UCM Museum - Abita Mystery House

The Pelican state has no lack of intriguing and offbeat attractions-- Louisiana's unique energy seems to attract all kinds of imaginative visionaries. One such creative genius is John Preble, who has channeled his artistic sense and his massive collection of oddities into one of the country's strangest and most interesting museums: the famed Abita Mystery House (also sometimes known as the UCM Museum). When you pull up to the vintage gas pump at the front of the museum, leave your expectations behind and enter the Mystery House with an open mind, because what's inside almost defies definition.  It's part folk art installation, part history museum, part roadside oddity, and all fascinating. Once you've stepped through the filling station, you'll find yourself in an open air museum with several old buildings to explore. You'll find everything from a 100-year-old Creole cabin to a house covered in a pottery shard mosaic that houses a display of vintage bicycles. There's an Airstream with a UFO sticking out of it, art cars, displays of old postcards, classic radios, trophy fish, and more. Sit down at the ancient crank-powered Estey reed organ to tickle the keys yourself, or challenge yourself to a game at the vintage pinball machines and old arcade games. You can even spend some time browsing their exceptionally awesome gift shop, stocked with all kinds of crazy trinkets made by local artists. And kids will adore the village of minature scenes that come to life with the push of a button. The scenes include an old-school BBQ joint, a haunted plantation home, a Mardi Gras parade, a jazz funeral and tons more-- they all depict a taste of life in New Orleans. You can spend hours getting lost in all of the displays... and to think, what most people would consider "junk", Preble has turned into something that the director of the New Orleans Museum of Art once called "the most intriguing and provocative museum in New Orleans". Preble is an artist and inventor who built every aspect of the museum himself. He was inspired by New Mexico's Tinkertown Museum, but as with all art, he put his own Louisiana spin on the idea. From the collection of hot sauces on display and the taxidermied "dogigator" named Darrell to the redneck waterwheel and animatronic scenes of New Orleans, the whole thing is steeped in Louisiana lore. If you're lucky, Preble might be around during your visit, and can show you around his collection of collections. The best part, though? It only costs $3 for hours of endless fascination! Oh, and one last pro tip: stopping by the Abita Brew Pub beforehand is known to improve your experience; Purple Haze goes especially well with folk art. -Roadtrippers Also known as the UCM Museum is a roadside attraction in Abita Springs near New Orleans. It is a folk art environment with 1000s of found objects, and home made inventions. Tourists see a miniature Southern town with push-buttons that activate animated “displays.” On exhibit are odd collections, memorabilia, pure junk, and old arcade machines that are fun to play. Abita Springs, Louisiana is a historic small town known for its brewery, spring water, and bicycle trails. If you are looking for things to do in New Orleans, the Abita Mystery House is less than an hour north in historic Abita Springs. This roadside attraction features a vintage service station, a 100yr old Louisiana Creole cottage, an exhibition hall of memorabilia and junk, and the much photographed House of Shards. Come see handmade folk art animated scenes of Southern life by Louisiana inventor / artist, John Preble.  With the help of over 50,000 found and recycled objects, Preble created his own fantastic worlds: there's a Mardi Gras parade, a New Orleans jazz funeral, a rhythm and blues dance hall, a haunted Southern plantation, and much more! This joint was built with concrete, glass, wood, water, vision, and invention. Bring a sense of humor and an open mind. Have you ever walked along a foot path and stopped to pick up an interesting rock? John Preble has, thousands of times; and it wasn’t only rocks, there were bottles, bottle caps, license plates, springs, motors, pottery shards, and “what all.” And he didn’t throw any of it away, instead it all eventually came together in the fantastic man-made world known as the Abita Mystery House in Abita Springs, Louisiana. "The most intriguing and provocative museum in Louisiana." - John Bullard, Director of the New Orleans Museum of Art.