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Keep Austin Weird 5K: 10 Austin places to celebrate the eccentric

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Is Austin still weird? Was Austin ever weird? After all, that's a slogan that was created by either local stores BookPeople or Waterloo Records, the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau, or Portland, Oregon, depending upon which genealogical path you want to follow.

Doesn't matter. There's still plenty of homegrown, super-fun stuff to do and places to go, as always. And, hopefully, forever more. Plus, just great—and, yes, sometimes odd—people.

Here's a map of just a small sampling of our particular burg's idiosyncratic pleasures, for your enjoyment when you are not actively present at and participating in Austin's Keep Austin Weird 5K afterparty. Which is, of course, great, too. Maybe even a little weird.

Also, here's a map of the 5K route and festival location, for your convenience.

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Cathedral of Junk

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An ever-evolving structure made of durable castoffs (wheels, toys, electronics, etc.), the Cathedral of Junk is one man's vision, and he has been realizing that vision in his South Austin yard since 1989. It's a nifty labyrinth at this point, and it's old-school Austin Weird™.

South Austin Popular Culture Center

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Specializing in exhibits and events focused on the late 20th century Austin music scenes, it's a must for anyone interested in stories behind the rock, roll, country, and punk roots of the city's live music predilections.

Peter Pan Mini Golf

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Peter Pan Golf is one of the few goofy, storied Austin landmarks that's still around, and it's darn cool. Not to mention wayyyy old-school and over the top, even for minigolf courses of its era. Just look for the giant Peter Pan looming over Barton Springs Road at South Lamar.

Museum of Natural and Artificial Ephemerata

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This "museum" is also the East Austin home of a couple and their two children, and, okay, it is genuinely weird. Part collection of oddities of little monetary but plenty of entertainment value (a narwal tooth, a glitter-painting of Elvis Presley) and Barnum & Bailey sideshow-style amusements (the last cigarette smoke by "the ghost of Marilyn Monroe"), it's a fascinating place where you might want to spend a lot of time, despite its diminutive size.

Museum Of The Weird

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Mondo Gallery

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Mondo is associated with the creatively fertile-beyond-bounds Alamo Drafthouse movie theaters, and is the perfect venue to display and appreciate movie- and general-geek-fun in gorgeously rendered, mostly non-moving form.

End of an Ear

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The gem of a record store specializes in all kinds of fantastic, commercially problematic music, but its large selection of new and used vinyl spans all genres. It also has great in-store performances by mostly local bands and the kind of highly knowledgeable that used to be de rigueur at this kind of idiosyncratic, increasingly rare music store. It recently had to relocated from the now-closed "Slackerville" complex, but it still keeps turning out the hits, or nonhits, at its new location.
End of an Ear End of an Ear/Facebook

Sand Beach Park

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There are many reasons to love Sand Beach Park, a patch of loveliness between Seaholm and Lady Bird Lake and in view of the Austin "Graffiti" (railroad) Bridge. But by far the best reason is Open Room, an art installation and darn good, long, well-lit picnic table created by Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt as part of the city's Art in Public Places program.

Toy Joy

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Formerly located just north of the UT campus, Toy Joy is a venerated (yet iconoclastic!) place where people got their bacon-strip band-aids, boxing-nun puppets, Hello Kitty paraphernalia and other novelty/fun items for decades—as well as real toys for actual children. Now located in Downtown's West Second Street district, the store is more convenient to grown-ups but just as packed with fascinating and fun novelty items.

Lucy In Disguise With Diamonds

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Don't have your pig head/hula skirt/purple wig/Wonder Woman head gear for the run yet? This is the place to load up on all the weird. A South Congress mainstay since 1984, Lucy in Disguise sells and rents a gigantic assortment of costumes, vintage, burlesque, make-up, wigs, jewelry, weapons, hats, hosiery, and other odd things to wear. Worth a gander even if you're not in the market for a Power Ranger get-up (though, really, who isn't?).

Cathedral of Junk

An ever-evolving structure made of durable castoffs (wheels, toys, electronics, etc.), the Cathedral of Junk is one man's vision, and he has been realizing that vision in his South Austin yard since 1989. It's a nifty labyrinth at this point, and it's old-school Austin Weird™.

South Austin Popular Culture Center

Specializing in exhibits and events focused on the late 20th century Austin music scenes, it's a must for anyone interested in stories behind the rock, roll, country, and punk roots of the city's live music predilections.

Peter Pan Mini Golf

Peter Pan Golf is one of the few goofy, storied Austin landmarks that's still around, and it's darn cool. Not to mention wayyyy old-school and over the top, even for minigolf courses of its era. Just look for the giant Peter Pan looming over Barton Springs Road at South Lamar.

Museum of Natural and Artificial Ephemerata

This "museum" is also the East Austin home of a couple and their two children, and, okay, it is genuinely weird. Part collection of oddities of little monetary but plenty of entertainment value (a narwal tooth, a glitter-painting of Elvis Presley) and Barnum & Bailey sideshow-style amusements (the last cigarette smoke by "the ghost of Marilyn Monroe"), it's a fascinating place where you might want to spend a lot of time, despite its diminutive size.

Museum Of The Weird

Mondo Gallery

Mondo is associated with the creatively fertile-beyond-bounds Alamo Drafthouse movie theaters, and is the perfect venue to display and appreciate movie- and general-geek-fun in gorgeously rendered, mostly non-moving form.

End of an Ear

The gem of a record store specializes in all kinds of fantastic, commercially problematic music, but its large selection of new and used vinyl spans all genres. It also has great in-store performances by mostly local bands and the kind of highly knowledgeable that used to be de rigueur at this kind of idiosyncratic, increasingly rare music store. It recently had to relocated from the now-closed "Slackerville" complex, but it still keeps turning out the hits, or nonhits, at its new location.
End of an Ear End of an Ear/Facebook

Sand Beach Park

There are many reasons to love Sand Beach Park, a patch of loveliness between Seaholm and Lady Bird Lake and in view of the Austin "Graffiti" (railroad) Bridge. But by far the best reason is Open Room, an art installation and darn good, long, well-lit picnic table created by Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt as part of the city's Art in Public Places program.

Toy Joy

Formerly located just north of the UT campus, Toy Joy is a venerated (yet iconoclastic!) place where people got their bacon-strip band-aids, boxing-nun puppets, Hello Kitty paraphernalia and other novelty/fun items for decades—as well as real toys for actual children. Now located in Downtown's West Second Street district, the store is more convenient to grown-ups but just as packed with fascinating and fun novelty items.

Lucy In Disguise With Diamonds

Don't have your pig head/hula skirt/purple wig/Wonder Woman head gear for the run yet? This is the place to load up on all the weird. A South Congress mainstay since 1984, Lucy in Disguise sells and rents a gigantic assortment of costumes, vintage, burlesque, make-up, wigs, jewelry, weapons, hats, hosiery, and other odd things to wear. Worth a gander even if you're not in the market for a Power Ranger get-up (though, really, who isn't?).