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American International Rattlesnake Museum

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ALBUQUERQUE, NM/USA - OCTOBER 13, 2019: South American Rattlesnake at the American International Rattlesnake Museum a Route 66 attraction.  License Type: media  Download Time: 2023-04-14T12:26:51.000Z  User: Norma.PrauseBrewer_LonelyPlanet  Is Editorial: Yes  purchase_order:

Hiding in an Old Town shop are dozens of venomous snakes inside the American International Rattlesnake Museum (rattlesnakes.com). The small museum is filled with rattlesnake rescues, venomous spiders and every kind of snake paraphernalia you can imagine, from posters to drinks to statues.

Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America - January 3, 2017. Exterior view of American International Rattlesnake Museum in Albuquerque, NM.
Exterior view of American International Rattlesnake Museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico. AlizadaStudios/Getty Images

Here you can view mottled rock, black tailed, timber and other rattlesnakes, plus reptiles including geckos, pythons, a Gila monster and turtle. Plus see an exhibition on legends of the reptile world, including Steve Irwin (with display cabinets full of every kind of merchandise collected about the Aussie naturalist).

Quirky owner Bob Myers, a former Florida educator who said "teaching was dangerous so I decided to get into rattlesnakes," opened the museum in 1990 and is a wealth of knowledge and stories. Ask him about his trip to the hospital thanks to a wild black-widow spider. All visitors get a certificate of bravery for visiting.

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