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A wealth of local folk art, antiques, and curios, without ever leaving your car.
In the tiny town of Seale, Alabama, there is a roadside attraction that doesn’t require getting out of your car. It is a drive-thru, but not the usual kind: It’s not for burgers and fries, there is no ATM machine, and you can’t drop off your dry cleaning. It’s billed as the world’s first drive-thru art and antiques gallery.
Created by artist and collector Butch Anthony in 2014, the Drive-Thru is an offshoot of his Museum of Wonder, and was built to help control the crowds who show up at the museum. In an unincorporated town of just a few hundred people, having even one such destination would be a gem, but having two near each other is an exceptional wealth of local folk art, unusual collections, antiques, and curios.
Each Piece Will Make You Want to Hit the Brakes
The Drive-Thru Museum is made from stacked shipping containers, with windows cut into the sides to reveal a myriad of items collected or created by Anthony. It’s a short drive to get through the whole collection, but each piece will make you hit the brakes. There’s the two-headed ducklings, a large gallstone attached to poems (art he calls “intertwangleism”), drawings of skeletons and bones superimposed on old photographic portraits, and found-object art mixed with taxidermy animals. Take as much time as you need.
Know Before You Go
Seale is in eastern Alabama, about 15 miles southwest of Columbus, Georgia. The Drive-Thru is located at the intersection of US 431 and State Road 169. It's open every day, 24 hours a day. The Museum of Wonder is located at 41 Poorhouse Road, about 1 mile away.
Content originally created for Atlas Obscura.
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