Saw this place on tiktok a few years ago and just knew I had to stop!! I'm so glad we did!! There…read morewas honestly so much to see that we'll probably be back someday! This place was amazing plan on being here for at least four hours. There are so many areas to climb and fit your body through. There were slides, caves and so many areas that if you hadn't been paying attention, you would have missed! We brought the kids here to have a fun time but honestly us adults really enjoyed this as well! There is a place to grab a snack here as well as gift shop. There are multiple floors and rooms and just when you think you've seen all of it another floor or room will pop up. We thought we had seen everything and then realized we missed two whole floors! This is absolutely worth going to!!

This place is really overwhelming. It was SO CROWDED. You know you are old when you start…read morewondering about max capacity and fire codes while in a place. There is constant noise. Kids yelling, crying, people talking, metal banging. Got here close to open. Parked at a lot nearby (thought it was the one for City museum. It was not and cost me $30 so BEWARE). Walked to the museum (about half a block) and the line was through the parking lot. I had not purchased tickets online because they charged a $8 convenience fee. Paid $68 ($62+$6 tax) ($23 per ticket for admission and $8 per person rooftop add on) for one adult and one kid ticket (there is no difference in price) with the roof top add on. They give you a wristband to wear which is nice that you can leave and come back. We left to go grab lunch nearby and were able to exit and re-enter easily. Got inside and had to use the restroom. Restrooms are old, run down, some stalls were out of service, paper towels were out, toilet paper out. I saw the restroom being serviced several times but it always seemed to be out of something. My kid had fun but there were areas they were not allowed to access due to not having a flashlight. Kidlet wanted me to buy one but we had no room to pack it. They could benefit from having a flashlight rental program for people traveling. Lots of kids wearing knee pads but my child did not particularly care they did not have them, they just wanted a light. Line to get on elevator to go to roof was long and hot. Roof was hot and there is not a lot of shade. It was cool views and photo ops if you are into that. I wanted to ride the ferris wheel but it was too hot to be out in the sun. Took the stairs back down. I was surprised I kept seeing it was in a 10 story building but there are only 3-4 floors you can access plus the roof. Due to the way it is laid out there are bottle necks that gather and make it hard to maneuver in some places. The restroom entrance is near the gift shop entrance (which is also where you exit) and people were just standing there so it was difficult to get through. Maneuvering the stairs was difficult as well as people did not keep one side open for going up and one for going down, taking up the whole stairway so you had to wait. Overall this was a way to kill some time before going to the airport. Kidlet had fun and they are the target demographic but I would not go back.

On the former Shurtleff College campus is the Alton Museum, which is in one of Alton's oldest…read morebuildings (185+ years old!). This is the place if you would like to know some of the history of Alton, Illinois. The museum covers Robert Wadlow, Elijah Lovejoy and notable black Americans that are from Alton. There is also a room devoted to how transportation played an important part in the city, by river and rail. Several historic items are found here, including Robert Wadlow's shoe and 3rd-grade desk. You'll also learn about the Underground Railroad as it was part of Alton. Lots of historical tidbits await the visitor. Did you know Alton is known to be where the first Civil War battle happened, and where it ended? It started with the battle over Lovejoy's printing press to Lyman Trumbell's (was a resident of Alton) co-authoring of the U.S. 13th Amendment. As much as I hate to say it, there probably won't be some people who aren't from the Metro East area who don't know much about Alton that would be interested in visiting. Do some research on Elijah Lovejoy (that is, if you didn't learn about him in school. He is a very important historical figure.) Also, if you know a lot about the streets and old buildings in downtown Alton, it would probably be a much cooler visit. I for one, didn't know much about the streets so I was a bit lost! There is usually a volunteer that will happily give you the tour. Mine was Brian (sp?) and he was very enthused about the history, and he told a few obscure stories related to Alton. It is only $5 admission for adults, and you get a discount if you are a veteran. Park in the back behind the museum and library. And as always, check the hours.

We stopped here while visiting my hometown to share local history with my wife. The museum captures…read moreAlton's rich history which ties into many significant people and events. The hosts of the museum are extremely knowledgeable about all of the displays and history of Alton. I learned so much about the history of my own hometown just visiting here for an hour! Admission is 1/2 off to military veterans.

This little-known and hidden museum is located inside the supposedly haunted Mineral Springs Mall…read morebuilding in downtown Alton. Some say it is fitting, as Alton is known to be one of the Top 10 haunted places in the United States. The building itself was a hotel that opened over a century ago, and several paranormal sightings have been reported over the years. You can kind of get the idea once you set the foot in the place. Its only five dollars admission, and you get to learn a lot about, well, ways people tortured people for centuries. First off, this museum is not for everyone. There are some offensive and disturbing parts here, as one would sense. This is basically for the open-minded, and for those who have a keen sense of history. The museum is a bit small, but there are several things that await the visitor. The woman who operates this museum has apparently done so much research and collected so many artifacts about the 'torture' subject. You can definitely tell she had an enjoyable time doing this! The weapons/chambers/photographs are accompanied by several materials that talk about how people were tortured. The first paragraph usually explains how the device operated, and the history behind when it was used (like what time period and what country/continent). The always controversial topic of slavery (in most countries of all periods of time) is also explained here. I'd rather not give away too much. You may find the subject on torture interesting! When reading these, I had to put myself in these people's shoes. Whether they were the victims, or the people who lived under one supreme ruler who frequently used the torture devices on the folks under them. Some of these torture methods are still being used today in some parts of the world, sadly. If you make a weekend trip to Alton, check this place out. Unfortunately, the museum is not open during the week, just on Saturday and Sundays. Be sure to check the hours.

