VERY INTERESTING!!! While visiting my daughter in PA from CA we checked out the Mercer Museum and truly enjoyed the experience. Plenty of free parking available and Admission @ $20 for adults and $ 17 for Seniors was fair. So much to see and learn, you literally had to look everywhere, no space was left unused! The staff was helpful and insightful and we learned a lot and were impressed with the collection. Down side was elevators we not working which was OK for us but might have been an issue for others. #2 issue was lack of air conditioning in parts of the building. I highly recommend you take the time to see this! read more

It was a random visit. A sunny day, a lovely ride, and we ended up in Doylestown, an area that piques my interest. Had no idea what was in the Mercer and was blown away by what we saw. Henry Mercer, a true renaissance man, built the Mercer Musem to preserve a vast collection of everyday objects from pre-industrial America. Watching a film at the outset -- most people skipped it -- gave us an idea of what was behind the exhibits. Everything is precisely categorized: tools used for meat preparation, tools for dairy production, tools used with fruit ..... (he had a fascination with tools.) In 1911-'12 Mercer built Moravian Pottery and Tile Works. For a period of time he was recognized as the premier maker of artistic tiles. A mile down the road is Fonthill Castle, Mercer's home and showplace for his tiles. Open to the public, but unfortunately closed Saturday because of a wedding. (What a cool place for a wedding!) Both properties are Smithsonian affiliates, operated by the Bucks County Historical Society. If you find yourself in the area, I recommend a visit. (Ladies, wear comfortable flat shoes; there are winding staircases of hard concrete, and I hate to imagine a fall.) After your visit, you might want to keep your car parked in Mercer's lot and walk a few blocks to State and Main Streets. A number of bars and restaurants. read more

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Take a guided tour of the Doan Gang: Outlaws of the Revolution immersive exhibit. The time will fly by and you'll learn more about what life was really like during the Revolutionary War than you could possibly imagine! read more

Mercer Museum - Museums Near Me - Doylestown, Pennsylvania

Boring, mean tour guide, super long walk, they like rushing, but is just beautiful for pictures lol that's it!

A great stop for the everyday life of civilians in the preindustrial age! Currently for the revolutionary war fans, they have a gallery on the local Doan gang that is a must for getting a sense of the community struggles during the time period. A few more hands on, or interpretive spots would be nice. read more

I don't know why this place isn't more well-known than it is now. It's amazing, one of the best museums I've ever been to and I've been to a lot of museums. It's not gigantic like many National museums/galleries, but Mercer is very unique. The exhibitions, the general layout and setting are one of a kind--it's much more than seeing artifacts but you got to walk in a real castle too. If you find Fonthill Castle amazing, then Mercer is even more mind-blowing. Plan ahead and spend a whole day in Doylestown for these two spots--I wish I had more time so I could have visited the tile manufacturer too; well I guess I will have to come back to Doylestown again. read more

Mercer Museum - Museums Near Me - Doylestown, Pennsylvania

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Best $20 a person, educational and visually outstanding and the history of the place the man that built it and the people that maintain it and work it. Everyone was so nice. It was extremely clean very well taken care of. We'll be gone again. read more

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Wonderful piece of history right in our backyard. Something to see everywhere you look. The tiles were my absolute favorite and the gallows were... interesting & creepy & sad. The stoves and furnaces were so intriguing as well. Lots of fantastic designs. Love that we FINALLY came here after so long. A must visit if you are in the area! read more

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The museum had enough spaces for parking, clean bathrooms, and a cute gift shop. They had an exhibit on the ground floor that was interactive and fun. The actual castle part of the museum has so many different things to look at it was a bit overwhelming but fun to see and interesting to be able to see so many different things from the past. There is NO AC which was dreadful. And they say NO food or drink in the museum which is also difficult because it was so hot and humid inside. There are stairs and elevators that can be used to move up and down. read more

