We loved visiting and it was a very informative intimate experience. We want to go on a nice day…read moreand utilize the playground.

My kids enjoyed the guide led tour, it wasn't crowded so it was a private tour just for us!…read more We researched prior to going so we knew it was creation based museum. They also pointed it out prior to us paying. They told us the place was under renovation but offered no discounts. For the amount of disrupted exhibits this really should be considered. It seems once done it will be a nice little museum. Our guide was very polite and well rehearsed. She followed the flow of our questions well and kept the tour moving. The outside park seems to be in need of maintaining, much of the equipment does not seem safe! Loose nails, chipping paint, broken boards and flimsy or old construction of homemade attractions. The marketing signage (large size) was one of the best features. It's an interesting visit for about an hour. But wait until they have everything renovated

Thank you to all who worked so hard to bring an Elvis luau evening. It was a lot of fun! The food,…read moredrinks and community made it a wonderful night. I hope to return for another epic event

Castle Noel, came on a recommendation from a fellow Ohioan at Cleveland Zoo back in December 2022…read more After hearing about Castle Noel, and being someone with being a December birthday, Christmas, love of Christmas movies this was a must. The tour itself was 2 hours, the tour guides on my date August 31, 2025: last tour of the day 2pm, were informative, interactive, and made me feel like I was in Christmas heaven. The tour in my opinion is geared toward for kids 6 and up, and everyone else after that. All of our tour guides, hilighted there areas well. If you ever find you have to reschedule your tour, the staff are more then eager to help with that. Check in through the black doors, at gift shop ; be sure to browse and take home a piece of christmas or other souvenir. Everything about the tour epic, loved it all from Santa squeeze, to Grand Ball room to room with all the toys, restoration room, the slide from Christmas Story, Lord & Taylor clock at the start of the tour, all the Christmas windows. Look forward to returning and seeing all the new additions in future. Cheers to 10 years !!

Came here for Mothers Day. Worth the visit to see the house and gardens…read more We were told when you come around Christmas there are not as many rooms open for the house tour. But on Mother's Day we got to see a lot of the rooms we never saw. And got to ask more questions and take our time a bit more. All around good experience. You want to see as many of the rooms as possible. Pro tip. If you are doing a house and garden tour leave the house thru the front door. This way you don't have to back track the gardens. Out the front door take a right to head along the back of the house and the gardens. Don't miss the greenhouse. The Japanese garden and the really all the gardens are beautiful. It's a nice walk. You can definitely get your steps in. It's a nice afternoon. We spent about 2.5 hours. Could have spent longer. But we were hungry. This was a good experience overall and fun afternoon.

Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens is such a beautiful place to visit all year round. I remember going…read morehere several times as a child for field trips and I have always been fascinated with this home. Several years ago I found out that they have special tours at Christmas time where you can tour the house and each room has a different theme and you can also tour the grounds where they have Christmas light displays. I believe the tickets this past Christmas or $28 each which goes towards keeping up the estate and grounds. I feel like that's a fair price. There is so much to see in the estate and out on the grounds and I suggest coming here during the year as well for a regular tour. The Christmas decor is so beautiful each room in the estate is typically sponsored by a local business. It's so interesting to see some of the old furniture, dishes, light fixtures, truly whatever you can think of it's all so beautiful. They even have a greenhouse on the property where you can go to purchase plants, especially poinsettias for the Christmas season. They have a little concession stand where they sell things like hot chocolate, coffee, wine and beer, cookies, chili, soft pretzels, etc. Santa even stops by during certain hours where you can visit him. Overall, this is one of my favorite places to visit during the Christmas season and as a child I loved coming here during the year.

