SPAM® Museum

🌟🥫 If you're looking for a unique and quirky experience, the Spam Museum is a must-visit! From the moment you walk in, you're greeted with vibrant displays and fascinating exhibits that tell the story of this iconic canned meat. The interactive exhibits are not only informative but also entertaining, making it a fun experience for visitors of all ages. One of the highlights was learning about the history of Spam and its impact on culture, especially during wartime. The memorabilia and vintage advertisements added a nostalgic touch that truly brought the history to life. Plus, the sampling station was a delicious surprise—who knew Spam could be so versatile? The staff were friendly and knowledgeable, eager to share fun facts and answer any questions. The museum is well-organized and easy to navigate, making it a perfect spot for a quick visit or a longer stay. Whether you're a fan of Spam or just curious about this unique part of food history, the Spam Museum is definitely worth the trip. Don't miss out on this one-of-a-kind experience! 🥫🌟

It’s a cool and immersive experience! The museum offers many interactive ways to explore the history of Spam, with lots of engaging stories throughout. The gift shop is adorable—you might easily find yourself tempted to buy more souvenirs than you planned! Sometimes, the staff even brings out samples of Spam for visitors to try. The entire place is tidy, well-organized, and best of all—it's free! I highly recommend visiting, especially with family or friends. Just keep in mind that it's a bit of a drive if you're coming from the Twin Cities area. Overall, I really enjoyed this place!

If you're in the town of Austin or just a Spam aficionado, a visit to this museum is worth the trip. Right from the moment that we walked in we were greeted with friendly smiles and set up immediately on a tour. Are tour guide Erika, was very knowledgeable regarding the origin of Hormel family and their contributions to the brand Spam and the community of Austin. I also learned a lot regarding the Hormel brand and all the other sub-brands that they've acquired. I learned that the Hormel brand contributes significantly to scholarships for youth of the community. They also have a connection and a partnership with the University of Minnesota with regards to research in the science. Unfortunately there are no actual factory tours. All the exhibits are museum style. Yeah there are plenty of hands-on exhibits that contribute to increasing the attention span of those younger visitors. During the tour of the museum we were offered several times different Spam samples. There is a very large souvenir shop selling all sorts of spam themed items. In addition, the museum offers free bike rentals for visitors to explore the town of Austin. Wonderful experience. Highlighted by a wonderful spam representatives such as Erika.

DELIGHTFUL! What a fun stop - very glad we visited. It's FREE, it's very well curated, the staff is fantastic, and the SPAM samples so much fun. Highly highly recommend a visit! SAMPLES - there was an employee walking around with SPAM samples using pretzel sticks as toothpicks (edible toothpicks!). Different flavor every time the tray came by - so much fun! STAFF - friendly, delightful, ready to help without hovering MUSEUM - so well created with a fun "food stand" area that highlighted different countries for each "booth", a giant can display, the rotating cans, a Lilo & Stitch area, and much more STORE - so many fun SPAM items it took us longer to shop than to see the museum lol. So many fun items I don't know where to begin so just check it out for yourself We were staying in Albert Lea about 20-25 minutes away and decided to go check out the SPAM Museum, unsure what to expect - it was so much fun to learn about SPAM with a very thoughtfully put together museum, well designed and visually very pretty with multiple levels and carefully considered placement of objects, plus a "model train-like" conveyor belt of SPAM cans moving throughout the museum! We then went across the street after our museum visit to get SPAM fries at Piggy Blues to keep the SPAM fun going, and brought cans back to Albert Lea to share with friends. Go visit - it's fun!

I've been meaning to go here for a long time. I know SPAM was introduced to many soldiers in WWII, and has taken off in Hawaii and Japan and many other places. It has a wonderful history, as does the Geo. Hormel company. It was a nice self guided tour. You can spend as little time as you want, or more time to watch videos and read the placards. The SPAM samples were really a nice touch. I haven't eaten SPAM in quite a while so I entered into the spirit of the tour and tasted three samples. I wish they world have offered more! I was pleasantly surprised- it was tasty. We went to the gift shop and purchased SPAM varieties and more. Then we went out for a bite, and I ordered breakfast with SPAM at a local restaurant. Oh, no admission charge, so you spend a little in the gift shop!

