So far, so good. The ribbon-cutting ceremony and Saturday bus tours sold out in advance. Current plans call for the museum to be available on an appointment-only basis in the future, according to O’Connor.

Among ticket-buyers was Tamara Annis, who is from Ottawa. Ottawa County? Ottawa, Canada.

Annis was 14 when the movie was released. She was “in love” with Matt Dillon, so she and a friend decided to go see “The Outsiders,” not having a clue about what to expect. Now, “The Outsiders” is her favorite book and movie, and she calls Hinton an inspiration.

Seeing a photo of music artist Billy Idol wearing an Outsiders House Museum shirt piqued Annis’ curiosity. That’s how she found out about the home’s restoration.

The home was in such sad shape that it had to be gutted. It wasn’t restored to look new. It was restored to look like it did during the making of the film, furnishings and all.

There are “Easter eggs” inside the home. You can find one if you open the desk in Ponyboy’s recreated bedroom. O’Connor said he hopes people don’t go looking for “Easter eggs” all over the home because that would be weird.