I work for the railroad, and I have been by this building 500 times in the last 17 years. I never…read moreknew that it was here, but some friends were doing Atlas Obscura day trips and this was one of the stops. It is really cool to see all the old popcorn machines, Marion, history, and Ohio history, all under one building. We're bringing some Swiss friends next time!

Super neat & quirky little museum to venture to on a rainy day! Lots of fun & interesting things to…read moreread about. My kids really enjoyed trying out the rotary telephones. They had never used one until then! Kids these days...

This is a cute little museum featuring exhibits, shows, and interactive stations related to…read morescience, history, technology, and more. There is a very nice little planetarium (the Scidome), and viewing a show is included in the price of admission. We saw "From Earth to the Universe," which provided a crash course on astronomy throughout history and a look at our galaxy and the universe. The first floor of the space features a lot of interactive and hands-on activities, such as building a circuit, learning about your body, building and racing cars from objects like Legos, plus a 6-and-under play area. The hot shop is also located in this area, and it was very interesting to watch them work with the hot glass (and a very pleasant space to be in on such a cold day!) Upstairs is a wealth of local and regional historical information for Newark and Licking County and its citizens and discoveries. A giant mastadon skull greets you as you come up the stairs, as the Burning Tree Mastadon was found in the county. The Jerrie Mock exhibit, complete with a flight simulator and a replica of her airplane, the Spirit of Columbus, was extremely popular with the kids. (Jerrie Mock, a Newark native, was the first woman to fly solo around the world). A little historic village, complete with cash registers, scales, and games is also available to walk through on this level. Given the weather, we didn't spend as much time out in the courtyard as we probably would have otherwise, but we definitely made it over to the building housing the interurban railway car, the back end of which you can walk in and look around the interior of. There's also a really well done mural on the topic out by the parking lot. Staff was friendly and welcoming, and the museum was clean and comfortable. There is plentiful parking outside. A small gift shop, including items made in the hot shop, is available near the entrance.

My niece loves to go to another children's museum in a nearby city. Unfortunately, it's a little…read morepricey for what it has to offer beyond your 1st visit & there is very little for adults to interact with & engage. We recently went to Cosi 1 weekend instead. The Works is hands down a better experience than the other children's museum. This is now her favorite of the 3 places we've been. Unfortunately, the glass blowing was closed for routine maintenance & we have plans to return when open again. The bottom floor houses the small planetarium & hands on exhibits & play areas for kids & upstairs is more informative displays of the local area, the Works history & a brief technology over view. I've heard there's a café associated with the museum across the outdoor area but we didn't look into that the day we were there. 10/10 recommend a visit if you're in the area & looking for something new, fun & educational for kids to do.

I haven't been here in years! We used to bring the kids here for the playground but the entire…read moremuseum is super cool. Lots of spaces to wander thru, lots of eye catching displays to keep you entertained and elevate use of your brain. The waterway is one of may favorite parts of the museum and glad it's still up and running 20+ years later. We actually went to watch the Mesmerica 360 show in the dome theater. That was rather mundane to me but that's not the fault of the museum. My biggest peeve of the visit was seeing the us flag was still being masted when it is in tatters. I posted in my 'check in' and I will post again here in my review that it's time to retire this flag and replace with a fresh replacement. Whomever is in charge of the grounds here should be embarrassed. Please do better.

Came on a weekday during Christmas break. Packed with kids, so maybe try an off time…read more Medium-sized children's/science museum, loads of activities and displays. Aimed at single-digits ages, and Kid K felt a little old I think. She found stuff to do, but a quieter day with not so many little kids would have been more fun for her. Still, she did some of the science things, and we went to the indoor zoo- very cool, very cute, very clean. They had a few scheduled special activities during the day but we missed them. There were a lot of staff around helping and keeping an eye on things, which is always good. Multiple discounts, so check for those. Prices are reasonable even without them. Parking was packed on a busy day, but we found a spot. It's in a big park so no other crowded places nearby. A great draw for the area.

I can't believe we've been wasting our time at Cosi lol, this is so much more spacious and my 2…read moreyear old can literally touch every thing. Everyone was so nice as well, both patrons and staff. I'm also glad they make you keep your shoes on unlike momiland which smells like feet. I love how clean everything was as well. We drove 40 minutes and we will be back! I wonder if they have memberships?? I have never seen her so upset to leave somewhere before. I love that the water table was her height level too, at cosi the kids her age have to stand on stools which isn't very safe for the kids or relaxing for mom.