Free. Fun. Exceeded expectations. Found myself unexpectedly in Austin, Minnesota and decided to hit up the SPAM Museum for the first time. Detailed history on the origins of SPAM and Hormel as a company. Quirky exhibits on the various countries of the world where SPAM is popular. Friendly staff. Nice gift shop too! Would definitely swing by again if ever in the area.

Loved this museum! Very welcoming staff. Bright and colorful inside. Great displays about the timeliness and history of SPAM. Samples included! I especially enjoyed the wartime displays and how important SPAM was during that era. SPAM in different countries was fun to read about. And make sure you find out what kind of SPAM you are. Plus, the museum is free!

Made a quick stopover during our road trip. We did not even know that this museum existed and got super excited when we saw a signboard about the museum on the highway. So glad we stopped. The museum had a crowd but since our dog was with us, we only strolled along the outside and walked around their friendly retail/souvenir store which is located next to the museum. While we were standing outside, one of the staff named Jim even came out to take photos for us. Wish we had the opportunity to visit the museum. It was smelling heavenly and divine for spam fans like us. 😆 ❤️ We will definitely be back!!!

Exactly what you want in a SPAM museum. There on a Saturday, busy but manageable and plenty of parking. Plus SPAM samples.

It has been years since we stopped at the SPAM museum. So long in fact that they built a whole new museum a few block from their old place. We stopped on the busy July 4th weekend and the place was hopping. The layout is a bit jumbled but I guess that is OK since we are talking about SPAM after all. There are many interesting displays including some on the history of Hormel, SPAM and WWII, the international appeal of SPAM and of course Monty Python's legendary SPAM skit. And if you want to buy SPAM branded wares the gift store is stuffed with items. Overall it is worth a detour for this FREE tourist attraction.

This is a fun place to stop in. Admission is free, but watch yourself in the gift shop. It has a LOT of cool offerings, and you can easily spend a lot of $ (I did). A lot of info and great displays keep it interesting for about an hour or so. The display about SPAM in World War II is both impressive and informative. Nice, free parking lot for the visitors as well.

This is a stop worth making. I came to the old SPAM museum a decade ago and this one is even better. It's free, great for kids, interactive, and informative. There is no gift shop on this earth that goes as hard. Need a niche gift? You'll find it there.

A nice hands on display with a lot of really nice exhibits. There wasn't a specific start so I felt like was walked around seeing great exhibits but it didn't really follow a timeline or clear pattern. I would really like to see more of a "story" about SPAM. The staff were great and very friendly. We never saw the samples but we must have just missed them. Great products in the gift shop. We purchased shirts and cans of SPAM. An adorable little town as well.

Such a fun stop! Only spent about 20 minutes inside and did a quick walk around! Free admission and such a nice little gift shop! If you are debating on stopping just do it, good place to stretch your legs and learn a few things!

GO GO GO It's so fun and there is so much to see for free! We really loved watching all of the SPAM commercials from around the world - the ones from the Philippines and Japan were hilarious, and the Korean commercial just made me hungry! Some things to know: PARKING & ACCESS - There is street parking all around the museum. I did not see a garage or larger lot, but I may have just missed it! There are also bike racks by the main entrance. You can enter through the gift shop on Main Street or through the main doors on the corner of Main and 3rd. You won't miss the pig statues and the big yellow SPAM MUSEUM sign! CHECKING IN - When you first walk in, stop at the main desk . Entry is free, but they'll ask you to provide some basic information. The folks who work the desk were super friendly and fun to chat with! WHAT TO SEE - All of it! It's not a large building, but there is a lot to do and see without feeling crowded! There was a children's play area toward the back of the museum and an interactive spam-packing game somewhere toward the right. I think we spent about an hour in the museum, which included watching every single Spam commercial (worth it) GIFT SHOP - The gift shop is well marked and is pretty much straight back behind the check-in desk. It is very small for how many things there are and could be difficult to navigate for larger visitors or visitors who use wheelchairs. Spam merch includes everything from fly swatters to magnets to hats to clothes to golf gear. If they could put a SPAM logo on it, they did! They also sell every flavor of SPAM. Tip: Most of the same merch is available at spam.com for the same price+shipping! SENSORY NOTE - The front desk has a note that noise cancelling headphones, sunglasses, and fidget toys are available for anyone who needs them! As someone with light and sound sensitivities, I didn't have any trouble here on a Saturday morning in early November - it wasn't super busy or super loud, and there aren't a lot of things that are moving or lighting up! The place is large and spacious enough that avoiding large, loud groups is likely possible.

