Now closed, the Museum of Unnatural History was not your run of the mill museum giftshop; that is of course, unless you consider a can of “primordial soup” a typical souvenir. The merchandise available spanned the imaginary past to the possibly made up future. Guests could peruse the hybrid animal fossils and melancholy jarred unicorn tears, or get ready for their own explorations by stocking up on soft, two-ply rolls of “field journals.”

The retail store supported 826DC, one of the eight branches of 826 National, the children’s writing and tutoring center developed by the creators of McSweeney’s literary journal. As of December 2015, the headquarters of 826DC moved to Tivoli’s Astounding Magic Supply Co. across the street, and thus, the secret of The Cave may remain shrouded forever. 

Update: The Museum of Unnatural History is permanently closed.