First: my attitude before I went into the museum...I'm in the Dells. I've been to a bunch of these…read morecheesy museums on my visits to the Dells. This will kill 30-60 minutes. Second: this is not kid friendly unless you want to expose your kids to actual pictures of victims of John Wayne Gacy. There is a lot to read if you like that stuff. The "artifacts" are certainly questionable of their authenticity since I don't think they had plywood in the 1800's, but they still give you an idea of what these things looked like. And yes, part of this place was furnished by "Gary's Haunted House Emporium" (if this place really exists, sorry Gary). Maybe this should get 3 stars, but again... I'm in the Dells. I like the Dells, don't get me wrong. I guess I felt this place just had that Dells charm.

I love all the darker and more disturbing parts of history so this was the perfect place for me to…read morego, i loved it, i had so much fun! the worker was super nice and i enjoyed seeing all the things they had out and it was pretty educational

This was such a fun place to see all the 80s outfits and decor. It really transported you back in…read moretime with some need finds to purchase as well. Outside on display these colorful cars and painted rocks. A really fun experience to enjoy!

Maybe a step up from top secret only because I got to play a free round of pac man , closing after…read morelabor say for good and I can see why anyone who would recognize any of the stuff in there wouldn't ever pay to go back

We came here while on vacation, on the last day of the year, during my kids winter break. I…read morehonestly think this place rivals bigger places like the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Although it's not huge, there are so many interesting exhibits packed into a relatively small space. We could have easily spent hours here until close but we had plans to hit the road and head back home to the Chicago area. The gentleman upfront was nice enough to only charge me for 2 adults, even though I later checked the website and saw my 5 year old normally would have been charged at a lower price. My children, ages 3 and 5, had a blast. They ran around from exhibit to exhibit. I like that each one had instructions printed to explain the illusion. If you're into outer space, space stations, etc., the second room is for you! My son and I paid the $4/ person cost to Ride in the space shuttle VR experience. It wasn't really that exciting, but my 5 year old enjoyed it. My favorite part was the 3rd exhibit. Don't forget to head upstairs as well. The Van de Graff generator (to make your hair stand up) didn't seem to work. I have a picture of myself as a child standing there, so I was pretty bummed I couldn't get one with my children. Since it was cold and snowing, we didn't experience any outdoor exhibits, but there is plenty to do inside. You do have to walk outside briefly between exhibits, so dress appropriately. Definitely would return!

This activity was more fun than I expected and the kids didn't want to leave. It is filled with…read morelots of hands-on science experiments and before I knew it we were there for almost 2 hours. The kids would have stayed longer but we had another event scheduled so had to leave. Even the little kids will find something interesting. Even we adults learned lots of cool things. I think the ideal age is 5-10 years old but outside that range is still good too. If you are staying at a local resort ask if you can get a discount for doing so. The tickets are (as expected) not cheap but this one is worth the time and money. Be prepared to end this activity through the gift shop and brace for buying expensive souvenirs.

Ok, first off, I've been to the old location before they made the move to the old Wizard's Quest…read morebuilding so I know what that place looked like. I'm not a local so I don't know why they moved and left a perfectly styled Indiana Jones temple lookalike vacant and empty but I digress. My mom really wanted to come and so we decided to give the new location a try since things were supposed to be new and updated. They did not lie about that. Things have been updated but most of the really quirky and museumy stuff unfortunately has gotten the boot it seems. In place of those items are now quirky and unique art projects, slippy slides, neon walls, and a scavenger hunt. I found the theming a bit off, they basically put artifacts in closet spaces to accommodate the weird rooms that were once Wizard's Quest. Don't get me wrong, the kids loved it and we spent probably 1.5 - almost 2 hours here but that was because we had kids who wanted to slide and crawl and climb everything. Adults might get through in an hour and that might be generous. I really do miss the weird museum stuff though. The spooky dark halls, musty rooms, and dimly lit cabinets. Now that was eerie and that was the Ripley's I remember as a kid. The theming here just doesn't quite fit with oddities. It's more of a quirky art gallery with a few severed heads thrown in. Still interesting but not quite Ripley's...

We had so much fun here! This was my first experience at a Ripley's Believe it or Not, and it was…read moreactually so much cooler than I had expected. It is a little pricey, but they offered us military discount as my husband and I are both veterans. And there is also so much for kids of all ages to do that, It will keep them occupied for hours! I brought my son who is 15 and my daughter who is 7 and they both equally ran around excited and curious for hours. The museum is completely interactive so the kids could touch and explore everything. Every corner was a new awe inspiring moment. And the staff also made the experience top tier. They were interactive with the kids and would ask them if they saw certain artifacts throughout the museum. Truly a great experience!