$5.00! This museum is for those who love "campy" things. I enjoyed it, in a way that I enjoy…read morevisiting Graceland without being an Elvis fan. If you are into this kind of entertainment than this is for you. Leave the kids at home though. Lovely lady will answer all your questions, and she drives a hearse! How could you not enjoy her museum knowing these facts?!

Very interesting displays of soda beverages!!! Also, the…read morepinball machines in the lower kevel were great fun! The old building is beautiful.

Bizarre nostalgic throw-back to sugar laced time before corn syrup drenched mixes arrived…read more I met a friend and his granddaughter in the basement to play retro-arcade games for a ser price fo a few hours. Kid and teenager me would have loved it... the sarcastic 10 year old wanted board games to improve her experience. After considering- I agreed. I would add some chess and checker boards and a few other board games. Or a few Atari games... The epitome was the McDonald's $1 double cheeseburger sign. I asked to order it: they didn't have cheeseburgers, all things are more expensive and everything is not as healthy. I am not wishing for cocaine Coca-Cola or other "medicine" in Dr Pepper. $1.50 for a can of soda is a big jump for a corn syrup from the nickel advertising of a sugar sweet memory. The epitome of the place was playing shuffleboard with the 10 year old. I was trying to play with a sense of touch. She was playing with the idea of creating a highlight reel of knocking my pieces off. I beat her because the idea of the game escaped her. To look back at Asteroids was a shock. Realized that it was just black and white, 2 dimensional game with only a few buttons to control it. Overall I walked still a fan of the glossed over experience. I remember being a broke kid wanting to play unrealistic games to escape from reality. Now I wish for the sugar rush I used to have.

It is a great museum for all ages. The shows "Ghosts of the Library and the Lincoln Union Theater…read moreare very informative. You can start with Lincoln's childhood in an Indiana log cabin, through his early law career, to becoming President and his unfortunate death. It is accessible to all, and the volunteer docents are very helpful. There are plenty of interactive things for kids and adults, and plenty of photo ops

Well worth the time (give yourself at least 90 minutes) and the price of admission. The displays…read moreare well done and informative. The docents/volunteers are excellent, everyone that we talked to was warm, informed and clearly enjoyed their time with us patrons. The day we were there two musicians were playing period music. They were very good, and while it did get a little personally annoying, it did really put you in time and place for the subjects. Both of the relatively short theater presentations are worthwhile, so plan accordingly so you can watch both. There was one display depicting the slavery auction block. It is a gut punch to anyone with a human heart, regardless of your outer wrapping.

The museum was a lot of fun. Extra fun if you've read some of Mark Twain's books. There shops after…read moreeach section which was just as fun if you like souvenirs.

We visited the museum and surrounding houses in old town. Where Sam Clemons was raised…read more Admission is $20 bucks, $15 for veterans and seniors. Self guided tour takes you through Mark Twains life as a child, into adulthood and his life as Mark Twain. The primary characters, their reallife references The family home, the family run pharmacy, the judges office and court, Becky Thatchers house are all within a few feet of each other and in the same couple of blocks on the street. Make it an easy walking tour and worth your time. There are a few stairs to the upper floors but otherwise its a fairly easy walk at your own pace tour that takes an hour or so to go through. This musuem is a tribute to the great Mark Twain and his writings, his life before success and the childhood surroundings of Samuel Clemons that formed the works of Twains writings. 4 Stars worth the time and support if you are a Twain fan, history buff, enjoy Americana or literature history in general. 01324

Gorgeous mansion in a section of Quincy where you see a few blocks of absolutely gorgeous mansion-…read moretype homes that are amazingly maintained! Beautiful woodwork and furnishings. Some docent provided information, as well as self guided tour .

Beautiful place! Some original furniture & clothing pieces, other period pieces donated from…read morenearby. Very nice place to stop and learn some local history.

The art museum is such a beautiful collection of ancient sculptures and artwork. It really lets you…read moresee what the different times were like and understand how talented the human race is at creation. We went during the Ancient Rome exhibition and it was breathtaking to see the size of the sculptures and learn about the families, royalty vs their servants, what type of armor and jewelry they would wear. Alongside the pieces of art that are normally there, I love the museum and think everyone in STL should visit.

Excellent collection for a small city. The museum is not too large but it has a good…read morerepresentative collection of European, American and ancient art. I was happy to find three Bierstadts. Impressionist room is excellent. Not a huge museum but definitely worth visiting!