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Mercer Museum is built in the same reinforced concrete style as Fonthill Castle by Henry Mercer. The museum spans 6 stories and has an overwhelming impressive collection. The building itself with its 6 floors and winding staircase is amazing enough. I'm not sure what I enjoyed more the Fonthill Castle Tour or the Mercer Museum. The museum is very impressive with over 50,000 items as well as special exhibits. Although we only spent a little over an hour here, you could literally spend hours upon hours if you went through and read the history on each displayed item. I highly recommend the Mercer Museum! While you are there, grab a bite to eat in downtown Doylestown. read more

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Did you know there are two castles in Doylestown, Pennsylvania? I didn't! But I visited both last weekend! One of them is the Mercer Museum. According to Wikipedia, Henry Mercer was a "gentleman anthropologist." I've also seen him described as an archeologist and a businessman (he owned Moravia Tile Works, also in Doylestown and also available to tour). Mercer collected pre-industrial tools (tools used by sixty different crafts and trades) and then built this six-story reinforced concrete castle to house his collection. It's a wild sight, especially because the collection is arranged in the most chaotic, wild, fun way (chairs on the ceiling, whaling boats hanging from an upper floor, etc). It's almost too much - there's so much to look and to read about. But that's what makes Mercer Museum such a unique place to visit - I've never been anywhere else like it. If you're in the area, I recommend taking in all that Henry Mercer left to Doylestown (Fontill Castle and the Tile Works in addition to Mercer Museum). This one interesting, strange man really left a lot to and for Doylestown, and I'm so glad I learned of these places and have experienced some of them (I'll be back in Doylestown to visit the Tile Works next)! read more

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Wow, seven floors of antique artifacts in a castle! Went during the Doan Gang Exhibition (our local revolutionary outlaws) and saw that first. We were happy with the exhibit. Great information and interactive elements throughout the exhibit. We then went on through the self guided tour of the castle. Mesmerizing. To think that Henry Mercer had this vision to create such rooms of collections. Allow yourself plenty of time to enjoy. Helpful docents will gladly answer questions and give you interesting facts. Good parking, bathrooms, children's room, history library. Right across the street from the Michener Museum, and Bucks County free library. read more

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Went to this area for a day trip and we were looking for things to do, we decided to go to the mercer museum. We actually had no idea what the museum was going to be about neither one of us have ever heard of Henry Mercer. The parking lot is very big, and we had no trouble finding a spot. The admission is $15 per person, which I think is a fair price. We actually really enjoyed ourselves my boyfriend more so than I, but it was probably a place I wouldn't have gone without him suggesting it. We learned a lot and saw many awesome things on each level! I am really glad I did it and recommend this museum to anyone, even people with kids they had an interactive thing for kids that they went around and punched a card at certain stations. read more

Mercer Museum - Museums Near Me - Doylestown, Pennsylvania

This is really something to see how things were done long ago amazing.Wonderful time very informative guide the slant in the vestibule area I'm guessing was form washing the steps down from the top check it out read more

Wow. Just wow. Who knew a treasure trove of U.S. history was hiding in plain sight in Doylestown? Loved how the massive collection is fancifully displayed hanging from the rafters and tucked into little alcoves and rooms. Exploring history through the tools people used makes this concrete castle seem less like a stuffy museum and more like an engaging launchpad for discovery and discussion. The elevator makes most of the collection accessible to wheelchair users. A huge shout out to docent Gloria who recommend we lie down on the floor to fully appreciate the artifacts suspended from the rafters and walls. read more

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Another treasure in Doylestown that is often overlooked. Amazing look at our local history!

