Anyone been to the Spam Museum in Austin, MN? Is it worth driving from Minneaoplis for?

Also, any restaurant recommendations for Minneapolis or Duluth? Any local foods that we must try?

topping this cause I really want to see a reply! Spam museum. The mind reels, especially my little Foodie mind.
LMF

I loved Minneapolis the two or three times I visited. I froze my little butt there the last time and haven't returned. Great theatre town. Does Dayton family still underwrite I wonder. LMF

Never been, but I looked it up on Google. The official SPAM website is kinda funny, as is the SPAMMOBILE! I guess it's like the Oscar Meyer Hot Dog car (The WeinerMobile?)that travels around. I always have to laugh when I see it, lol.

http://www.spam.com/
(has a link to the SPAM Museum and also the SPAMMOBILE's schedule **giggle** )

I don't know about the Spam Museum, but we went to the "Spamarama" in Austin, TEXAS, a few years ago, and it sucked!

I was there 5 years ago. At that time it was a little storefront in a dying shopping center.Don't know if it's been upgraded. Worth the stop if you're passing by but really not worth a special trip. Wait until the Minnesota State Fair at the end of August, go to the Spam exhibit and get a free magnet

I love Spam! I must say, this has my curiousity peaked.

My interest was piqued too, but i hate spam, eww.

http://media.hormel.com/templates/kn...9&catitemid=16

On one of our out west trips, we half thought about stopping as a potty break but it was closed when we passed by. Darn!

I'm leaving the Spam thing well alone! Although I will say that, living here, one hears more about the Paul Bunyan statue (complete with Babe, the blue ox) and the giant ball of twine as kitsch attractions than the Spam museum.

So, restaurants in Minneapolis! In no particular order, we like the following: Chino Latino (cool south-of-the-border fusion), Fuji-Ya (Japanese), Rainbow Chinese (though I've heard Evergreen and Quang's, which is Vietnamese, are better), D'Amico Cucina (formal Italian), Restaurant Alma (CA/Euro fusion), and Buca di Beppo (a chain that started here, loud, casual southern Italian for large crowds eating together, as everything is served in big portions, family style; but two can manage, too).
Local foods tend to be Scandinavian and German in origin and pretty bland...
Have fun!

I looked on the website a few months back and there are some great gift ideas. Spam earring, Spam boxers, a Spam snowglobe, etc. It might be worth the trip just for the gift shop. I wonder, do they have a restaurant at the museum? The mind boggles.

beany

OK, here's what I know:

Spam Museum in Austin is a 2-hour drive from Minneapolis, and there is NOTHING else worth seeing there, or along the way. You'd have to be a real devotee of SPiced hAM (SPAM, get it?) to make that trip.

Hormel moved the museum from the storefront in the old Oak Park Mall to its very own new site (in a former K-mart, how apropos) near downtown. I admit I've never been, but they've put a huge PR effort into promoting it, and it seems to get a lot of tour bus traffic. I suspect it's a glorified rest stop for the tour groups.

Now, as far as local foods in Minnesota--unless you're at a place that specializes in local game (Schumachers in New Prague, a Mpls suburb comes to mind), there aren't a lot of specialities. There's lots of wild rice soups, but most of them are just gloopy, floury cream soups.

Recommended restaurants in Mpls: Goodfellows, Mpls Cafe, and Oceannaire on the high end.
Hamlin's Grill, Saks lunch counter, and Salsa a la Salsa on the lower end. All of these are in or around downtown Minneapolis.

Have a good trip!

GUESS WHAT STATE "IMPORTS" the most
SPAM?
AND it is eaten alot with sticky rice.

Hawaii!!

Loveitaly is right, I have been offered Spam sushi a couple of time on Oahu! Never been to the Spam Museum yet though. But I have been to the JELLO museum in upstate New York, and purchased several wonderful refrigerator magnets for friends...there was also a guest book filled with Jello anecdotes from times past, and special recipes. The place is staffed by two dedicated older ladies who were real experts on the subject!

(here's where I would insert a gif of a jello mold instead of a smiley)

I love these kinds of museums honoring basic trends of American life, even if they seem obsure!

Sognatrice2: The jello museum is only about a 45 minute ride from Buffalo. I think I'll have to take my son and check it out!!!

We were at the Spam Museum last summer. We got a big kick out of it. There are some interactive games you can play while there and the history is interesting. My kids hate spam because I fried so much of it when they were growing up so I bought each of them some "spam" towels in the gift shop. There is a restaurant across the street from the museum that sells spamburgers.

very akamai (smart clever) those who
said Hawaii.
What IS very tasty is Spam Musubi
which is a kind of sushi which I call
a seaweed wrapped over sticky rice
and spam sandwich. need to make one.

You don't have to travel that far to visit a Spam museum. Just open my internet mailbox!

Patrick, that was my first thought, I never thought there would be a Spam the "food" museum LOL

I have never tasted Spam. I have never even seen it in person.
What exactly is it, besides pink?
Why do people still eat it?

I think this might be one of those occassions when I am glad I don't eat meat

Scarlett
My husband was in school for 10 years when our children were small so we ate Spam because it was cheap and I imagine that is why people still eat it today. It tastes somewhat like processed ham.