Braving the Portland Peculiarium Horror Museum
Three hours to kill until our reservation. What to do, what to do?
I know!
We'll show you around The Freakybuttrue Peculiarium and Museum, Portland's exclusive weird science and oddities sideshow, established in 1972. Steps away from the Northwest District's bustling downtown strip of popular eateries and tourist shops, the props and art in this strange gallery make Ripley's Believe It Or Not look like a convenience store...
...like this 10 foot tall, huggable Big Foot.
Back in the 1970s, Portland adventurer Conrad Elwood opened the Peculiarium to house all the bizarre and grotesque curiosities he accumulated while traveling the globe.
"In Conrad Elwood's words, the Peculiarium is an art gallery dedicated to learning and terror." - peculiarium.com
We almost lost Phoebe during the experience. She slipped and fell off the side of the building. Thankfully, I was able to pull her to safety...after snapping a quick photo.
Then, when I was recounting the harrowing story to someone nearby, I tripped and fell too! They really should add a railing around the roof.
This handsome fella is the handiwork of Portlander Chris Walas, the legendary artist, film director, special effects expert and make-up artist responsible for the collection of H.P. Lovecraft creatures at the Peculiarium.
You may recognize a few of the movies Chris created monsters for, like Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (think Nazi face-melting), Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, and Gremlins. He designed those cute-to-scary little critters; pretty impressive!
Not the kind of dollhouse you want to give to your kid.
If Big Foot was kind and cuddly, Krampus is his opposite.
"Krampus, the Anti-Santa, is a horned, anthropomorphic folklore figure described as 'half-goat, half-demon', who, during the Christmas season, punishes children who have misbehaved, in contrast with Saint Nicholas, who rewards the well-behaved with gifts.
Krampus is one of the companions of Saint Nicholas in places like Austria, Bavaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, and Northern Italy." - Peculiarium sign
Phoebe went go-karting with a hunchback.
These aliens asked me if I wanted to lie down on their examination table for a fun game. I didn't realized it would involve my intestines.
Can you tell the difference between medication and candy?
Creature from The Time Travelers (1964).
Paul Bunyan's sneaker, size 336 EE!
All the essentials for only a quarter.
Watch out, the spontaneous combustion bug is going around, very contagious.
Creature from The Time Travelers (1964).
Have you ever tried a cricket snack before? They're tastier than you might think!
Well, our time is up. The Peculiarium in Portland kept us entertained for hours. We're headed to Lovejoy's Tea Room next. Stay tuned for that blog post, coming soon.
In the meantime, you can read about our other adventures in Portland and Seattle: