This is NOT a stuffy ol' museum!…read more When logging was the primary industry in northern Wisconsin (late 19th - early 20th Centuries) the logging was all done in the winter. The ground was frozen and logs could be moved without slogging down in the mud that would happen during Spring and Summer. A camp would spring up until the area was fully logged out, then over the summer, the camp would be relocated, anywhere from four to ten miles further away, in the next stand of lumber. Camps were sometimes named but often just numbered. Often a town would spring up around the camp but die off as soon as the camp was moved. Some survived, Laona is an example. In Laona's case, the Connor Family built a successful sawmill here, which is still in operation. When Camp 5 was logged out and moved on to Camp 6, a farm sprang up so the company could supply the camps with meat and vegetables for lumberjacks with voracious appetites. Descendents of the family that started it all decided to preserve the old lumber camp and farm, and formed a foundation to operate and preserve Camp 5. It's on the National Register of Historic Places, and you'll find the historic farm (some of it still operational) and a logging museum as part of the old logging camp. Special events are held throughout the season (check the website for schedules) and it is all very educational while being fun! There's a guided tour of a managed forest that shows you how modern logging operations differ from the clear-cut-and-move-on method of logging from the 19th Century. You'll find displays of stump pullers, skids, water tanks and other logging equipment from the past. Check out the retired, heavy equipment and a Wisconsin Central switch engine that you can enter. Kids will enjoy the petting zoo, although the managed forest tour might not hold the attention of youth who haven't learned about the history of logging in Wisconsin. Be sure to visit the operating blacksmith shop! There's only one way to enter the museum, and that's by steam train! Climb aboard the Laona and Northern Railway for the three mile ride to the museum. You can sit in an open-air observation car behind the locomotive, or opt for riding in an antique passenger car or a caboose. (Yes, you can ride in the cupola.) The season runs from mid June to almost Labor Day each season, plus some Fall dates. Check ahead. A flyer with coupons is available at most hotels and tourist info kiosks in a 50 mile radius. There is a gift shop and lunch is available with a limited menu (freshly grilled burgers, brats and hot dogs) at prices you might expect in a captive situation. All in all, it's a fun couple of hours for the family. (Don't tell the kids they'll be learning something!)

This is not your average museum. There's no big fancy building with a marble entryway and…read moredressed-up docents. There *is* a big old steam train to ride on (you can even climb up a little ladder and see what's what). My husband went here as a kid and was dying to share it with our little rascals. You buy your tickets then hop on the train (it leaves maybe five times a day) for a short ride (15 minutes?) to an old logging camp. There are a couple of buildings with old equipment and pictures (and a buffalo hide rug that grossed my kids right out), which are good to browse through for a little while. Then you can pay extra for a pontoon boat ride (they take you on this very muddy river, tell you about the logging camp history, and hope for some wildlife) or take the included-with-train-ticket wilderness tour. We didn't take the wilderness tour because the kids were having too much fun in the petting zoo. There were goats, chickens, ducks, a little cow, and turtles to look at in their enclosure. They had adoptable kittens, too, but we resisted their fuzzy adorableness. There is a concession stand on the grounds (crazily expensive, as they all are) and the old camp slaughterhouse, which was eerie. There is a little nature trail with signs, but the bugs made sure we didn't get much out of that. There is a store they call the Cracker Barrel store, but it had zero in common with Cracker Barrel restaurants. It was full of souvenirs and candy (fudge and gummy), and that's where you buy the pontoon boat tickets. Next to this building is the Nature Center, which is a taxidermist's dream come true. Lots of dead stuff in there (again, the kids found it gross) but also some cool minerals and ammonites (I loved them!). We were there for about 2.5 hours and were ready to go by then, but it was a fun little place. It's staffed mostly by high schoolers, with train enthusiasts running the steam engine. We hopped back on the train for the return to the depot, where the kids got to line up and blow the horn. That was COOL. The guy in charge enjoyed it more than the kids, I think.

This is a fantastic kids museum. I've taken my kids to many different ones in many areas and this…read moreis one of the best. It's not a huge place but it offers enough activities and play areas to occupy kids for at least 2-3 hours. The staff is friendly and helpful and there is an art area that is open all the time to both independent and guided art projects. The one small criticism I would make, and it is a small one, is that there are not many activities for children under the age of 2. If you find yourself in the vicinity of Minocqua, it is worth stopping by

A gem! A wide variety of activities and areas. Certainly making the most of a space that is not…read morehuge. Wonderful staff. Things were really clean and in great working order. Also, the toy store in the front has some great finds!

Museum was larger than what I originally thought. Fill of all kinds of great history. I…read moreparticularly enjoyed the mining part so much better than the WWII era of the museum. My preference not for everyone, but I feel like there is so much WWII thrown in our faces everywhere we go and I'm tired of it, there's so much more history that gets forgotten about because of this. Anyways l, highly recommend you check this place out if you enjoy history of mining! Enjoy!

Although this is labeled as a Cornish pump museum, the associated World War II glider museum is…read morereally neat. The accuracy is fabulous and it is wonderful the amount of time people have donated restoring the vehicles here. Definitely worth a stop if you are in the area.

It took over $3 million bucks to restore this place! The Marathon County Historical Museum (across…read morethe street) did a fabulous job! My wife and I took a one hour tour today ($7. each) and it was well worth the charge. So if you are looking at a tour that fits one of the following categories then check it out: -- How rich people lived in the old days --How historical renovation is done very well. Jacqueline was our guide. She was very knowledgeable about the house, the family, the renovation process, etc. Sometimes it's my impression that guides aren't that knowledgeable; Jacqueline wasn't this way. I thought of the Molly Brown House tour we took in Denver. Very interesting! The carriage house and garden are available for wedding receptions, etc.

From the owner: Guided tours of the elegant Yawkey House Museum are available on the hour with the first tour…read morebeginning at 9:00 am during the week and 1:00 pm on the weekends. The last tour begins at 3:00 pm. Garden and dining room rental is also available. Visit our website for more information.

This is a great place to take family and friends to not only venture down into a mine but to hear…read morethe history and stories of when the mine was open and running. After taking the train ride into the mine a guide will lead you thru the mine. Im 63 and always take first timers to the UP to the Iron Mine. I probably have been through this mine 30plus times. I feel I could be a guide since I can practically recite what they tell you. LOL Don't miss a chance to tour this mine. P.S. A word of caution don't wear new shoes. Weat an old beat up pair. There is moisture on the walking path and with all the iron in the soil your shoes will become a rusty rea color,.

Must see! Great history lesson and fabulous tour. Make sure you bring a sweatshirt or coat if you…read moredon't like the cold, it's 42 degrees in the mine.

Very nice older gentleman showed us around the museum and showed us all of the different stuff they…read morehave from Minocqua's history. It looks small from the outside but looks can be deceiving, they have tons of stuff from an old classroom to a old car and huge train display of Minocqua. Definitely worth the trip, super nice folks.

I've been coming back to Minocqua at least once every summer for the past 13 years. Finally made it…read morea point to come check out this museum, and I'm glad I did. The information was interesting, and everyone working there was friendly. If you have an hour or so, be sure to stop by and check it out! Also, if you have a kid who likes trains, there's a large scale model train set as well.

A really beautiful stop both inside and out! The Birds in Art annual exhibit is obviously the fan…read morefavorite, but it's definitely worth a visit even when that isn't going on.

Who knew you could find an outstanding art museum on the way to Northern Wisconsin. My wife had…read morebeen to the Woodson Art Museum a couple of years ago and suggested that we stopped as we passed through Wausau. The Woodson family were rich dudes who are from Wausau and when they wanted to do something with all their money, they turned their estate into an art museum. The main focus of this museum is on birds. Bird drawings, Bird pictures, bird sculptures, the gardens are filled with various sculptures including Birds. The museum is beautiful, the grounds are exquisitely nice. They would be a great setting for a movie or maybe your wedding. But, truthfully, although the paintings and pictures were wonderful after seeing the hundredth picture of birds I knew I had enough. However if you are an aficionado of paintings, sculpture and birds this is a must-see museum. The museum is free and the staff is helpful. I was a little bummed that the museum shop only sold postcards and books. I'm sure if they sold faux paintings and faux sculptures they could make a killing. This museum is highly recommended. If you are in Wisconsin or near Wausau it's worth your time.

I had never visited this museum in all the years I've spent up north, so when my mom was here…read morevisiting, we decided to stop, as this kind of stuff is right up her alley. It's a small house with lots of nostalgia items from the era; games, TV Guides and a soda shoppe recreation in one of the rooms. The rest is dedicated to Dr Kate Newcomb, who famously traveled the northern WI area delivering babies and doing it many times in snowshoes. She was also honored on the old show "This is Your Life" with Ralph Edwards. It's an interesting way to spend an hour or more while visiting the area. It's run by volunteers and gratefully accepts donations, so pony up some cash to support this lovely local attraction!

If you are interested in Native American history and culture, past and present, the George W…read more Brown, Jr. museum is an excellent place to learn about the Lac du Flambeau band of the Lake Superior Ojibwe (a.k.a Chippewa). The focal point of the museum revolves around four life size dioramas depicting aspects of traditional Ojibwe life in every season. Smaller displays around the perimeter of the museum feature things the Lac du Flambeau band is known for, including: traditional spearfishing decoys and equipment, moccasins, bead work, basketry, birch bark canoes, wild rice harvesting, and maple syrup production. Contemporary tribal history is also well documented -- in particular the struggle to continue to exercise their treaty rights (including spearfishing) in the ceded territory. Though it is a small museum, we spent nearly an hour examining the artifacts and reading the detailed descriptions of everything on display. I would encourage everyone living or visiting in the north woods of Wisconsin to visit the museum to learn about and respect the First Nation people whose land is now a vacation destination for urbanites from Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota.