The Wax Works- Newport, Oregon

Momma Told Me: Sometimes life gets a little cheesy.

Okay, I'll admit, I've had an unnatural fear of wax sculptures from an early age. There is something simply creepy about a replica of someone so smooth, and slightly imperfect just staring back at you from marble eyes. And the 2005 film House of Wax didn't help ease that discomfort either; between Paris Hilton's cameo and the thought of being 'waxed' alive, you could say I'd rather brush elbows with Pennywise the clown than any wax sculpture of a celebrity. And now that that's been said- I decidedly had to buck up when my niece and I visited The Wax Works, at Mariner's Square- Newport, Oregon on our road trip this past Summer.

You may recall that Mariner's Square is this lovely tourist trap spot nestled in the bay of Newport, Oregon. While the Square itself is a collection of 3 family attractions (Ripley's Believe It Or Not!, The Wax Works, and Undersea Gardens) there are several quaint downtown restaurants and shops to browse as well. While these attractions don't seem to have had many new exhibits or updates since the 80's, its a great way to kill an afternoon for about $25 a person (which will get you an all day pass to all 3 of the attractions.)

Remember that fear I was telling you about? Well they don't tell you that this particular wax museum's (and several older ones usually are) very poorly lit. Perhaps the dramatic shadows and sharp lighting add thematic value, but I just found the whole thing unnerving. I can't really say whether the more lifelike sculptures put me any less on edge than the older, more rounded ones- we were walking from dark room to dark room pretty much alone. I tried my best not to imagine an axe murderer waiting in the wings behind Marilyn Monroe. Thankfully I had my wing man by my side.

In general there was a good range of sculptures to take in. From regional content such as the rustic loggers, mysteriously disappearing parachuter, and Big Foot to the more modern exhibits with movie characters and celebrities, we slowly took in it all. The biggest highlight for me, and arguably the most modern and realistic sculpture was Johnny Depp. I'll now hang my head again as I tell you that Sabrina (12) had no clue who he was, even with the 'Pirates' poster hanging behind him. I would have snapped a selfie with Mr. Depp but again- that fear....

When I wasn't glancing around anxiously with 'wax museum paranoia I was paying attention to the unique details that went into each character and set. I actually found myself curious where the hair was sourced from, horse, synthetic, or human; and wished that there was more information provided in each room to help answer these questions. And just how does one get into professional wax sculpting?  I'd suppose it starts as a harmless hobby, just like taxidermy?

Not too far down the hall from Johnny was a Lord of The Rings exhibit that best portrayed The Wax Work's need to reach a younger crowd through interactive elements. While some of the buttons weren't quite working, the idea was that a visitor could stage their own scene through the use of steam vents, lighting, and a remotely controlled dragon head. It seemed to occupy the tween for a good amount of time and earn me some 'cred' as the Aunt who drug brought her there in the first place.

Around the corner was a sort of Indiana Jones meets witch doctor setup with giant vases guests were encouraged to 'reach into,' steaming crypts, and a giant Plasma ball that again captivated the tween. Then it was down through a hallway across a bridge that was suspended in the middle of a room where the walls constantly spun, reflecting various lights. The effect was to feel as though you were falling through a vortex, and I don't suppose such a short walk has ever felt so impossible to complete in my life!

The last wing was another of my favorites- truly an offering to children of the 80's. Despite the fact that the Jawa looked like one of our dog's plush chew toys, Yoda was magnificently sculpted. The room could use an update on some scenery (who knows maybe the real Jawa was stolen?) but it certainly tickled my nerdy bone. And the interactive E.T. in space capsule? Priceless. Touch the glass where E.T.'s finger rests and watch your own glow red, just like the beloved movie! Speaking of which- have you heard the Tinseltown rumors of a remake of this beloved film???

And, just before we exited, into the gift shop (like all good tourist attractions do) we came around the corner to be greeted, face to face with this terrifying Darth Maul replica. This was one case where lighting worked perfectly in the exhibit's favor. If Han Solo hadn't been suspended in Carbonite just a few feet away, I would have sworn we were done for! Yes, it certainly was a visit worth admission, and one the tween wouldn't stop talking about! Have you ever been to a Wax Museum?

What Daughter Says: I faced my fear, and I survived the wax. Though, I'm not sure the 'cheese factor' made it any less terrifying!

Ripley's Believe It Or Not!: Mariner's Square- Newport, Oregon

WARNING: Some of the following Ripley's Believe It Or Not! (Newport, Oregon) content may be disturbing for the weak of stomach, read on at your own risk! Photos copyright Momma Told Me Blog 2015.

Momma Told Me: Believe it or not....

I loved to read from an early age. In fact, most of my fascination with the written word came from factual or historical content. Our family always had stacks of coffee table books under the living room table, and my grandparents spend a small fortune shipping them cross country to us every month or so. They'd go on their travels, as a newly retired couple, and bring home books from exotic travel destinations and cultural curiosities. I still have my favorite book from the 3rd grade, "The Trial of Lizzy Borden," a truly age appropriate recollection of the actual court and investigative proceedings revolving around one of the nation's first female murderer prosecutions.

I'd wait all year for my favorite books- each Christmas may grandparent's would send us the full color, hardbacked, coffee table editions of my two favorite curiosity collections, The Guinness Book of World Records and Ripley's Believe It Or Not. These two books were released with a new edition each year, and kept me fascinated for hours on end as I poured through the morbid, macabre, and just plain bizarre facts of humanity. Sabrina, 12, has a very similar curiosity for the world around her. Equally obsessed with learning random facts about the abnormal to mundane, I knew she would properly appreciate a visit to Ripley's Believe It Or Not! in Newport, Oregon.

The Ripley's franchise operates 95 locations, across 4 continents, and 32 of which are Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museums. Many of these museums are located in prime tourist spots, and almost always attached to a separate admission wax museum. On our last day of our Road Trip up to Oregon, this Summer, we stopped into the tourist spot known as Mariner's Square in Newport, Oregon. Mariner's Square offers 3 main tourist attractions for families; Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum, Wax Museum, and Undersea Gardens (and Underwater Sea Show.) For $15 (child) to $25 (adult) your family can get an all day pass to all three attractions, a real steal for a day of entertainment by the sea.

What we loved most about Mariner's Square (which we'll cover more in future posts) was the ability to roam and take in the attractions at your own pace and leisure. There is plenty to do and eat nearby, so it's definitely an event to be made a day of. We started ours with Ripley's Believe It Or Not! which feels quite small upon entering but truly offers a wealth of exhibits and hands on exploring. A couple or family could easily spent hours browsing the exhibits, halls, and rooms- though I do warn that the majority of the museum is dimly lit for mood and any kids should be kept close by at all times.

While I knew the majority of the exhibits at this particular (Newport, Oregon) Ripley's were older and from the 90's everything was new and fascinating to Sabrina, who actually took time to read the anecdotes on the wall and artifact descriptions. The museum itself is a feast for the eyes and several exhibits encourage hands on, immersive exploration to really help capture the interest of the younger crowd. Each room/wing had it's own theme- with the classic Ripley's 'voodoo' and tribal style focus beginning the self guided tour. One of the highlights here was the faux hot coal walk and the 'Balloon Lawn Chair Man's' actual lawn chair.

Several of the exhibits were outfitted with television screens playing short clips no more than a few minutes long, for those who preferred to learn visually rather than through reading their own narrative. These videos were clearly older and taken from previous Ripley's episodes, so they felt a bit cheesy in themselves.

Sabrina's favorite room was the Music room- surprisingly there was very little music to be heard there. We consider it more of a Rock N' Roll peculiarity collection. Here Sabrina is seen marveling at the unusual artwork of several pop culture icons. I thought for sure she'd try and take the Taylor Swift Good N' Plenty artwork home with her, but was surprised to see her contemplating the technique used in the much smaller, delicate, Rose Petal Madonna piece.

The music room also had 4 miniature exhibits. These little light boxes on the wall each had a magnifying panel and free hand magnifying glass. Above you'll see the World's Smallest Working Violin, housed in a walnut shell, and a Portrait of Elvis on a piece of human hair. Of course my photos are taken indoors with poor lighting and a basic camera, zoomed in, so you'll have to take my word, these things are super, ultra, teeny, tiny, small.

After the Music Room we walked through a mock up of King Tut's tomb, which playfully illustrated how 13 people who had entered the tomb came to know their untimely death through sheer mystery and circumstance. Around the corner was a creepy photo-opp, a bookcase with hollowed out jars and wax heads. In the middle of the dimly lit hallway was a wax couple- a son taking a photo of their mother, lit only by flash. This display was so eerily real there were actual patrons lined up in an attempt to avoid interrupting the photo shoot! Other highlights include an Earthquake Simulator, and real Human Shrunken Head (complete with video tutorial/documentary,) that made me a bit queasy.

Next we passed through the Carival Curiosity theater, Fiji Mermaid exhibit, and 'Roll Your Tongue' mirror. The mirror is an exhibit used at several similar museums- while I knew all to well we were being video taped and played on the opposite end of the two way mirror, Sabrina did not. Can you roll your tongue? 4 out of 5 people cannot, but Sabrina and I both could! Through the sound activated neon dance theater, to the Titanic exhibit complete with actual iceberg temperature water, we ended our visit in my favorite room. The star chart room was a mirrored room where one felt as though they were literally standing in the middle of the galaxy, surrounded by nothing but stars. It was oddly calming and for me, worth the ticket price.

We wandered out of the star room into, surprise, a very large gift shop. This gift shop is also where the Wax Museum filters out into so it contained souvenirs and trinkets covering a wide range of categories. It also has a fully functioning wax hand station, where I was tickled to introduce Sabrina to the completely useless tourist experience of having one's hand dipped in hot wax for the sack of a tacky bookshelf memento. In all, despite having a 102 fever, and the plague, it was a far out, good time. Have you ever been to a Ripley's Believe It Or Not!?

What Daughter Says: Life's too short not to explore the strange.