I came here by car on a Friday morning in late June 2022. They had a free parking lot and, at the time, had ample parking. I reserved my ticket online and it $10 for students and $15 for adults. From start to finish, the museum took about 40 minutes to complete. The interior looks pretty cool when you walk in and is pretty interesting if you find old farming tools and antiques interesting. I think the content is interesting to look at but is probably only worth $10 instead of $15 for an adult. I wouldn't recommend going out of your way for this place. If you're looking for someone to so in town, you should do a guided tour at the Fonthill Castle instead. The people at the museum is very nice though. I purchased my entry time slot for the wrong date but they still let me in at no additional cost. read more

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I love anything quirky, and this museum is a must for that reason. I have never been to a museum set up like this! Just amazing. Purchased a timed entry ticket online (you get a 2 hour window) - $15 for adults. Every nook and cranny is filled with artifacts and implements and collections of everything from kitchen utensils to hat-making tools and oil lamps and even a tiny little general store. Look up and you'll see an incredible, dizzying assortment of everything from chairs to wagons to baby carriages that are dangling from the ceiling. Best to explore by slowly going floor to floor by foot, though you can also go up each level by an elevator. I'm not a fan of heights, so I took my time because I go a little wonky when I'm that high up and it feels so.... HIGH, LOL. Lots of fun! read more

We were looking for something different to do & the Mercer museum was it! Great time for the kids as well. Cute scavenger hunt to get marked on each floor. read more

I visit this place once a year and it's quite thrilling to see!! Real seasoned artisans creating an art that has been around since the beginning of time! Making these beautiful tiles in the middle of BUCKS COUNTY PA! By all means book your ticket online first... In advance. Don't miss out ! The tours are very cool and educational. Tour guides take you around , they know a lot and you can see how tiles are used decorate and how they tell a treasured story. See them around FONTHILL castle just meters away !! Also check out their gift shop it has different things than at FontHill fyi !!! read more

Mercer Museum - Gorgeous - Museums Near Me - Doylestown, Pennsylvania

Great display of history! It was fun learning about the background of all the artifacts there. There's a library you can also go in and sit in. It kind of reminded me of scenes from Harry Potter. Definitely a cool experience in Doylestown! read more

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- very fun eccentric, educational experience I've never seen a covered wagon up close before (as seen in Oregon trail), that was cool - multiple floors (I think 6) that stoke the embers of curiosity - very picturesuqe - easy to get lost, which is a good thing - we spent out 1.5 hours in there roaming without a guided tour (thats without reading all the placards) - plenty of bathrooms - staff is very helpful and knowledgeable read more

This was the most amazing museum I've ever been too! When I think of museums I think of being bored but this one was anything but boring. For one they had a special World War 2 exhibit going on and I am all for anything military since I am an Army Veteran. So the fact that I would see some bad ass pieces of guns and military memorabilia had me excited. This museum was huge and had 7 different floors of stuff on display. So the staff at the front had given me and my friend a map and told us since it was our first time to check out the first floor and go through that way. Another cool thing about this place- they have elevators! Which is a plus to me since I have major back problems which hinders my walking at times and results in my legs swelling up and being in pain for hours after. So this museum is handicap friendly which is a plus because there was no way I'd climb all the steps for all 7 floors. So on the first floor it was showing what the museum was about- who built it and why it was built. It initially was a prison and turned into a museum by some dude who had a dog named Rollo- well that's what I gathered from skimming through some of the pieces. This dog Rollo was a special dog he even has his own metal statue of him which was cool. Me and my guy friend decided to skip the second floor and go straight to seven and make our way down so we headed to the elevator. The elevator sounded old and we were nervous that we wouldn't plummet to our deaths but we made it to level 7 quickly. (Another tip about the elevator/ they weren't crowded at all and I honestly don't think anyone knew they were there/ so they were isolated- it gave me and my hot friend a chance to get frisky while waiting to go through the floors. So tip if you and your main squeeze go). As soon as you enter the floor you are greeted with so many different pieces- everywhere you look, up, down, diagonal, across the room you can find something that is apart of the exhibit. There are old coaches and barrels, and different machines bungeeing from above and every square inch of the ceiling is covered with some form of piece dangling in the air. Each area shows a different category from history like cigars and the models and statues they used to sell the cigars, to sheep shearing tools and shoe making tools and pieces. It's seven floors of learning about life throughout history. Most of the items were behind glass and doors but they even had an area for little kids which was really neat that had animals and stuffed dolls for the kids to interact with. Once we ventured through the 7 floors, which took about an hour- we headed to the main lobby where they had the World War 2 exhibit- we were greeted by a friendly staff member and were told a little bit about what they were showing and had a chance to go around and do a self tour. This museum was the best and I had a fun time with my friend. I would definitely come back another time, maybe bring my 7 year old daughter. read more