I'm writing this review after hearing a deeply disturbing story from my younger sister, who was a…read morestudent in the Stow School District. Over the years, she visited this establishment multiple times through school-organized field trips. Her earlier experiences seemed educational and age-appropriate, but her final visit in 8th grade was traumatizing and completely unacceptable. On her first visit, she was a young child, excited to explore history. She remembers playing with wooden toys and engaging in fun, interactive activities. It was a harmless and enjoyable experience. On her second visit in 4th grade, the experience was still fairly lighthearted--she milked cows, churned butter, and watched glassblowers at work. It seemed like a continued effort to connect children with the past in a safe and engaging way. But her third visit in 8th grade took a shocking and horrifying turn. During this "A Fugitive's Path: Escape on the Underground Railroad" experience, my sister and her classmates were: Placed in shackles and treated like slaves Forced to simulate escaping through the Underground Railroad Exposed to the sound of blank bullets being shot into the air Surrounded by the cracking of whips Yelled at and intimidated by adults playing the roles of slave catchers or owners This wasn't education--it was trauma packaged as a learning experience. As her older sibling, hearing her describe the fear, humiliation, and confusion she felt during this simulation was gut-wrenching. I cannot understand how any school district, let alone an educational institution trusted with children's development, would approve of such a psychologically scarring experience. How could you slowly build a relationship with this place over several years, only to subject children--still minors--to a reenactment of slavery that includes the sounds of gunfire and whips? What kind of message does that send? What makes anyone believe that this is appropriate or effective? Let me be very clear: no child should ever have to go through this. Teaching about the horrors of slavery is important--but traumatizing children in the process is not education. It's irresponsible and deeply damaging. To the school district and the organizers of this program: What made you think this was okay? You crossed a line that should never be crossed. You failed these students. As a sibling, I'm heartbroken. And as a community member, I'm calling for serious accountability and immediate re-evaluation of what is considered "educational." This should never happen again--to any child, in any school, anywhere. This event took place in 2013-2014 school year however her trauma is still valid in 2025!!!!!!!!

My first time and what a great experience. The grounds were lovely although did need the grass cut…read more All of the employees were great with the exception of one who was not age appropriate and came off as mean.

I am a self-proclaimed presidential history nerd visiting from Texas. I've read a biography on…read moreevery president in order through Truman, and my bucket list includes visiting where each was born and their final resting places. Of course, I also make it a point to visit presidential libraries, national historic sites, etc. I've visited dozens of locations across multiple states. This museum is obviously not your "typical" presidential library (part of the national archive system), but still extremely impressive. It centers more on Stark County and its history defined by its people combined with a "hands on" science center downstairs for kids. Janet at the front told me it was because McKinley loved children and science. Listen, like I said above... I've been to dozens of presidential sites and this by far is top five most impressive! Not because of the presidential stuff...I'm talking about the museum in general. I was encouraged to see the exhibit on the segregation "that built Stark County's black community". It's nice to see these issues front and center. The exhibit honored black educators, public servants, and other important community members. The history of "red lining" was particularly informative. Even though the McKinley gallery is somewhat small...there are impressive pieces throughout. Like a rocking chair from his front porch... Including a photo of him sitting in it, a 32 caliber revolver identical to the one used to assassinate the president, a lot of campaign and inauguration memorabilia, and McKinley's top hat and cane were some of the more goosebump inducing pieces Don't miss the cool story about Ida McKinley's diamond tiara having been sold on the TV show pawn stars, But more than 400 individuals and groups donated to purchase it back. And, don't get me started on the street of shops from the 1800s. It's probably the most impressive exhibit I have seen in ANY museum in my lifetime. Every time I visit a presidential history site... I am overwhelmed with gratitude for people like staff and volunteers at these museums. I'm grateful to all who had the foresight to preserve and maintain our history. If I'm ever in Canton again... My family will definitely visit.

A disappointing experience at this museum which bills itself as the McKinley presidential library…read moreand museum. It is neither. It is a kids' modest science center with a big dose of history about the local county. I guess it's possible they have his papers somewhere but approximately 5 percent of the public museum is about him. I hate to be negative about museums but I was truly shocked. It costs $17 to get in which makes me think that hey are struggling but who knows. Worst presidential site I have been to. Go to the Garfield site- much better. (They do have a nice fake dinosaur.)

We always enjoyed this when our children were small. We brought our grandchildren and they had a…read moregreat time in the planetarium but especially in the hands on area downstairs. It is showing its age a little, but it was still great presenting science to young (1st and 3rd grade) children. My husband and I enjoyed the historical section, but not too much meant much to them, although they did like certain elements, like making President and Mrs. McKinley "talk".

Took my granddaughters there. They are young and go thru exhibits quickly so i knew we would not…read morebe spending a lot of time there. Got there at 3:25. They close at 4p. They wouldnt sell the 5 people in front of me from Minnesota tickets because tbey were closing at 4p. And they told me the same. If that is the case on their hours of operation they need to indicate they wont sell tickets past 3:30p because they close at 4p so all those little old ladies behind the desk can leave precisely at 4p. God forbid they would have to stay to 4:01. I wont return.

