Spam Museum facts for kids

The entrance to the Spam Museum.

The Spam Museum is a fun and free museum located in Austin, Minnesota. It's all about Spam, which is a famous brand of canned meat. This museum shares the story of the Hormel Foods company, how Spam was created, and its interesting role around the world.

The Museum's History

The Spam Museum first opened its doors in January 1991. It was originally called the Hormel Foods First Century Museum. Hormel started this small museum to celebrate their 100th anniversary. It was first located in Austin's Oak Park Mall. Later, Hormel changed its name to the Spam Museum.

A much bigger Spam Museum opened in September 2001. This new space was huge, about 16,500 square feet! It had a theater, cool historical displays, and lots of games for families. There was also a gift shop. The museum's lobby even had a wall made of over 3,300 Spam cans! For many years, the theater showed a short film called "SPAM: A Love Story." The Spam Museum closed temporarily in September 2014. It moved to a new, easier-to-reach spot downtown.

Exploring the Exhibits

The "Can Central" exhibit at the Spam Museum.

The museum re-opened on April 22, 2016, at its current downtown location. You can find it at 101 3rd Ave NE.

The new museum is about 14,000 square feet. It has seven main areas, or galleries, for visitors to explore.

• Can Central is known as the "heart of the museum."
• The World Market shows how Spam is advertised and used in 44 different countries. You can even learn about Spam recipes from around the globe!
• A special exhibit explains how important Spam was for American soldiers during World War II. It was a key food for them.
• Spam Products Around the World is an interactive map. It lets you see all the different kinds of Spam made worldwide.
• The Can Chronicles shows how the Spam can has changed over time.
• Spam Brand 101 is an interactive exhibit. Here, you can learn about 15 different types of Spam. Families can even compete to "assemble" pretend cans of Spam!

Many exhibits include fun games, interactive videos, and hands-on activities. The Spam Shop sells hundreds of items with the Spam brand. Friendly volunteer guides, called Spambassadors, offer visitors small tastes of Spam. They serve it on a toothpick or a pretzel stick, which are called Spamples.

Spam in Pop Culture

The Spam Museum is so famous that it's even featured in books! It's a special stop in the Genius Files book series by Dan Gutman.

Gallery

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  World Market exhibit at Spam Museum

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  World Market (England) at the Spam Museum

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  1891 and Beyond exhibit at Spam Museum

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  Canstruments at the Spam Museum

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  Kids CAN Play zone at Spam Museum

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  Gift Shop at the Spam Museum

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  Spam Museum in Downtown Austin (2016–present)

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  Former Spam Museum location (2001–2014)

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  The Spam Museum at dusk

See also

In Spanish: Spam (museo) para niños

• Hormel Historic Home – A museum and historic home in Austin that focuses on the Hormel family.