The Children's Museum in Oswego is fantastic and filled my kids with hours of fun and…read moreentertainment. We arrived on a Monday morning, left for lunch, and returned for more play until the museum closed at 4PM. The museum is technically two stories, although the first floor mainly consists of the admissions desk, a small gift shop, and a water play station. Waterproof smocks or covers would have been nice since my son's shirt did get quite wet. There were boats, fishing rods, and cascading channels of water for various kinds of water play. This was a hit with both of my toddlers. The second floor had much more activities. From large and small foam blocks, Magnatiles, a scarf suction pipe/chute, books, light tables, brite light pegs, and a mini spiral climbing structure, to a dentist's office, pizza and salad restaurant, fire truck, tree house, farmers market, farm, toilet to teach plumbing, aluminum recycling, color wheel, and much more, there was a lot for kids of all ages to explore. There was also a small sectioned-off area for 0-2 infants and pre-walkers. The space hosts birthday parties as well as STEM classes. The staff were lovely. We were given a stamp in our hands before we took a break for lunch so that we could re-enter for free that same day. The only complaint I have is that there was less in the way of offering arts and crafts or even free-form drawing. We did not see any parking lot, but took advantage of free 2-hour street parking. This is definitely a great spot for families with young kids in Oswego.

our family loved this place up until my daughters birthday party we had there, we paid for the most…read moreexpensive birthday party package, they didn't decorate the room with the colors we told them, they never gave us any scents for the slim add on that we paid extra for and they NEVER gave us any goody bags that were apart of the birthday package, we called and complained, it took them a couple days to call us back to tell us we would be getting an $80 refund and that it would take 5 plus days to receive the money and still haven't received it. We paid a ridiculous amount of money and didn't get what we paid for...... Also the pizzas they give you for the party are not actual normal sized pizzas they are slightly bigger than a personal pan pizza. But a lot smaller than a medium sized pizza. Definitely not happy with this place.

I was fortunate to have been the bartender over 20 years ago for the fundraising event to build the…read moremuseum. Ruth Gruber and so many of the survivors were in attendance. I've been meaning to visit since its opening. The tour is self led after an 8-minute video. Each area of the exhibit has touch screens (they provide a stylus) and some have audio. The accompanying app digs deeper into the stories and history. It is a must see if you're in the area. The events leading up to and during the refugee settlement should be taught about in school.

Fort Ontario, now home to Safe Haven Museum, was the only U.S. jurisdiction to formally protect,…read morefeed, house, and educate European refugees during WWII. Thanks to President FDR, 982 refugees found their way to America and away from the devastating effects of the Holocaust. To me, it seemed unbelievable that such history could be found in CNY so I had to check it out. One Saturday morning, I made the 20 mile drive to Oswego in order to visit this small local museum. I arrived 30 minutes after it opened and was the first person there. I chatted with a delightful volunteer, who gave me a rundown of the site and its history before allowing me to watch a 38 minutes video, which included refugee interviews. After the video, I strolled around the tiny gallery to read their stories and see photos. Afterward, I walked through the main area one last time and again chatted with the volunteer, who has been keeping an eye on the place since it opened in 2002. All and all, I would say that I spent two hours at the museum, but you could easily see it all in an hour or so. Admission is $5 for adults. It is obvious that this local landmark is proud of its heritage and has gained a lot of support from both survivors and their families. There are currently plans to expand the facility and add an outdoor garden, which will be lovely. I was sad to hear that there is a shortage of volunteers because this type of history should be protected and shared for generations to come. My only real complaint is that the "theater" where the movie is shown is in the middle of the exhibit hall and the background noise is a tad distracting when you're reading plagues and information boards (a group of people came in 30 minutes behind me). Although this is a small museum and perhaps a work-in-progress, I recommend it to anyone who, like me, enjoys a trip to the museum to learn new things. I took several courses revolving around the Holocaust in both high school and college, but I never heard the story of Fort Ontario. It is worth going to see for yourself to reflect upon Oswego, NY's place in WWII history.

