Hot Sam's in the News

It’s part photo park, theme park, artist’s haven, junkyard, antique shop. It is undeniably unique. And how you perceive this place depends on your individual preferences. If you like the odd, unusual and quirky, you’ll appreciate Hot Sam’s.

Why is there a rocketship along 35W?

The rocket was actually an advertising piece for the space-age drink Tang back in the 1960s.

If you’ve spent any time south of the Twin Cities and you’ve taken I-35W, chances are likely you’ve driven by a rocket perched on the side of the interstate. The rocket sits, almost as if it’s waiting for its next mission, at Hot Sam’s Antiques in Lakeville and it actually has a really cool back story to it.

KARE11: Porsche and mannequin removed after 40 years perched above I-94

t's not quite the end of the road for "Minnie MAPCO." She's hitting the road to Lakeville

A female mannequin known as “Minnie MAPCO” was a north Minneapolis fixture for decades, sitting on top of a red Porsche that was welded on top of a metal pole by the owner of the Minneapolis Auto Parts Company, which used to own the property.

KSTP: Hidden gem in Lakeville

Hot Sams is a 10 acre photo park and antique shop located in Lakeville. If you like the odd, unusual and the quirky, you will appreciate this park.

Minnesota Live Photojournalist Bill Middeke travels to Hot Sams Antiques to give us an inside look.

Trail Pairings: A Visit to Lakeville

Hot Sam's is featured on this article!

When you come to Lakeville for the first time, you’ll notice that trails are everywhere. In the neighborhoods, along I-35, through the parks and around the lakes and beaches, ribbons of separated bike and pedestrian routes crisscross the town and connect people to exercise, shopping, dining, school, work and recreation.

WCCO: Lakeville’s Hot Sam’s Antiques Is A ‘Refuge For Happiness’

From the wacky to the wild, there’s a place in Lakeville that has it all.

Movie props and discarded junk have turned Hot Sam’s Antiques into a photographer’s paradise.

There’s a dignified-looking pheasant perched high above Interstate 35 in Lakeville. But this is no ordinary bird. The pheasant and the parrot next to it are gatekeepers to one of the most interesting places in Minnesota.

Step Inside Junk Man Jake's Paradise

...otherwise known as Hot Sam's Antiques and Foto Park.

If one man’s junk is another man’s treasure, then Hot’s Sam’s junkyard theme park would be the ultimate vault. From planes, trains and automobiles to rockets, spaceships and landspeeders, owner and creator Jake Hood – the self-proclaimed “Junk Man” – says he’s always been a sucker for junk. Jake has been in the junk game for so long that junk now has a magnetic way of finding him.

Support Our Shops: Hot Sam’s Antiques

Featured, People & Things, Shop, Today on TCL!

If you’ve ever driven down to 35W south of the Twin Cities, you may have driven past a rocket ship and giant shark on the side of the interstate.  If you’ve wondered what exactly that’s all about, we did too.  Reporter Kristin Haubrich had to find out what was inside Hot Sam’s Antiques.

Featured New Book: Hot Sam's as the first story!

A tour of Twin Cities history and culture through the lens of the unusual.

Weaved into delightful narratives by local writer Julie Jo Severson, Secret Twin Cities is a treasure chest of offbeat, extraordinary gems and legacies. Whether you’re a local or here for a visit, you’ll broaden your Twin Cities itineraries, bucket lists, and trivia vaults.

Finding Minnesota: The Shark, The Rocket & Other Oddities Along I-35.

Hot Sam’s Antiques & Used Furniture - Review Highlights.

Planes, trains and automobiles: 'Antique theme park' in Lakeville lures smiles.

Lakeville, Minnesota: Hot Sam's: Big Weird Junk by Bobbie Jake Hood

Hot Sam’s Art, Antiques & Oddities In Rural Lakeville Minnesota.

Hot Sam’s Art, Antiques & Oddities In Rural Lakeville Minnesota.