Spam Museum, Food museum in Austin, Minnesota, United States
The Spam Museum at 101 3rd Ave NE in Austin, Minnesota, occupies a roughly 14,000-square-foot building whose glass facade carries large yellow block letters reading "SPAM MUSEUM". Inside are seven main galleries, among them Can Central, the World Market, a World War II exhibit, an interactive map of Spam products, the Can Chronicles and Spam Brand 101.
The museum began in January 1991 as the Hormel Foods First Century Museum, a small storefront opened for the company's 100th anniversary and housed in Austin's Oak Park Mall, later rebranded as the Spam Museum. A larger Spam-focused museum opened in September 2001, and the museum reopened on 22 April 2016 at 101 3rd Ave NE downtown.
Hormel Foods Corporation began producing this canned meat product in 1937, and it quickly became part of military rations. During World War II, over 150 million pounds (68 million kilograms) reached troops overseas, helping spread this food around the world.
Admission is free, and the museum opens on weekdays from 10 AM to 5 PM and on Sundays until 4 PM. Visitors can walk through the galleries at their own pace and try the interactive stations as they wish.
The World Market section displays advertising materials and recipes from 44 countries, from Asia to Latin America. Visitors see how the same product is used in different cuisines, from Korean stews to Hawaiian rice dishes.
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