Dora, Alabama: Hollis Museum of Popular Culture

Historian and author Tim Hollis collects Boomer-era toys and tourist attraction stuff. He's filled his private museum with lunch boxes, fast food containers, and personal relics such as his family's 1978 RCA Selectavision VCR.

Tim's museum is superb! He's got a truly awesome collection of everything related to 1960s pop culture: cereal boxes, lunch boxes, cartoon characters, board games. It brought back such fun and happy memories, and Tim was an outstanding host, so generous with his time and knowledge. This is a must for anyone who came of age in that decade.

Tim Hollis has been collecting since 1981, and in 2008 had to build a 4,200-square-foot, two-story addition to his home to accommodate his remarkable pop culture horde. There are over [11,000+] items that range from toys to the crib in which he was placed when he was brought home from the hospital when he was born, complete with his teddy bear and his hospital bracelet.

The first floor is dedicated to toys, books, records, and youth whimsy. "I started buying things that I had when I was little and set out to preserve my own memories, and now I seem to be preserving everyone's memories," he said.

The second floor is directed more at Christmas and Halloween collectibles, roadside signs, early restaurant menus and items, maps, brochures, photos, and posters. He and his family's personal history, including their first color TV from 1969 and a 1970s avocado green refrigerator, is also on this level.

What makes this place so unique is that Tim has added photos of himself (at various ages) with many of the objects he has on display, making this a very personal, wide-ranging collection. This is not officially a "museum" and is open only by calling or emailing Tim in advance. He will personally walk you through and explain each item. His memory is as solid as his collection and his passion shows! I spent several hours totally enjoying the collection and Tim's stories.