This is a small art museum in a beautiful contemporary building that mostly features local artists…read moreto NE Ohio. There are a few recognizable names among the collection such as Mark Rothko and Keith Haring. I visited the museum in March of 2026 and it was my first visit to the museum. My bf and I were done in about 75 minutes. Adult tickets are $12 with some discounts offered to seniors, children, the military, and locals. We saw some impressive pieces, including a gorgeous installation that featured taxidermied peacocks that was definitely the showstopper among every visitor that day. We were bummed that a large section was closed off in preparation for an upcoming exhibit. It meant a lot of non special exhibit art was not viewable to us. A heads up and/or a discount would have been nice. Meanwhile, a viewable exhibit with a gorgeous Tiffany glass window installation was almost missed entirely by us because the doors to get to it were covered up by curtains, giving off the impression that it was closed. Fortunately, we walked through the curtains out of curiosity and saw the glass piece but many others in the museum walked right by it. A sign letting people know that the space was open would be a good idea! The art museum store was closed by the time we were done but from the outside, it looked like a pretty good, if pretty typical, art museum gift shop. It is worth checking out if you are in the Akron downtown area.

Fabulous art, some great classics here and some local artists and quite a few I had never heard of…read more One interesting series in the current photographic exhibit is by Josh Azzarella who "works with historical photographs by removing or abstracting their central imagery." Unique to see the Kent State Shooting without Jeffrey Miller. Lovely to see a Calder and a Magritte here as well. Don't miss the facade of the building which itself is an art piece. I understand that it uses the same steel and glass as was installed in the Louvre. [Review 1351 of 2024 - 270 in Ohio - 22374 overall]

The Canton Museum of Art (CMA) is an unexpected art gem in the Canton's art district. It is located…read morein the Cultural Center for the Arts. The building contains Canton Ballet, Sing Stark, and ArtsinStark. You can have an entire cultural adventure in the same space. That's exactly what my experience was. I visited the center for St Nicholas Balalaika performance, and discovered that the building had this museum. I love art and so I HAD TO stop in. SPACE: The museum doors are accessible through the Cultural Center for the Arts. You can peek through large windows to get a lot at some art at the Cultural Center for the Arts. The museum has multiple rooms of art. There is plenty of room to explore. The museum also has a small souvenir shop. ADMISSION: Regular adult admission is $8. Free admission is available every Thursday and first Friday of every month. ART: The art museum has a space with gorgeous sculptures. There are also art works for sale in the foyer. Few striking pieces are available. The main exhibit space is displayed in multiple rooms. The current exhibition is Shattered Glass: The Women Who Elevated American Art (on display until March 1). To be honest, prior to the visit here I was only able to name Gloria O'Keefe as a renowned female artist. This exhibit expanded my horizons. There were so many famous and global women artists. It's a very empowering exhibit. You'll even find the renowned "Migrant Mother" photograph. The art includes digital art room. Plan for extra time to look at every piece of art and read every single story. Also, linger by the guestbook available in the galleries. There are beautiful reflections about the exhibit. Leave your own. SERVICE: I was blown away with the service here! I've been to museums in various parts of the work, and this one was the friendliest. I arrived during the last 30 minutes of their work day. The staff welcomed me with open arms. They were friendly, informative, and invited me back. It was an excellent experience. PARKING: There is a surface lot by the center. There is also a parking garage to accommodate visitors. I look forward to returning to the museum for events and exhibits. This museum is such a gem, more people should talk about it. I loved my time there - the art, the hospitality, and the new perspective about women artists.

The Canton Museum of Art is a little gem nestled in downtown Canton, Ohio. The museum is small…read moreenough that you can see the exhibits in a relatively little amount of time which makes for frequent visits. Highly recommended.

My son and I visited for a trick or treat event for children. The house is quite lovely and I found…read moremyself wanting to learn more about it, but the trick or treat moves fairly swiftly and there isn't time for history. That said, my son enjoyed it and I did too. His favorite part was visiting the lovely sheep grazing outside. The inside of the house was well decorated and there was a craft outside in the small guest house on the property. We were there early so parking was pretty easy. Volunteers were friendly, although the ticketing/check in process was a little confusing. The door was open, but the guy working seemed unclear on whether they were ready for us to come in or not, and directed us to the craft area before we paid and got our stamps. One day I'll come back when it's less hectic to explore and learn more about this interesting piece of Akron history.

I went after hours, walked around, they had live sheep. but being called "Mutton Hill" I got a…read morelittle chuckle out of that. the land is huge but has divots in the grass so be careful. I loved walking the grounds.