Pros: Cool place, friendly staff, super interesting, free Cons: Probably not great if you're vegas? Details: We drove down from the cities, and even with construction, it didn't take too long. The museum is in downtown Austin. We found free parking right to the east of it. I wasn't 100% sure what to expect, and the museum exceeded my expectations. It has some really great SPAM history along with other products. I don't want to give too much away, but a lot of really cool displays. Also, they kept giving us samples for free while we were there. We went mid week so I can't say how busy a weekend would be but it wasn't busy at all when we were there. We also got to do a lot of shopping for gifts after and the gift shop has some really neat stuff.

7/10/23 Traveling on my long road trip with my friend and her 2 kids, we came across this neat museum thanks to roadtrippers. The cost is free but donate something! The museum is very well kept and organized. It is an interactive exhibition. Next door is a very intricate selection of spam branded items. There were samples given of various flavored spam. It was a very informative museum experience and I learned a lot about the history of spam. Spam was a staple in supplying the military during WW2. I'd highly recommend this museum to anyone and everyone. Learn about your country's history through the food industry. Spam is so unique and versatile from so many various countries influence.

Super cool museum! Lots of fun new information and even someone walking around with samples!! Definitely want to go again. The staff were amazing and so friendly!

Had an enjoyable Saturday first time visit to the Museum of Spam. Spacious, interesting and informative free museum. All the workers were nice and helpful. Great gift shop with all things Spam. Lots of hands on displays for kids. Glad we made the drive over. Well done!

A must see and do for SPAM lovers located in Austin, Minnesota filled with informative interactive displays featuring the history, production and worldwide connections to SPAM. Free entrance with easy parking right behind the museum and walking distances to Austin cafes and restaurants who feature SPAM along with their menu offerings. There are samples of various flavors attached to a pretzel stick ( great idea!) served by an employee periodically and yes, you can take two! ...actually I had four: turkey, maple, hickory and smoked! The SPAM gift shop has something for everyone of all ages and offer a Veterans discount!

I love this place!! If you ever wanted to know the history of spam then you will find it here. They also have all the selections of spam to purchase in the gift shop. My favorite is Tocino and my daughter's favorite is maple! They have both! Also the spam slicer is a great item to have. There is a great area for children to play in when you bring them. There is a small playground area that has a slide and a kids kitchen for them to play at. The staff is very friendly as well. I always have a great time here and can't wait to come back.

Lots to do! Friendly staff, lots to learn, recommend this free museum. Samples were a good touch!

Interactive, compact, and free museum. I grew up eating spam and it brings fond memories. This location is only an hour and a half from dt Minneapolis and well worth a trip out to the country for something fun and family friendly. There's exhibits on the different markets that Hormel sells Spam in and showcases the close ties the company has to feeding America during WW2. I went on a Monday, it wasn't particularly busy and the nice lady, Joan, at the front desk even asked if I had a preference on flavors they were gonna fry up for samples. She sold me on the Tocino and I even bought a few cans to take home. Parking is free in the back and there's plenty of other things to do in dt Austin.

Spamples!!!!! The museum is a great place to learn about the history of Hormel and Spam. All ages can find something that is appealing.

