Mystery House

Brian, Brett and Chad 1973.

Dad took us to fun houses from time to time as kids and I loved them.
When one was opened up in the 19070's in Cave City, Kentucky Dad took us to it and I remembered it well.

The next time we were in town we stopped to go through it and it was closed and stayed closed for years.
Years later on a trip with my family we stopped and found it reopened and it has remained so.

In the 70's it was a steak house and mystery house now it sells everything you never needed.


My family waiting out side.

Then I told them that we were going on the tour, again.

They announced that it was time for the tour through the mystery house to begin and we all filed inside.

First up is the hall with optical illusion posters.

Our guide in a monotone voice - "This one moves when you move your head around and that one you will see gray dots where there are none."

The black light room.

Our guide - "Here are some posters that glow and stuff. Notice your teeth and fingers are different colors". They also had some rocks that changed colors under the black light.


We enter the gravity portion of the mystery house and the first room is a black light room with a solar system model spinning around.

Having been on previous tours I know that this current generation of tour guides are missing key gravity house elements here.
Things like the boards on a wall where you can walk right up the side of the wall and having a broom stand all by itself.

The next room does have the water that runs uphill.

It also has the table that shows how much gravity is being played with inside the mystery house.

You can see the water trough running up hill by where Megan is standing.

Levi does it backwards!

Joel making some people laugh.

If you have never been in one of these houses before it makes you feel kind of sickly inside.
It is hard to walk and you just feel dizzy.

Elaine demonstrating standing straight up in the mystery house.

Levi, in back, stands on a board that make you feel normal while you stand on it inside the mystery house. Joel is standing on the mystery house floor.

Now we take turns shrinking and growing.

Levi and Joel enjoying the hall of funny mirrors.

The group trying to find the right exit door.

Here is a video to help you get a better taste of the mystery house.

Labor Day Weekend

Labor day weekend had us making our trip to Kentucky and our family reunion.

Elaine, Joel and I left Saturday before lunch and took our time going down to Tomkinsville.
Take our time means that we played around a little bit in Cave City.

Cave City is a tourist trap town with all kinds of things Kentucky to do.
One of my favorites is Big Mikes.
On the front porch of Big Mikes was a coin operated Batmobile.
On a previous trip to the reunion, 1992, I found this Batmobile in Glasgow, Kentucky outside a Walmart.


After I rode in it I let Megan and Levi take a turn.

At that time there wasn't a Joel yet.

Joel made up for his missed opportunity this year.
I got in another ride too.
I might not have been as enthusiastic as I was when I was younger but I still had to sit in it.

I know it had been repainted but it was the Batmobile.

Big Mike had other coin operated rides from the past on it's porch too.


They also had a big thing or marbles.

That was just the porch.

Here is what it was like on the inside.

If it had Kentucky printed on it they sold it.
There are several items that used to be a staple at these stores that I keep my eye out for but didn't find them.
The man thing I always look for is the man in the outhouse that turns around and pees on you.

Big Mike let me down but if you look closely in the picture you can see giant underwear hanging up.I did spy a vintage decal advertising Mammoth Cave.

I didn't miss seeing Big Mo either.


The boys tried on some hats.
I looked under a giant penny.


The girls humored us.

The junk shop is fun but the real reason I stop here is for the Mystery House.


It only costs a dollar so we did it twice this weekend.

Check back later to see what mysteries lay withing.

Jack

Looks like Uncle Jack came over for some Chef Boyardee pizza.
It was 1973 and Chad seems awestruck by our Uncle.

I was looking at the Tupperware cups when I noticed Foghorn Leghorn on the table.


I remember they day I got him.
We were on one of our many trips to Dad's hometown in Kentucky and on this trip we had also visited the taxidermy museum in Cave City.

The entrance of the taxidermy museum is a huge gift shop and Dad had let us pick out something to take home.
I chose this guy.

Wish I could say that I still had him.

I am tempted to stop at this museum every time I go through Cave City to see if I can find him again.

Fishing

Me fishing in 1977.
I am a big Batman fan but I also like Spiderman.

Well Superhero's in general really.
As a matter of fact I am wearing a Captain America shirt today.