My son loves this place. It's got a great little museum with a ton of history and a tug boat you…read morecan board and explore! Great gift shop where my son picked up a couple of very cool titanic pictures.

Poor management! Very unhappy! We came on Wednesday and went on the tour. We were told to come back…read moretoday Friday for the lighthouse tour! The director spoke to us and told us where to park our camper. We drove all the way here from Parish on Friday at noon and we were told they cancelled the tour last minute and we were told told we needed a reservation which the director never told us on Wednesday! We will never be back!

While on our mini trip in the upstate of New York we visited the museum that dedicated to the…read morehistory and background of all things of oz including the location being in the city of the man who created it all. Walking in your surroundings by souvenir shop with all kinds of cool things to take home and be able to enjoy for a lifetime. The staff was phenomenal and gave us the opportunity to do a self guided tour or tour guide where they come along same price for both it was about $12 each we did the self guided tour. We able to see the original first edition book that Frank Baum had published and is worth a fortune now and she mentioned to us his grandson was the one that gave it to them. She did also mention to us about how he created other books and history of his life. That was a good introduction to understanding the creation behind all the other versions that came out. We also managed to see some classic like the wiz the return of oz and some other versions that was actually an independent film like "After the wizard which they had the original cast members costume they wore on the set and seeing the version of oz old and new was eye open and exciting and at the end we able to see more of the cast members items like wicked 2024 costumes from the first movie and also they have 3 pieces of the 1939 scarecrow straw from the costume and she mentioned that there's only 200 that were given out and they managed to have that in there museum. Overall a fun experience was able to learn some things as well as go back in to memory land and they did mention that during their Oz extravaganza festival that one of the wicked cast members will be in town stopping by and that festival is during June and the beginning of June and you could always check on their website for more information and we will definitely be back for more events and try to come out during the festival as well. This a place I would highly recommend to visit if you are in town this place is a one of kind experience.

On our way home to CT from Western NY, we took a pit stop at the All Things Oz Museum, and we're so…read moreglad that we did! My family loves the original movie, especially my mom (who also read some of the books). We did the guided tour, which was super informative and very interesting! The girl who took us around was super friendly, and we enjoyed chatting with her. We were impressed at the memorabilia they had, and it was cool getting to learn more about L. Frank Baum in his hometown. They even had a cute photo op at the end. Definitely worth the stop if you're in the area!

Reliving childhood memories and making new ones with the whole family…read more The Strong National Museum of Play is the ultimate place for interactive play with over 282,000 sq ft of fun exhibits. Smaller kids were able to immerse in the toy Grocery Store, Reading Adventureland pirate mail, and Sesame Street exhibits on the 1st floor. There were neat areas including the Pinball Playfield and outdoor Field of Play with a D&D dragon statue and Monopoly for photo-ops on a nice day. The Hulk strength and Spider-Man city climb exhibits in the Comic Book Hero area were also fun. On the 2nd floor, the Digital Worlds and Video Game Hall of Fame featured many classic and independent video games that kept us entertained on various consoles. We also had plenty of fun in the Level Up area, especially with the interactive stealth zone and wall toss games. These were all included in the admission price but my personal favorite were the arcades at $1 per 5 tokens and featured Mario Cart and Halo plus many more games from the past four decades. We literally visited three days in a row here to experience the many parts of the museum for multiple days of play. With added admission, we also worked up a sweat on the Skyline Climb rope course and zipline above the atrium. It was well-designed with a safety rail & traffic light system that made it suitable for young kids. The site has a rainbow parking garage with 6 parking entries included in each annual family membership. Skip it or hit it? We had such a fun time that we'll definitely revisit in the future. Good thing it's only 3 hours drive from Toronto.