I was in Minneapolis for a quick weekend trip from the West Coast and tried to find time to kill early in the morning when I arrived. Austin, MN is about 1.5 hour by car from Minneapolis but it was a super easy drive. I got to the museum right when it opened and was greeted by a lovely woman working at the entrance. The museum is free and it's not huge but it's not tiny either. The section that shows how each country enjoys and markets SPAM is really interesting. There is an gift shop right next door where you can buy some interesting SPAM merch, like a cycling jersey. Overall a great museum to visit if you're in Austin, MN.

Great place. Admission is reasonable (free) and the gift shop will beckon. The case of Spam in 12 different flavors is a take-home must. Spam history is pretty cool and the only thing missing are some of the exhibits from the old (larger) museum.... Well worth the trip

I'm not sure I would have added a visit to the SPAM museum on our recent trip out west, but my traveling companion wanted to stop so we did. I was pleasantly surprised -- especially since my memories of Spam dinners when I was a child were not particularly pleasant. The museum is well designed and the displays are informative and interesting even though they are primarily marketing devices. I learned a lot about the history of the corporation and the history of the product. I was struck by the worldwide love of SPAM, especially in Asian markets. The free sample I was offered was the first time I've tasted spam in over 25 years. The museum achieved its goal -- I think I'm going to give spam another chance in my cuisine. I'll let you know if it's better than I remember from growing up in the 50s and 60s!

I really enjoyed the Spam Museum - 5 stars! I've never been a fan of eating Spam but a friend invited me to visit the museum. I decided to go because Spam is an iconic brand of Hormel Foods in Minnesota that has spread in popularity across the globe. Not to mention the fact that it's the subject of one of my favorite vintage Monty Python comedy skits! The museum is beautiful and very, very well designed - it's incredible! The employees are all great too. I particularly liked the historical areas, the global regional displays, the recipes, and last but not least, the giant gift shop. Added bonus: It's the 85th anniversary of Spam and they had a big event in the parking lot behind the museum. FYI, admittance to the museum is FREE. I had no idea they had a company Controller that embezzled tons of money from Hormel Foods Corporation in the 1920s - very interesting. We also noticed that the countries where Spam is popular are the exact same geographic areas where the American military and U.S. soldiers spent lots of time during WWII - interesting - it totally makes sense. There are 9 flavors of Spam?! I purchased a flat with 6 of them from the gift shop. I got every flavor except the 3 common ones you see at the grocery store all the time - original, lite, and low sodium. I haven't tried all the flavors yet but I already know that I like the Bacon, Jalapeno, and Tocino varieties. They've had other flavors in the past too. My friend told me they had a Pepper flavor and a Spreadable variety...good stuff but now discontinued. They also made a limited edition Pumpkin Spice flavor. Can you imagine a waffle with maple syrup and pumpkin spam? Apparently, it sold out in just a few days. Highly recommended - thumb up! -Maxx

The new location is A LOT smaller and way less things to do. It was a huge disappointment because I brought some out of towners to check this place out and wasted almost 2 hours of driving there!Expect to spend less than 30 minutes to check out the entire museum. Maybe if you walked and read slow enough you can push it to an hour max. The gift shop has some pretty cute things to check out. This is a really small town so nothing much to do or see. They do have the Hormel home you can tour but make sure to call first. When I went they were closed for an event but when I was in the museum no one mentioned to me they were closed. There were also no signs posted at the museum.

There is no admission. I took the guided tour and it was very informative . Learned the history of Spam and some interesting facts. I had some free samples of different Spam flavors. The gift shop had a lot of different shirts to choose from and many souvenir items to choose from.

Amazing little museum in Austin, MN. Bright, cheerful, kid friendly, samples. A cute little area to let children run around and play. Located in a very quaint town.

