This road trip requires a sturdy mule or better yet a car with air-conditioning, as the route travels from one coast to the next, all in search of that most elusive of creatures: Bigfoot.
Bigfoot has captured the imagination of people around the world for decades. I have a friend who swears when she was driving up in the Coast Range of Oregon, Bigfoot walked right in front of her car when she’d stopped to make a turn. She said his hair was glossy and long and he looked at her with the kindest eyes she'd ever seen before he continued on. My friend is an upstanding professional with no reason to say such a thing unless she saw it. I believe she believes it.
Also known as Sasquatch, Boggy Creek Monster, and Walter (just kidding, I have no idea if Bigfoot would even answer to that name) is a legendary creature, said to inhabit remote forests, mountains, and the wilds of people’s minds. If you're a fan of Bigfoot or simply fascinated by cryptozoology, visiting a Bigfoot museum can be a most exhilarating experience. In this blog post, we'll explore the six best Bigfoot museums in the United States, where you can immerse yourself in the lore, evidence, and mystery surrounding this mysterious creature.
International Cryptozoology Museum- Portland, Maine. Address: 4 Thompson's Point Road, Suite 106, Portland, ME 04102 Website: International Cryptozoology Museum
Located in the heart of Portland, theInternational Cryptozoology Museum boasts an impressive collection of artifacts related to Bigfoot and other legendary creatures. Founded by renowned cryptozoologist Loren Coleman, this museum features exhibits that explore the science, history, and cultural impact of cryptids like Bigfoot. From footprint casts to eyewitness testimonies, the museum offers a comprehensive and educational journey into the world of cryptozoology.
It brings to mind my desire to visit another such crypto-these-things-can't-really-exist museum, this in London: The Merrylin Cryptid Museum. http://www.merrylinmuseum.com/index Click if you wish to be rather creeped out and yet insatiably curious. I dare you.
The Boggy Creek Monster. Fouke, Arkansas. Not a museum but an idea. A mythology that lives deep in Texarkana hearts. See http://www.foukemonster.net/visiting.htm for details.
Located outside Texarkana is the Boggy Creek/Willie Smith's Bean Field/Sulphur River area well-known for Big F sitings. Or BCM visitations as the case may be. I say take it all in, and camp if you are so courageous. Make sure to bring your Monster Sauce Howling Habanero Hot Sauce to leave out front of your tent. You know what Santa's like when he doesn't get a plate of cookies; imagine Mr. Boggy Creek's temper should he not get his habanero.
Bigfoot Discovery Museum - Felton, California.Address 5497CA-9, Felton, CA 95018 https://www.bigfootdiscoveryproject.com
A bit of knowledge that you probably never thought to ask, but I once lived in Bigfoot Country, California. I never saw the Squatch, but I did visit the Mystery Spot every single time a visitor came to town and I still do not understand the strange magnetism of the area.
Just twenty minutes north of the Spot, in Felton, the Bigfoot Discovery Museum focuses on the local Bigfoot lore and the history of sightings in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Run by an uber-passionate
Bigfoot researcher, the museum contains a range of exhibits, including footprint casts, photographs, and newspaper clippings. You can also learn about the cultural significance of Bigfoot through hard-to-forget artwork and historical accounts of dramatic sitings.
Heading north from the Santa Cruz mountains, known as the BIGFOOT CAPITAL OF THE WORLD to the next location that says IT IS THE BIGFOOT CAPITAL OF THE WORLD we get to Willow Creek-China Flat Museum - Willow Creek,California. Address: 38949 CA-299, Willow Creek, CA 95573 Website: https://thebigfootmuseum.com
Nestled in the scenic town of Willow Creek, renowned for its Bigfoot sightings, the Willow Creek-China Flat Museum is a must-visit for any Bigfoot enthusiast. This museum showcases a variety of Bigfoot artifacts, including footprint casts, photographs, and audio recordings. The highlight of the museum is the recreated film set from the famous Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot footage, providing visitors with a unique glimpse into this iconic moment in cryptozoology.
Above you can see true evidence of Footie's Willow Creek presence. Foot castings do not lie. Take that Felton.
Moving ever further north to a town that's nestled between Mount Hood and Portlandia, Oregon (and yes, I happen to live in yet another Bigfoot infused area - is it an unconscious call from the wild?) is the North American Bigfoot Center. Boring, Oregon. 31297 SE US-26, Boring, OR 97009 Website: https://www.northamericanbigfootcenter.com/location/
You will find out everything there is to know about the Oregon branch of the Bigfoot family and their own stuffed replica they call Murphy. Here, too, is lore, myth, evidential blurry photographs from 1953 AND a foot cast of which you can buy a replica of in the store. I personally am eyeing the hat below, so if someone ends up in Boring (which is not Boring), would you please buy it for me?
K.T. Blakemore grew up in the United States West and never left. THE GOOD TIME GIRLS is the first in the Wild-Willed Women of the West Series, featuring women who take no prisoners and succeed through sheer grit, determination, and a parcel of luck.
Her award-winning historical suspense and young adult historical fiction, written under the pen name Kim Taylor Blakemore, has been awarded a Silver Falchion Award, Tucson Festival of Book Literary Award, and a WILLA Award for Best YA Fiction.
In addition to writing, she runs the Novelitics ranch, which provides developmental editing and workshops to novelists. She teaches editing and craft workshops to writing groups around the United States and Canada.
She has hung her hat in California, Colorado, and currently the Pacific Northwest. The rain does not deter her research whether it be train timetables from 1905 or the best way to catch a loose horse.
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