This is a trip down memory lane!…read more This museum is not just for children. It's for that little kid inside you that was once naive, joyful, and full of imagination. There are many play areas for kids of all ages, a Wegman's grocery store, a giant working Simon, outdoor space for bubbles, giant sized Monopoly, a giant Chutes and Ladders, a huge Donkey Kong game, plenty of pinball and arcade machines. This year they added an indoor 9 hole mini golf course as well. The part that always leaves me in awe is the massive collection of old toys and video gaming systems. A great trip down memory lane always.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3BLAFoKTqw&t=5s…read more I've always been fascinated with trains, trucks, old cars that go back in history. And many times I've wanted to go and see this museum. So on 9/19/2021 they were holding a special event for old fire trucks, I headed out there. They had an assortment of vehicles going back in time. The old trolley car which you can ride on, fire trucks, roadway machinery, an original Greyhound bus, and more. I was impressed. Good for the history buffs, and families. And I give special credit to the men and women who donate their time to make this happen.

Really surprisingly nice. Don't confuse this one with the Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad…read moreMuseum. It wasn't cheap, $27 for me and 1 kid. But there is a lot to see here and admission comes with a really nice ride on the tram. They have a couple cars from the old Midtown monorail which brought back a lot of memories. Lots of cars and engines you can climb on, and a lot of the bells still work. Some other neat old antique vehicles as well. All the people that were working/volunteering were super nice as well. Overall great way to spend an afternoon.

The national Air Force museum of Canada is a great place to learn about the military history of the…read moreRoyal Canadian Air Force. There are lots of different types of planes that you can exhibit as well as history information. Although this is no longer free, there is an admission cost to enter the museum now.

So worth the visit. They are restoring an old Lancaster at the moment. Saw old fighter jets and…read morean old Hercules. Elderly 'copters and other planes. Very much worth a visit. They honour all airmen and women from all backgrounds - that was nice to see. The Museum is run by dedicated and faithful volunteers. Very knowledgeable gentleman, who described in length the history of the Halifax bomber which was recovered from the bottom of a lake in Europe. They have done a stellar job restoring this amazing workhorse.

The Everson is a place I've appreciated since I was a kid. It showcases a variety of art that is…read moreadmirable on countless levels. They host classes available to the community- one I took was pasta making which I'd never would have thought I'd make pasta in an art museum which made it even more glorious. Always check to see what exhibits are in house & take the time to appreciate the space when you have the opportunity to.

I always love going to the Everson museum. I appreciate the rotating artwork, pop up events, and…read morefood truck Fridays (during the summer). My favorite event is the Annual Festival of Trees. They are celebrating the 40th year of the event this year and the trees are creative and amazing. This event is held the first 2 weeks of December and offers a variety of decorated trees on display throughout the museum. Trees, wreaths and other holiday creations are donated by local artists and businesses. The trees are for sale for anyone interested and most-if not all-proceeds go to the museum. If you purchase an item it can be picked up/ delivered after the last day of the festival, which this year is December 13th! In 2020 I purchased a Peanuts tree that was donated by a family who's grandmother/mother had passed and I still display the tree every year. There are also scheduled music and dance performances, arts and crafts, and live music in the main gallery. Santa even appears on some days and volunteers are welcome via sign up. They used to have an opening night gala that was held the night before the festival opened to the public which offered heavy hors d'oeurves, live music, and first pick of items for sale. I think this stopped with the pandemic and have hoped for it's return. Anyway if you have a chance to go see the trees, it's a festive addition to the holiday season!

I absolutely loved Sonnenberg! The conservatory and gardens…read morewere beyond amazing. I really enjoyed walking through and taking in all of the beauty. They even have a section in the greenhouse with plants for sale. The mansion is of course just as great to walk through and take a little escape back in time. So many beautiful things and views. They do have a little cafe and gift shop/winery on the grounds. I highly recommend coming here if you get the chance!

It's a nice peaceful attraction to stroll the gardens and check out the mansion. There were binders…read moreof photos in the mansion to see what different rooms used to look like. Rooms were set up well with interesting garments and objects. You can look at some pretty closely. Some parts of the property remain dilapidated, like the pool. Some of the gardens weren't available for viewing. For example, we didn't see anything in the pansy garden area.