Abita Mystery House, Abita Springs

The Abita Mystery House is a roadside attraction located in the heart of Abita Springs, Louisiana, United States. Maintained by artist/inventor John Preble, whose inspiration came from the Tinkertown Museum in New Mexico, it offers thousands of folk art objects ranging from miniatures, to pottery, to Louisiana-themed sculptures like Darrel the Dogigator and Edmond the Allisapien. Originally called the UCM Museum till its official name change in 2007, the house entrance is a vintage gas station, with filling pumps and bright decor, which leads to open air sections, the main exhibition hall, a ninety-year-old Creole cottage, and the House of Shards, among other attractions. The Mystery House is unique in that it bears a particularly odd aesthetic, drawing alternative crowds with an eye for the strange. John Bullard, director of the New Orleans Museum of Art, has even gone as far as saying that the Abita Mystery House is the "most intriguing and provocative museum in Louisiana." ()