Took our 16 month old and he loved the toddler room!! I do…read morewish the toddler area was larger as it ended up being crammed while we were there. Also wish the time slots were longer than an hour, but otherwise woukd definitely recommend. We didn't even make it to the second level because we felt the toddler area was best fit for our little one!

My toddler was in heaven at this place! It's $8 a person (12 months and older). They have a toddler…read morearea for 4 and under but every area has stuff for every age kid. The staff are nice and keep the areas clean. They do have a storytime but we opted out to get a little more time away from the other kids as it can get overwhelming. I would recommend this for younger age range as some of the older kids seemed to get bored at some of the areas

Lovely place, first time my wife and I had been there. We walked several trails and toured the…read morevisitors center. The trails were well made and matained. We will be back. We were impressed in the COVID precautions. Temperature checks and contacting info.

My family absolutely loves the KNC. When the weather is glum, there are lots of things to do for…read morekids inside. When it's nice outside, there are tons of trails and lots of exploring to be done. We typically start inside, and then we hit the trails. Lots of birds to see and streams to play in. The imagination runs free at Kalamazoo Nature Center! With annual passes available (around $80 for a family), the investment in the community is well worth it!

Beautiful restoration with amazing original period furnishings. Lovely garden and extremely…read morewell-done railway car exhibit on lower level. Enthusiastic and friendly staff, plenty on street free parking.

We were visiting the Michigan City area for a family vacation. We love exploring historic homes,…read moreespecially of the Gilded Era. We decided to do the guided house and garden tour for $20 per person. It was well worth it. Our docent professor Craig was the absolute best! He knew every detail about the history of the Barker family, their beautiful home and lavishly furnished home, as well as the history of the family business. One thing that impressed me most was that the heirs of the original Barker family have made it their life's mission to spend an unlimited amount to restore the ancestral family home back to its former glory! This is a Michigan City treasure and I highly recommend visiting- especially in the summer when the garden is in full bloom!!

As part of our visit to the Studebaker Museum, we also decided to visit the History Museum mainly…read moreto tour the Oliver Mansion that was adjacent. Fortunately we arrived at the right time as there are only two tours per day. We had ample time to tour the Studebaker Museum and then joined the mansion tour. The mansion has 38 rooms and was built in 1895-96 and was beautifully finished in almost every part. J. D. Oliver was president of the Oliver Chilled Plow Works and grew the company into one of the largest in the world in the late 1800's. The home was called, "Copshaholm" which was the name of the Scottish village the Olivers were from. Of interest to me was the degree of finish quality especially the woodwork. The home remained totally furnished which from my perspective was nice as many tours we've been on featured large, empty rooms. Despite the home being so old, there was a pretty good air handling system that even on this brutally hot day, we remained comfortable. After visiting the Studebaker and History Museums, we hit a favorite restaurant before driving home. All in all a very good day.

The history museum consists of 2 levels of historical information, artifacts, and material from…read morewhen the first European settlers arrived in the South Bend area up until the present. When you come in, you go to the right and spend time going through a large room that takes about 45 minutes to cover. Then you go downstairs right below and there's a winding path that takes another 45 minutes. Right outside that winding path is a sizable children's play area where small kids can go "back in time". When returning to the main floor, there are a few exhibits as you head to the carriage house. You can add a guided tour of the Oliver Mansion. Yet, those tours are only at 1:00 and 2:00 as I type. So plan accordingly. We found the museum very enlightening. We were able to take the tour, which gave a great sense for the richest people in South Bend from over 100 years ago - but it's not a show-stopper by any means if you don't do it and just do the main museum. They've got a lot of period exhibits with great artifacts and signage.

Great place, we came in October so its the shoulder season. The staff was very friendly to us and…read moreour 4 year old. Its a really nice walk around their campus.

We were not planning on stopping here during our summer camping/ beach vacation, but due to the…read morewild fires and poor air quality we needed to pivot to an indoor activity. I'm so glad we had the chance to stop in. The staff were so friendly and great with kids. The museum was very clean and organized. There are multiple buildings to check out and we didn't get to half of it! Would come back to check out more. The other bonus is that you can leave for lunch and come back if you are still wearing your wristband.

Excellent aviation museum. It's smaller than the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Ohio, but…read morethat gives it a more intimate feel. There are fewer barriers, so visitors can get much closer to the aircraft. The enormous size of the F-14 is especially impressive when compared with the F-18 or older A-4. One volunteer shared some negative comments about museum leadership and mentioned that another volunteer had sprayed cleaning chemicals inside the F-117A bomb bay door, which reportedly smeared some of the signatures preserved there. This felt more like an internal museum matter than part of the visitor experience. The sci-fi and Alien exhibits also seemed somewhat separate from the museum's core aviation focus. Overall, the aircraft collection is excellent. Seeing the F-117A was a major highlight, and being able to walk right up to the very rare SR-71B made the visit especially worthwhile.

