Get Salty at This Texas Museum, One Lick at a Time

You heard me: LICKABLE. This museum in east Texas boasts a unique and... odd trait. They offer guests opportunities to lick the walls that are made entirely of naturally-formed salt.

The Snozzberries Taste Like Snozzberries!

Anybody else have weird Willy Wonka vibes from this? It turns out that the Salt Palace in Grand Saline prides themselves by being the "only building in the world made of pure rock salt," according to their website.

It turns out that this is the fourth Salt Palace at the same location within the past 88 years. The first one was built in 1936, which was replaced in 1960, which was replaced in 1975, which--you guessed it--was replaced to its current version in 1993.

WFAA urges visitors and germaphobes alike to curb their disgust, as the walls are "completely safe" to lick.

Museum docent, Tomasa King, also noted that salt actually kills all germs. That may be good and all, but I'm sorry, I don't see myself putting my tongue on a wall of salt where thousands of others have done the same... Still worth a trip to go see it, though.

Salty Beginnings

The Salt Palace website provides details on the history of the salt flats and their popularity. First of all, the city of Grand Saline pretty much describes the importance of salt within their name--saline.

Caddo native American tribes used this area of Texas for its salt deposits as early as 800 AD before the Cherokees held it until 1839. The reason for its popularity is due to the massive salt bed that rests about four miles beneath the surface from east Texas through Louisiana.

Because the area was once under water, the sea level receded but the salt remained. Over time, as the Earth's layers shifted, the salt deposits were pushed closer to the surface.

So, the next time you want to lick some museum walls or are if you have some particularly bland French fries, you know where to go in east Texas.