A friend and I were in Austin Monday for a concert, and we decided to do some exploring along 6th Street to kill time until the show. During our wandering, we passed the Museum of the Weird - a place that had been on my to-do list for a while.

With nothing better to do and a little over an hour to burn, we decided to duck in and escape the heat.

It was so worth it.

When you first walk in, you get to meet Audrey II, the giant man-eating plant from Little Shop of Horrors. That's only the start of the fun.

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If you can spare 12 bucks, you can enter the exhibit area, where you'll see a series of antique sideshow props and specimens, as well as some cool props from classic horror films.

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I didn't want to post too many pictures and spoil the tour, but keep an eye out for some cool props from Gremlins and Critters!

The guided part of the tour takes you past a courtyard where you can knock on Johnny Depp's backdoor. Well, sort of. Our guide, John, explained that the actor stayed in the apartment above the museum while filming What's Eating Gilbert Grape. You're free to knock on the door free of charge. 😉

The real treat is deep inside the museum, where you're treated to a unique exhibit that I won't spoil here. All I can say is that it definitely earns the "weird" moniker and is a fun and fascinating piece of American sideshow history. Once you've seen it, you're treated to a short live show that's literally shocking.

The Museum of the Weird is located at 412 E 6th St in Austin. You've probably passed it a few times and thought about going inside. My advice: go for it! If you visit with the right attitude, you're going to have a great time.

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