Austin, Texas: Cathedral of Junk

This was stop 7 on our Tour of Weirdness. It was even better than I expected. Although it was located at a private residence, there was a VERY clean Port-A-Potty located near the entrance. We dropped a donation into the box just inside the gate and proceeded to explore every bit of this amazing structure. All along the way, we kept exclaiming at all the interesting "junk" from which this fantastic work of art was crafted. If you go in the summer, I would advise using some insect repellent beforehand, as the mosquitoes are quite numerous (even on a dry day).

60 tons of junk wired together to form rooms and towers in the back yard of South Austin resident Vince Hannemann. Begun in 1989 and continuing to be built with donations of junk from an ever-expanding crowd of tourists and fans. Filmed by every T.V. crew from Travel to PBS. Contact: cathedralofjunk@hotmail.com

What started as a few hubcaps on a fence has become a magnificent obsession of yardist Vince Hannemann for 12 plus years. With every kind of castoff known to man including bicycles, crutches, toys, electrical equipment, and just plain old junk, The Cathedral is a multi-leveled awe-inspiring sight, especially when lit up at night. Ever mutating in its construction, return visits will always provide a new vista. Located in South Austin this mind-blowing attraction is 1 mile north of Scott Stevens' Smut Putt Heaven. Come see the ever growing masterpiece and then go start your own art yard! Contact: cathedralofjunk@hotmail.com