place is a.w.e.s.o.m.e. From the SPAM movie theater, to the interactive walk-through exhibit, to the incredibly friendly tour guides, it's a special place to visit outside the Twin Cities. read more

It's impressive! I didn't know what to expect, but the museum is really well done! As a vegetarian who has never tried SPAM before, I had a great time! They have a great trivia section, a neat display of all the different types of SPAM, and some interesting history. The best part is the gift shop, however. They have anything you can imagine with a SPAM logo - I got a neat pair of earrings! The only mildly disturbing thing is that you can hear the pigs nearby. read more