My family was completing our little trip around the Midwest and decided to stop here on the way towards Des Moines because my son and I love to eat Spam. I had low expectations because this sounded like another roadside attraction based out of someone's store front or home, but this ended up being so much more than I thought. First the little downtown part of Austin was real cute and finding the place was real easy. Lots of signage to get you there, and sign sticks out along the road to let you know you are there. Plenty of free parking on the streets behind or near the museum. Believe it or not, this place actually had a lot of people visiting and make sure you get your free Spam stickers at the check in desk. Also, lots log things to take photos of inside and outside the building. The museum covers everything from the history of how Spam caught on to how this mystery meat is utilized in different countries. This museum is very interactive, and it has lots for kids to do and play with. My son loved the Spam packing activity and I had to drag him away to allow others to play with the activity. Lots to look at here. The gift shop was amazing and their shirt selection was great. I could not narrow down which shirt I liked the most because there were so many choices. There were other awesome things to buy here. The staff is also very nice here, and there is even someone walking around handing out Spam samples every so often. This place is very clean, including the bathrooms. I also like that this place is cognizant of kids with special needs. They are sensory friendly, have a safe space, and other things to make sure everyone enjoys visiting. That right there is worth a lot to me. So next time you go down highway 90, take the time to visit this museum whether you like Spam or not. You might actually enjoy yourself.

Visiting the Mall of America a short drive away, my wife found this museum on a few "things you have to try" lists for the region. I didn't have a whole ton of faith in this, as I've been to my share of wacky local museums, and they're usually boring at best, and super creepy at worst. The Spam Museum, however, is neither of those things. It is a wonderfully appropriated, very entertaining short history lesson about the delicious, classic meat product, and the history behind its creation. I definitely think it helps to have at least a passing interest in regional American history to really "get" this place, but any history buff would be hard pressed to NOT be entertained by the informative exhibits, fun displays, interactive trivia, and (my favorite part) the "world market", which tells how Spam is culturally significant in many places around the world. I had a really wonderful hour here, and I would highly recommend a visit to anyone visiting the area! The gift shop has not only tons of different Spam flavors, but plenty of fun, quirky Spam merchandise, including t-shirts, mugs, magnets and other souvenirs. Excellent way to spend a day if you're all malled out!

My wife and I were zipping along on I90 when we saw the Spam Museum pop up on the map and had to stop to investigate further. Full disclosure it has been years since I last ate any Spam but I have many fond memories of eating it while growing up. The museum is located in downtown Austin, Mn with plenty of free street and lot parking nearby. Admission is free and we spent maybe an hour total there including gift shop time. Most interesting to me were the varieties of Spam from around the world. There is also a fun setup to see how fast you can pack a can of Spam and attach a label. I lost both times to the Mrs. There is a nice play area for kids and lots of history and fun facts for adults. The gift shop has tons of Spam stuff. We got some Spam spatulas, postcards, pencils and of course a case of Spam containing two of each of six flavors. While there we enjoyed some free Spamples of jalapeño and bacon flavor. Bacon Spam is the better BTW.

5 stars for literally being our fav "roadside attraction" while in our month long roadtrip around the US! I'm a tourist, so I'm going to get some things wrong, but on our way to our next destination, my fiancé pointed this place out and we HAD to go. (I'm Filipino, he's Vietnamese, and we live in Las Vegas! This was a must haha). Ample amount of areas to park around the museum and it was the easiest to walk in at the front desk. You sign in, pay, and they give you a little Spam sticker to show you've done so. Then it's a self guided tour around the whole place! It's not huge, but it's not small. There were lots of interesting historical areas, which blew my mind because I had not known that it was in this area that it was made! They have a "shack" area that shows the dominant areas in which Spam was sold. There are a lot of cool things to see, read, and do! Lots of interactive areas, photo ops, and areas to get some recipes! Unfortunately there's no cafe for those wanting to eat because going around will make you a bit hungry for some spam but we did get some samples from an employee going around and got some awesome merch from the gift shop! The employees at the gift shop were AWESOME and they made our experience even more fun, sharing stories, and talking with us. Overall a great stop to see! Our friends and family asked us more about this place then our other destinations Hahha!

