It's a goal of mine to find at least one place like this every time we visit a city. How can ANYBODY pass up this eye catching sign?!
Unfortunately, Velveteria (the Museum of Black Velvet Paintings) closed it's doors in early 2010, but this place fills the void.
I thought this commercial was funny but a bit annoying, if you can get past the electronic voice repeating, "The FreakybutTrue Peculiarium" ad nauseam! But I thought I'd add it in so you could see the interior in much better light...
This place has everything! Gag gifts, local artist exhibits, alien masks, ephemera, strange things floating around in bottles, and so many other things to numerous to mention.
The store cat walked by as I took this photo (can you see it's tail?)...The figure in the wheelchair was a bit creepy...
Their "warning":
As you step in, there is a gargantuan BIGFOOT in the entry way!
The humor here is quite sarcastic:
See the black and white photo on the wall? It's three generations of a fmily depicted in an unintentionally hilarious photo. There is an old man on his deathbed and he is surrounded by a newlywed couple and another couple(the parents?) holding a frightened baby who was probably scarred for life from this experience. Everyone except the old man and the baby was smiling. On the shelves are tons of tiny little wierd knick knacks. Bert noticed a raccoon's penis bone on one of the shelves! I don't know how I missed THAT thing
This is purportedly Al Capone's vault! Hey, where's Geraldo?
Bert really likes these skull masks! That Lon Chaney-esque mannequin could move it's head and eyes!
Behold, a black velvet painting of a lion overlooking a chair in which someone experienced "spontaneous combustion"!
More random stuff in jars...
There was an exhibit by a local artist in which he (or she, I don't remember) transformed Barbie-ish dolls into murderous ghouls and glamorous monsters, complete with fangs, dead white makeup, axes and fabulous costumes.
This one was my favorite. I call her the Vampire Huntress. Check out that stake! She looks like she came straight out of a Hammer Horror film! They should've made a companion Christopher Lee as Dracula doll with a bloody stake through his heart!
The story with this exhibit was that it was supposed to be a ventriloquist's dummy that allegedly killed his master and was thus sentenced to death by electric chair! So morbid but funny!
Now, the Peculiarium also serves food here. We'd just eaten sushi at Wild Wasabe down the street so we weren't hungry for hot dogs or anything.
No, Bert was fixing to get an ice cream here.
Not just any ice cream, but ice cream with a "surprise".
You can take your pick - mealworms or a scorpion!
He chose the scorpion!
It's supposed to be on an ice cream sundae, but Bert asked if he could have it on a cone instead. The owner was happy to oblige.
The ice cream flavor was mint chocolate chip with a tiny dollop of whipped cream to glue our scorpion friend as the arachnoid cherry on top.
Anyone who consumes these insects is immortalized forever in their "Insectarian Club". If you go on the website, there is a hilarious photo of Bert on there somewhere! Like a complete pussy, I chickened out and decided not to even try this!
Bert's verdict about the scorpin was that it really had no taste. The stinger was gone. He tasted mostly crunchiness, from the legs (ugh!).
And before we leave this most fascinating and visit-worthy palace of oddness, we must take a look at this:
It's the perfect photo opp for your holiday photos. And yes, we did! You just slide underneath the, uh examining table and pop your head through the opening. Anal probe anyone? Anyone?
Lovely, isn't it?
I don't think we'll be sending this family photo to the older aunties and uncles..or should we? (insert evil laugh here)!
More on the Peculiarium here, from an episode of "Weird in P-Town":
See? You can't NOT go here! You have no excuse! Admission is free!
We had such a blast looking at all of the installations and exhibits. Plus there's the added benefit of having bugs in your ice cream for added protein!
Super cool folks work here and very friendly to all of their visitors. They don't judge!
The FreakybutTrue Peculiarium
2234 NW Thurman St.
Portland, OR 97210
peculiarium.com
One more stop before heading back to the suite...
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