COSI too far? Too expensive? Just need a safe place for your kiddo to play indoors and stretch…read moretheir legs and imaginations? This is for you! This place is essentially like the kids space at COSI. Different areas for them to play and get creative. Dress up, read, sing on the little stage, climb on the construction equipment, pretend to grocery shop, play on the splash table and build a pipe line for the water to travel through, and much more. My sister and I took our little ones here on a rainy day, and they definitely enjoyed themselves. We (unfortunately) went on a day when a HUGE daycare or playgroup was also visiting, so about 15 mins after arriving, this swarm of over 50 adults and kids came in and it just got insane. I overheard another mom say that she's never seen so many people in there, so it reassured me that it's not always like this. This place isn't super fancy, and I did wonder about their sanitation procedures because I didn't see any buckets or bins for toys to go in if a kid had put it in their mouth. My LO being under a year, and my nephew being 18 months, you know everything goes in the mouth. They had a little "plop zone" which is the sacred safe space for babies under 2 to not get trampled. My daughter liked it, and liked chewing every toy, which takes me back to the germs... Butbi tried to let it go. The one thing I truly disliked about this place is that you have to pay to get in, even as an adult. $8 for me to supervise my own kid? Okay... Luckily my daughter was free because she was under 1, but I thought it was kind of ridiculous that adults have to pay for their child and themselves. It would make me think twice about coming here regularly once she's over 12 months because I don't think $16 is worth it. As of right now, all she can do is sit in the little baby plop zone. So if you really need something to do on a rainy day, definitely come here. It's safe and the kids for sure have fun. But if it's not a rainy day or you have a lot of kiddos, weigh out all your options, lol.

The other reviewer covered the basics, so I'll tell you what makes this museum unique in my…read moreopinion. While at first glance it may be mistaken for just your average railroad station museum, the reality is it has a very unique reputation for having one of the finest collections of items specifically related to the once ubiquitous Railroad interlocking tower. Specifically, it has one of the largest collections of preserved interlocking tower manipulation boards in the county on display, all from Ohio and many of which come from towers that were torn down decades ago. They also have a better than average gift shop for the railroad enthusiast, With the ability to purchase actual historic railroad passenger time tables, paperwork and other items that are surplus to the collection, as well as back issues of many of the most popular Railway magazines, including Trains, Railfan and Railroad and others. In short, if your into rail history and want to see some truly unique items, you won't be disappointed.

There is no entrance fee but donations are requested. A nice little collection of Erie related…read moreartifacts plus a number of switch boards from some interlocking towers. These folks have done a great job getting the station so that it is presentable. Outside, the station is surrounded on two sides by 8 crossing diamonds and one can sit on the benches and watch the freight just pass. This is a VERY unique railfan site.

It was my first time going to the Central Ohio Fire Museum and learned a lot about the the former…read morefirehouse with the history of firefighting and how to be safe from a fire. The tour guide was a firefighter himself and gave a great knowledge about fighting fires. I got to ring the bell. I would recommend going to The Central Ohio Fire Museum to learn more of the history of firefighting and staying safe from a fire.

My 4 year old LOVES all things firefighters. We stopped in on a Saturday morning when we had a…read morespare 2 hours and were met with enthusiasm from all the staff and one firefighter staff gave us a detailed tour. She made the museum exciting and engaging for our kiddo. The play area was so fun for him and we had to drag him away or he could have been there all day. He got a helmet and sticker on the way out and wore the helmet all the way home (on the airplane). Highly recommend for littles or bigs that love firefighters and history!

While the staff altogether welcoming and friendly, it was Theodore who provided a skilled and…read moreprofessional tour of the Harding home. His style was factual and warm, but he didn't overwhelm us with too much detail. However in asking a number of random questions, he was surprisingly knowledgeable and engaging with additional knowledgeable about the neighbors, Harding's staff, the renovations and historical settings of the time. Thoroughly enjoyable!!

I am a self-proclaimed presidential history nerd visiting from Texas. I've read a biography on…read moreevery president in order through Eisenhower, 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 morning found me the only one on the 10 o'clock tour of the home. It was neat to sit on the front porch and reflect for a while... I highly recommend the tour, especially if you're with Theodore, he really knows his stuff. I love that the house is 95% original to when Harding left for the White House. That's incredible! Some of the cooler artifacts include: Harding's hats, canes, and the gavel when Harding was chair of the RNC. Although I appreciated the history and authenticity of the home, it's just not as awe inspiring as some places I've been. I can't really describe it. The museum is the same way. Beautiful building, and the layout and collections are impressive (like the suit he wore at his inauguration, and his Senate desk and chair from 1900). Let's be honest, they did an impressive job for a president who didn't live through his term. Again, the sites are well maintained and beautiful; I'm glad I visited. It's just not jaw dropping like some experiences I've had. I spent several minutes in the gift shop trying to decide how to commemorate my visit. In the end, despite the gift shop looking well stocked... options feel limited.

We live in Pittsburgh, but love going to Columbus to visit its many family-friendly experiences…read more The Cosi is always on our list. Each of the attractions are so engaging and unique from one another. I love the town of Progress and the water play area with Poseidon. We ate at the cafeteria on our last visit and the food was better than expected. It's much better to go when it's not crowded as it can be a bit overwhelming when it's busy.

Great day for the kids. Pretty interesting for adults, too. The permanent exhibits are fascinating,…read moreand they have some rotating exhibits included with general admission. It's irritating that the special exhibits have extra entry fees, but I guess that's how things are these days. Everything has an upcharge. The food in the cafe tastes good, is overpriced, and is unforgivably stingy. The chicken salad sandwich would probably be good if they actually put chicken salad in it, and for the price, they damn well should. The exhibits are dusty and could use a cleaning. This, to me, was ridiculous, and took away from the experience. The kids probably didn't care, but when you're a parent throwing money at a place, hand over fist, you at least would like it clean. Good lord, the gift shop... handfuls of target and dollar store crap your kids will bawl their eyes out for. Be prepared. You've seen everything there at half the price.