Really fun little museum. Kids play area, free samples, interesting history, and the entire thing is free. The gift shop is cool as well, a fun little family trip

We have been excited to come here once we knew we were headed to MN. We did a day trip to Austin, MN. Spam Museum did not disappoint. It has a history of how Spam gots its name. Hawaii is the biggest consumer of spam. It's worth the trip, and the store has lots of t-shirts and other Spam items to purchase

You've looked up places for spam musubi...but did you know there is a Spam Museum? And it's free admission? Growing up in Hawaii Spam has been an intricate part of the locals' everyday lives. Spam musubi, saimin, Spam fried rice, spam and eggs.... at one point in time around the 2nd world war, Spam fed the world. So excited to check off a bucket list item for me, great covid protocols, they check your temp at the door, grab your information in case they need to contact you, request you to go to the restroom to wash your hands, and provide a sanitized stylus so you can still be interactive. Bummed to see some Spam selections out of stock but can't blame them with aluminum shortage and pandemic hoarding. Not gonna lie, I bought a handful of Spams last March (2020) when everyone thought we needed to stay home for lock down and store food like we're having a crazy snow storm.... So happy to check off a bucket list item. Love love Spam! Oh and gift shop is a must stop! So many fun souvenirs!!!

Ashanté's favorite food on the run. Slice it dice it fry it or steamed she loves spam!! Can't get away. We have exotics here the rare blends like turkey rice and nori from the master Asian SPAM chefs of Okinawa... their tofu packs a protein punch and holds form like it's agar agar and super glue!! Try the blends from Australia and Ireland the labels aren't blank by accident!!!

As a Spam connoisseur this pilgrimage was a must on our out west trip, the museum is small and you could probably get though it all in 1 hour, the employees will be walking around the museum with spam samples (spamples) which are warm and grilled with a pretzel stick jabbed into it which were delicious! The gift shop was stocked full of spam related products and I highly recommend this museum for spam lovers!

Free admission but you'll pay for it in spam . The museum was great! Kids loved walking around and all the interactive stuff. Just enough history and cool facts to keep their attention. Their gift shop was one of the best examples of "smart" merch. Stuff you would actually want. Containers, tools, stationary, all with SPAM all over it. Shirts weren't lame either. Prices were a little high but this stuff was cool. We come here every few years to get the spam we can't get elsewhere.

Great museum to share with family and friends of all ages. FREE admission but a great service is selling a SPAM/ MAUI t-shirt for $20.00 and all monies go to Maui relief . Thanks Hormel for your generous donations. Fun time at the different stations. But still miss the game show about SPAM trivia.

Nice museum, not expensive, friendly staff and interesting history of Spam. If your in the area or pasting through I would suggest stoping

I worked for Hormel and lived in Austin, Minnesota 2005-2007. I would always take my visiting family and friends here - it's actually pretty fun. There are tons of exhibits - some pretty fun interactive ones too! Lots of fun merch to buy and you learn about American history as it tied into SPAM! :)

Excellent visuals, free samples, and a wealth of information are to be found here. Admission is free but we spent at least $200 in the gift shop!

We went there a while back while visiting family in MN. Very cool museum even if you're not particularly fond of SPAM.

We went here today with our kids (12&13 girls), the museum was even interesting enough to get their engagement. The staff was really friendly, the museum was nice and clean & really cool The kids really enjoyed it, we learned some interesting stuff about spam. It was probably even cooler before COVID, since some of the things we couldn't do however, there wasn't much we couldn't do. It was still a great experience for the kids. We came to Austin specifically for the spam museum, and it was worth the trip!

So I needed an excuse to come out to "middle of nowhere Minnesota" so I could visit the SPAM Museum, and luckily an old friend lives in nearby Rochester. I don't care what you say, SPAM is delicious. Admit it!!! COVID notes: Yes, they are open. You'll go through a gauntlet of precautionary measures (temp check, interrogation, hand washing, SPAM grease delousing, the usual) There are lots of arrows, reminders, and notices placed throughout the museum. They'll give you a stylus pen to operate the otherwise finger-activated touch screens. Unfortunately they aren't giving out samples and the SPAM factory (for the kids) isn't in operation. Definitely visit the Hormel Home as a complementary tour to this museum. You'll get lots of interesting history about SPAM and Hormel products! Museum is free, so you can show your support with a gift shop purchase. They have things you didn't even know you needed! Thank you so much to the sweet lady (I'm sorry I didn't get your name!!) that was working Nov 6th that hooked me up with a small bag of goodies! Very nice of you and it made my day and provided the perfect sustenance for the drive back to Chicago.

This museum is actually a lot of fun. It's really colorful and they have a sense of humor about Spam. There's even a separate exhibit for "Spam-a-lot"!

Must visit if you live or visiting Minnesota, free 90 min public parking right behind museum. Free admission and free spamples while touring the many exhibits. Gift shop has it all !

It was the month of June years ago when I picked up and moved to Rochester, MN to start a new career in a different country. I was figuring out what attractions were around me and read about SPAM Fest. It was held in Austin, roughly 40 minutes away by car. I was a cool person back then. I drove without a GPS. I literally looked at my atlas, armed with an address written on a piece of paper, and headed over to the former location of where the SPAM Museum was. Admission was free. There were SPAM samples to enjoy. I thought that I was in a different universe. I had SPAM stir fry and loved it. I came back later and did the museum tour, ending up with a Spammy (he's the mascot) stress reliever. It helped a ton at work. It was time to revisit the museum. I recently drove down from Eden Prairie. I used my GPS app. It took me directly to the Spam Museum. Wait a minute. I don't recognize this area. Or museum. Hey, it's different! I'm in downtown Austin. I've never been before! I parked in a parking lot behind the blue and yellow-coloured building. It said it was reserved for SPAM fans. Yep, I'm one of them. The side of the museum has a welcome sign. It's perfect for that elusive selfie. The entrance has the same pig farmer statue with pigs that I remember from the old museum. I walked in and was immediately welcomed by Dave. Admission continues to be free. He asked me whether I had been here before. I told him that I visited the old museum years ago. Dave smiled. Without even knowing, I got two points for honesty. I asked whether there was still SPAM Fest. Again, another two imaginary points were awarded to me. Dave advised that it's no longer there. However, there are events year-round and it's also a part of the Minnesota State Fair. Cool! I then met Sarah, who had samples of various SPAM flavours on small pretzel sticks. I was signing the guest book on a tablet and looked for Canada. She was elated that I was from a different country. Yep, the imaginary points were piling up. Both she and Dave let me know that she has been a SPAM-bassador for a month. We ended up talking about food and keeping it simple, without counting calories. Our talk ended up with my talking about skim milk having sugar in it and that's it's better to go with full-fat milk, She agreed and was super chatty. Eventually, Dave said to her, "Are you going to let [me] visit the museum?" It was funny, but I was enjoying our conversation. I sampled the Portuguese SPAM that she had on her tray. So good! I then had the chorizo. OMG, it was equally as yummy. There is a coat area to hang up your coats and jackets. Dave advised that it does get hot when you walk around. I hung my jacket up and started my tour. The SPAM cans are still on conveyor belts, all mounted above your head. You can still simulate making and packaging SPAM. You can learn so much about Hormel, its history and products, and so much more. The world of SPAM is fascinating. I knew about Hawaii being huge SPAM consumers. It was nice seeing limited SPAM gift boxes and SPAM sushi. Sarah was often looking for me whenever there were SPAM samples that came hot off the pan. I love pan-fried SPAM. I got to try the black pepper, jalapeno, and hot and spicy. Yes, I tried all three. Sarah was impressed that I liked spiciness. They were all so good. I particularly loved the jalapeno, and hot and spicy. Staff are more than happy to take your photo. Dave took my photo under the SPAM can. I have four different shots. The gift shop is my weakness. If I could import SPAM, I would have purchased the $33 SPAM value pack. Instead, I got a can on Portuguese sausage SPAM. I love ramen with SPAM. My mom used to pan-fry it for breakfast. I did all of that back at the hotel. It's comfort food to me. I bought souvenirs at the store, which is my usual thing. The problem is figuring out what I wanted. It still has the translucent blue pig keychain, which I still have to this day. It now comes in purple! I ended up getting a small bottle opener on a keychain, an iPhone 5 phone case that fits my iPod 7 (I did sizing research on my phone in the store like the geek that I am), a pig suction cup stand for your phone or tablet, and vanilla lip balm. In a weird way, I was hoping for something quirky, like bacon lip balm. Oh, well. The woman at the gift store was so patient as I decided what to get. My purchases were pretty cheap. They didn't exceed $18. I was overhearing a couple who wanted to have their wedding at this museum. When this current museum had first opened back in 2017, a couple got married here. It's a thing. Hey, if you want SPAM appetizers and meals at your wedding, it can happen! Thanks to Dave and Sarah for talking to me, and making me feel welcome. The SPAM samples were yummy. I felt like I was at a Costco, but much better. If you are in southern Minnesota, visiting this museum is a must. I always have fun here and learn something new with each visit. (23)

Wow Austin MN may not offer much, but you'd be hard pressed not to check out the Spam Museum during your visit. Frankly this museum exceeded my expectations. Lots of cute interactive exhibits and even SPAMples. Yes I ate some spam and it was kinda good! There's even a play area for your kids and a great gift shop. This is not really a destination as it's pretty small and takes less than 30 minutes to see everything. But if you're already in town, def check it out.

This was a quirky stop that I might have passed up if it wasn't right on our trip route; lucky break for me! Spam and high ratings generally don't compute; but, in this case, it makes perfect sense. Because it was along our route, and is highly rated, I had become almost obsessed with stopping here for over a month leading up to the trip. First of all, it provides a nice stretch-and-exercise break from driving, along with being able to make your friends feel jealous that you saw something this unique. Then there's the benefit to become educated about the history of Spam and how it's made - so you can debunk the myths. Also you'll become a Spam Trivia Master with tidbits like people of Guam have the highest per capita consumption of Spam in the world. My wife somewhat reluctantly went along with my desire to satisfy my curiosity about the Spam Museum - thanks, Babe! And I actually saw her reading many of the displays as did I. It's not that big and you can (no pun intended) spend as little as 15-20 minutes to as long as you like. They even have guided tours if you are interested. Finally, all of the reasons you should have this on your list come down to the real reason you want to stop here - to pick out the Spam apparel you want from the gift shop! I got my shirt!

Love this place. Extremely well done and a bit of history with it. It is creative and fun, and you can eat outside at Spamarama! The World War II portion of history is interesting and fun as well. Go out of your way to stop here!

Free museum. I loved learning about the history of SPAM & the Hormel company. It was fun getting to read about how SPAM made its way around the continent. I enjoyed reading about the different products that SPAM has in different countries. All of the workers were enjoyable to chat with. The museum gift shop is full of nice quality items! Parking is easy in downtown Austin. There are plenty of other attractions to see in Austin as well!

We were here many years ago and it is still one of my favorite memories. It was interactive, historical, and fun..........and we didn't even have kids with us. Loved this place and spent well over an hour watching the films, playing with the interactive displays, and reading all of the amazing history that Spam has been an important part of. When you are done, in their store, they also have the most variety of Spam I have seen available. At the time we went there was a lunch counter where you could have some Spam for free but it was closed that particular day. Don't pass this Jewel up, you will not be sorry.

Fit this visit on a whim- it was a very booked day but so so worth it as me and my friends love Spam so much. This is a free museum in a little city about almost 2 hours outside of Minneapolis. It has the history and marketing for each country so that's cool to see and compare. Take note of flavors you want to try as they offer free samples! I really enjoyed them even going the extra mile to use pretzels as the "toothpick" to reduce waste! I also found out that baking Spam in the oven makes it so much more soft and juicy- we LOVED it. Employees are super friendly too! Bathrooms are spacious and kept nicely. There is a water fountain by the front bathrooms. There is a play place for kids, space for nursing mothers by the kid section and even a spot where you can test your packing skills for spam! It's pretty interactive and touchable for the most part. Parking is all street parking so mind the signs. Overall- this is a great free stop if you have the time. There is also a gift shop with the cutest items and variety packs of spam you can buy!