A Spam-tastic Journey

A Papermaps & Coffee Destination Recommendation

What is Spam* and why go to a museum dedicated to it?

Spam is a canned lunchmeat featuring a variety of flavors and is not only popular in the United States but even more so internationally.

Growing up in the military, Spam was a lunch and dinner staple for me and my siblings. The chore of opening the twist key can was a simple joy for any kid as a precursor to a toasted Spam and Velvetta cheese sandwich. So, it was only natural for us to stop by the Spam Museum on our way through Austin, MN.

But who knew this would have been such a delightful stop?! To be totally honest, it took some convincing to get Ryan to agree to go. Neither of us had eaten Spam in well over 30 years. But my late dad was such a fan of the processed lunchmeat, I felt I had no choice.

First, Austin, MN is also a lovely town.

It has a great downtown with delightful shops and a great pizzeria or two. We stopped by Steve's Pizza. We did not get to really explore Austin, but definitely want to go back.

Second, once at the Spam Museum, allow more time than you would initially stop if nothing else but for the adorable gift shop. We recommend about an hour but if you have small children or the desire to film a Spam-related TikTok, maybe two hours. Our own Spam Museum Instagram reel has had over 16K views which is a record for us to date.

Once you sign in with the Spambassador at the front desk, look up to see the assembly line of a large variety of Spam cans. Honestly, if my dad was still alive, I would have recommended he moved to Austin just to live out his retirement as a local Spambassador. That's right, former presidential advisor turned lunchmeat ambassador. He would have loved it.

Things you'll learn while there:

• No one is 100% sure how Kenneth Daigneau came up with the name "Spam" but he won $100 at Jay Hormel's 1936 New Year's Eve party for the name.

• How many Spam cans you are tall

• The Great Wall of China is 92,933,068 Spam cans long

• See how fast you can pack simulated cans of Spam for the hands-on learner

• Historical significance of Hormel processed lunchmeat in WWII

• An interactive menu of international Spam recipes

• … and so much more.

For those with kiddos, there's a fabulous kids area that we did not explore (as we are sans tiny ones these days) but they offer sensory aids and are incredibly prepared for any child's needs such as sunglasses, noise cancelling headphones and fidget toys you can request at the front desk.

So whether you are enjoying Austin, MN itself or driving through southern Minnesota, we highly recommend a stop by the Hormel Spam Museum. Also… it's free admission! Find hours here. You'll be so glad you did.

Oh and go to the gift shop. We saw a husband and wife leave with at least 45 cans of Spam, several sweatshirts and packed them all into their bright, yellow, new Corvette. It wasn't us but I do have two new shirts and our twins got the chance to try Spam out once we got home. One is a fan forever. The other, well, that may take awhile.

We love her anyway.

*Spam is a registered trademark of Hormel Foods and we do not receive any promotional incentives for telling you about this adorable, entertaining and interactive museum.