Middleton, Wisconsin: National Mustard Museum

An ex-attorney and mustard afficianado opened the museum in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin, a small town in the southwestern part of the state. It occupies two storefronts on the main street of town and houses mustards and hot sauces from all over the galaxy! Ever try chocolate fudge mustard? You can, and many more as they have many to sample. Don't look for the ketchup or mayo, these are bad words at the museum. Just about everything is available for purchase, even the clever "Poupon U" clothing and accessories to an official interest in the museum. Buy a gumball from the machine right inside the door and if it's a yellow one, win a small jar of mustard! Hilarious catalogs are available at the store and on the web at www.mustardmuseum.com. Come and spend a few minutes and you'll probably leave in over an hour!

This small museum makes a serious effort to collect every kind of mustard ever made, as well as mustard serving implements, jars. The place is crammed. Some of the displays are worth noting -- antiques and odd shaped jars, many containing residues of 150 year old mustard. They also sell a wide selection of mustards from domestic and foreign sources, plus souvenirs. They do ship orders. If you show up around lunchtime, there's a bar & grill across the street with a selection of these condiments you can use to decorate your burger -- try before you buy. Don't leave without picking up a copy of their newsletter, The Proper Mustard. It includes mustard inspired fiction, editorials on how the world's problems could be solved with mustard, condiment related news articles ("Ketchup misunderstanding lands man in jail.") and the like.