We decided to check this place out cause I saw it was a Smithsonian affiliated museum. At first,…read morenot what I expected knowing it's Smithsonian affiliated. The main museum has lots of activities/displays for children. Cool planes on display but it didn't give museum vibes. The walk to the other part of the museum was serene, it was a nice day when we went. The other area was definitely geared towards adults and the restoration process. Overall it was worth it but don't set your expectations too high after hearing it's Smithsonian affiliated.

If you are looking for something to do in Northern Indiana, Heston Steam Museum is a great place to…read morego. They introduce you to various historical ways of working with steam machines. They have an assortment of old farm tractors and vehicles. And they have a working sawmill. On occasion, I've seen the blacksmith shop open and hammering away at keepsake souvenirs. The highlight of the trip will be a steam engine train ride through the grounds and woods. Along with a narration by the conductor. This is a fun place to go on the holidays as they theme the train to the holiday. There is a train themed gift shop perfect for souvenirs of your trip. And popcorn to purchase. Occasionally, the soda fountain is open. But, if they are not, Heston Supper club is down the road along with other options in nearby LaPorte, Indiana or New Buffalo, Michigan.

| Hesston Steam Museum: A Masterclass in Disorganization and Terrible Customer Service…read more If you've ever wondered what happens when you combine two-hour-plus lines, absolutely zero organization, and volunteers who seem genuinely irritated by the presence of paying visitors, look no further than the Hesston Steam Museum. The experience was nothing short of an operational disaster. Lines stretched beyond two hours, with seemingly no system, communication, or competent crowd management in place. Visitors were left standing around, wondering what was happening, how long they would be waiting, and whether anyone was actually in charge. And don't bother asking for clarification. The volunteers we encountered seemed to have perfected three responses: snarling, snapping, or shrugging their shoulders in complete indifference. I understand this museum relies on volunteers, and I genuinely appreciate people who donate their time. But volunteering is not a free pass to treat guests with contempt. If answering reasonable questions from frustrated families is too much to ask, perhaps interacting with the public isn't the right assignment. What's particularly infuriating is that this is supposed to be a family-friendly attraction. Parents bring their children here expecting a fun, memorable experience, not hours of standing in poorly managed lines while being treated like an inconvenience for daring to ask a question. The trains may be historic, but apparently so are the museum's ideas about customer service and crowd management. My recommendation: Save your time, your money, and especially your patience. Until this organization figures out basic logistics and how to treat its guests with a modicum of courtesy, I cannot recommend it. One star, and that's only because zero isn't an option.

This small, free art venue is worth checking out when in St Joseph if nothing else to see the…read moreincredible Dale Chihuly sculpture when you walk in! But there are also exhibits and a small gift shop as well. Friendly staff!

What's not to love about Krasl?  If you're the artsy type, you truly will enjoy every minute spent…read morehere.  Whether you come to an art class or to check an exhibition, you won't be disappointed you stopped.  I highly recommend checking out their website to check out when things are going on. I love coming here for the exhibitions because the range of art they bring here is very diverse.  As stated on their webpage "The Krasl Art Center offers historical, contemporary and thematic exhibitions that are thought provoking, relevant and relatable."  I feel there is no better way to discribe the exhibits so I had to use their own words.  I have been coming here since I was a kid with my parents.  One thing I remember them doing when I was younger was they had an exhibit for wax sculptures and it was then I knew I loved looking at art.  I was never good at art myself, as much as I tried to be, so for me coming here to stare at art was the next best thing. Also, don't miss the Krasl Art Fair on the bluff.  It's always a great event every year.

This is such a great free museum! Nate and I were in town recently and wanted something to do, so…read morewe stopped in. We were greeted at the front desk and given the layout of the museum. I love that they have free lockers to store your coat and personal items. Really handy as we had our winter coats on. The museum has a few special exhibits as well as a permanent collection that includes a ton of information on the history of Kalamazoo, a mummy, and a planetarium. (The planetarium show is $3 per person.) We learned about the Kalamazoo State Hospital and explored the super cool traveling exhibit Skin: Living Armor, Evolving Identity. I learned a lot about animals' skin and their adaptations, how skin has informed technology, and how skin has affected people historically in terms of racism and prejudice. There are a few interactive elements to the exhibit but I think it would be best for middle school kids and up. The museum overall was well kept and for the most part had working installations. I saw some kids playing and the history of Kalamazoo was really interesting. It took us about two hours to explore the museum. It's not a place I need to go every time I'm in Kalamazoo, but I would say if you're a local and have never been, you should check it out. Or if you're visiting and looking for an indoor activity!

It's been many, many years since I've been to the museum. I was very proud to show my friend and…read moreher little one. The building of wonders and artifacts. I was surprised to see so many cool new things like a small diner, a storyboard, sounds machines, wind tunnels. It was really cool! Some of the local favorites were still there. Including the mummy which we just had to check out. After looking at that we went and played a game of fact or opinion! We didn't even realize we'd played for hours and hours. Time really does fly when you're having fun!