We went with family…read more So much to see and the different things all over made this experience amazing. From gardens to clowns you will it see it all. We loved the area located like an underground town and restaurant. The observation area is not for the faint of heart. It does sway. Stunning view. The entire area including the (several) carousels was fantastic. Things to know: *Free parking. *Lots of walking and some areas not wheelchair/stroller accessible. *Military discounts. *Map will be provided. *Purchase coins when checking in to listen to some of the machines and extras along the way. *They have a smoking area. *Some areas might be a little claustrophobic. *Expect around 4 hours to walk through.

This place is so interesting and it is HUGE. Be prepared to spend a lot of time here. Some areas…read moreare very hot/humid. I do not deal well with heat so I did have to move thru some areas faster than I would have liked. They do have a cafe half way thru so you can have some food and drinks. I did not stop here but it did smell wonderful. There's many things to see and everything is really cool and unique. The house and infinity room are impressive as well as the HUGE whale but all of Alex's inventions and collections are amazing as well. Honestly, the whole reason why I wanted to come was the world's largest indoor carousel. It is beautiful. I definitely sat there for awhile watching it. Side note on the Carousel, they have no horses but they do have a bulldog and as a owner of a bulldog, I literally bought everything in the gift shop that had a bulldog on it. Till this day, they are still uncovering more items in storage lockers so they probably will continue to add more items. I do think this place is worth the price and it is something you won't find anywhere else. I would love to check this place out again and I do highly recommend it. Also, the gift shop is big and had a lot of different items for everyone.

A hidden treasure of the Dells, and much truer to the area's heritage than the flashy resorts and…read morewater parks. We always patronize Parson's whenever we come up.

Such nice people work here! The Prices here are reasonable. Not the classic cheap souvenirs.read more

I will start off by saying I have been looking forward to visiting this place for YEARS. I am also…read moreNOT a circus fan. I remember being 3 or 4 years old and my dad taking me to the Circus and we left after about 5 minutes. I just hated everything about it. But I always enjoyed the Circus paintings, flyers, etc. from the old days. This place had TONS of that! This place is Ringling Bros original winter quarters. There is so much to explore. I've seen tons of videos on youtube of this place but it is does not do it justice with how large this place really is. This place took about 4 hours for me to explore. There's indoor and outdoor exhibits. The outdoor portion has historical buildings, which was really fun to explore. They did have a couple of shows going on but I came on a Monday and it was fairly quiet which was very nice. The only show I saw was the Circus they have which was actually VERY good. I was not looking forward to it but it was about an hour and it was so entertaining. I would 100% recommend and would come back. If nothing else, you can enjoy all the old posters and banners like myself.

Do you love the art of the circus and want to expierence the most unique museum ever? Well Circus…read moreWorld is for you. This place is Ringling Bros original winter quarters. There are a few different things to see here and I highly recommend spending the day exploring it all. First the main room when you enter will have history on the Ringling Brothers along with a few novelty items. Then next to it are all the animal houses that have wagons, dioramas, and so much more in each of them. They have things from Ringling, but also history on other circus's. Now you cross a bridge to the other side where they have the Hippodrome. In here they have a few small shows in here. They also have actual circus train cars that were used by Ringling. During the summer months they have a circus tent where they do a circus show that's free with the price of admission to the museum. Now the best part is the wagon area. It's a giant building that holds about 50 wagons from every circus around. The history of these wagons is amazing. Overall if you want a day of exploring circus history and want to see the live circus, visit this amazing place.

Don't drive too fast or you will miss it!! You should stop, well worth a quick stop! There is a…read morelittle gift shop too!! Incredible.

On the way to Wisconsin Dells from Madison, you'll find Dr. Evermor's Sculpture Park, a free,…read morequirky roadside stop with a small parking area (donations welcome). The park is packed with giant metal creations--towering birds, a 20-foot insect, a guitar, and a massive centerpiece made from salvaged boat parts, motors, and pipes. It's like walking through an outdoor museum of welded imagination. I wouldn't drive out of my way to visit, but since it's right off the highway, it's a fun and memorable stop for photos and a dose of weird Wisconsin art.