The SPAM Museum Is Delightfully All Over the Place

The first thing I need to tell you about the SPAM Museum is that there is a bacon fueled motorcycle inside. It has “Black Label Bacon” on the tank and looks like someone followed a perfectly reasonable thought much farther than expected.

I stopped at the museum in Austin, Minnesota, to see what a place devoted to SPAM could possibly fill its rooms with. The answer includes company history, military history, Hawaii, Hello Kitty, Monty Python, a knight, and several flavors I had never asked anyone to make.

It Starts With the Meat Business

One wall asks visitors not to eat the exhibits, which feels like a rule somebody made necessary.

The museum then takes you into a recreation of the Geo. A. Hormel & Company Provision Market. There is an old counter, scales, tools, packaging, and hanging meats. Displays nearby trace the company’s early years under George A. Hormel and the next generation under his son Jay.

From there, the story moves into World War II. A camp scene with a canvas tent and supply barrels introduces SPAM’s role in feeding troops. Signs point toward “SPAMville,” a nickname tied to an American fighter base. You can see how a product from Minnesota ended up traveling around the world.

Then It Heads to Hawaii

The Hawaii exhibit brings in a surfboard, flowers, tropical colors, and plenty of blue-and-yellow cans. After World War II, SPAM became part of local food culture, finding its way into dishes such as fried rice, saimin, and SPAM musubi.

At the entrance, Hello Kitty has her own SPAM display, with collectible cans and a SPAM musubi plush. I had already accepted the bacon motorcycle, so I took this in stride.

In True Minnesota Fashion, Vikings are Involved.

Monty Python’s Café recreates the setting of the comedy sketch that sent the word “spam” into an entirely different part of popular culture. It has a Viking, café tables, rows of cans, and Spamalot references.

Elsewhere, a knight poses in front of a wall covered with SPAM sandwiches and speech bubbles shouting “CAN!” The museum gives you enough history to understand why SPAM is everywhere, then places a knight in your path in case you were getting too serious about it.

The Holiday Cans

I also found Pumpkin Spice SPAM on display beside the 2022 Figgy Pudding edition. Hormel released Pumpkin Spice SPAM in 2019 with cinnamon, clove, allspice, and nutmeg. It sold out within hours.

You probably will not find a can to try now, but there is still a way to give SPAM a holiday assignment. The Original Baked SPAM Classic recipe calls for scoring the loaf, adding whole cloves, and baking it with a brown-sugar glaze.

I went in wondering how much there was to say about canned meat. By the time I reached Pumpkin Spice SPAM, the museum had also shown me a provision market, a military camp, Hawaiian food culture, Hello Kitty, and a Viking. I never did work out how the bacon motorcycle fit into the itinerary, but I’m glad someone made room for it.

Is the SPAM Museum Worth Visiting?

Yes, especially if you enjoy roadside attractions that mix local history with something slightly unusual.

The museum packs company history, military stories, international food culture, vintage displays, interactive exhibits, and Monty Python humor into one stop. It also sits in downtown Austin, which makes it easy to add to a southern Minnesota route.

Admission remains free. The museum currently opens Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 101 3rd Avenue NE in Austin. Check the official SPAM Museum website before leaving, since hours and weather closures can change.

More Stops Along the Road

The SPAM Museum is one of many stops I’ve made while traveling. Some were on my route from the start; others caught my attention along the way. My travel articles have more roadside finds, local food, and places I’m glad I stopped to see.