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Easily one of the most beautiful and interesting museums I've had the pleasure to visit. This sprawling 7-story concrete castle is bursting with thousands upon thousands of relics of the past. Mercer believed that tools used by everyday folks are equally worthy of preservation as a fancy piece of china. A wise mindset, for now we can stand in awe of the toil, handiwork, and incredible talents of people of the past. This museum displays the rugged and beautiful tools of numerous trades -- blacksmithing, woodworking, whaling, pottery-making, cartography, leatherworking, shoemaking, carriage-making, meat-cutting, cooking, farming, and much, much more. We owe a debt of gratitude to archeologist, tile-maker and collector Henry Chapman Mercer for his dedication to preserving these incredible tools of the past -- a reminder of how far we've come, and an even greater reminder of the intrinsic capabilities of men and women. read more

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This place is incredible! Before starting to dive in for my review, I highly recommend wearing your coat, as it quite chilly in the museum. What an awesome discovery during my PA holiday vacation. I am soooo grateful that I found this place while looking for things to do in Bucks County. First off, the drive from Yardley to Doylestown was absolutely gorgeous. I highly recommend not taking the interstate and instead taking the country roads to Doylestown. The winding roads with gorgeous landscapes and farm homes was such a pretty way to start the day. As we arrived at the Mercer Museum, parking was easy peasy and the gentlemen at the ticket booth was friendly. We quickly got our tickets and headed up to the second level of the museum as suggested. Upon entering the museum, my breath was taken away by the incredibly gorgeous, unique layout of this museum. From the second floor, you look up through a huge opening between the (3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th)floors to see awesome artifacts such as a whaling boat, sleighs, buggys, and furniture hanging from the ceiling and in every single open spot. I just wanted to stand here and take photos and soak everything in for a while. I was so grateful that the museum was very slow when we first arrived so we could really take our time and enjoy the coolness of the museum. As you wind your way up the floors, there are rooms with glass windows that you look into to see different pre-industrial age themed artifacts. The hallways and interior areas are also filled with these artifacts. There are signs with information about each room and the large artifacts. This place is a photographers dream. My history-loving husband was in heaven as we walked through this place. I enjoyed the awesome stuff, especially with mysterious stories such as the vampire killing kit, the weapons and the whaling boat. I am so grateful that we chose to spend our day here. I highly recommend this place! read more

I love unique museums and this one fits the bill. It's a beautiful facility, but keep in mind there's not central air, so when I went it was chilly so dress accordingly. But also don't let it stop you. The museum is several floors of pre-industrial tools, vehicles, and other materials. It's quite fascinating. If you don't like clutter this is not the place for you, but it's so unique. They also have gadgets and tools that police used along with medical devices. You will leave being thankful we live in modern times. I loved the weaponry - swords and guns. Great, great stuff. Lots to see and then stay an enjoy a lovely restaurant in the area. read more

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Had some spare time to do something and being the history nut that I am wanted to come to Mercer and check out what it offers. JUST KNOW: If you like history, more specifically American old west history then you will love Mercer Museum. If you hate history then you will find this place extremely boring and you'll want to leave after 5 minutes. Nobody in my group wanted to come with me. I did this museum alone. But I really liked it! I definitely appreciate Henry Mercer and all the old relics and artifacts he collected. Read most of the information plaques (which can take quite a while) and I learned a great deal about how like was like in America during the post Revolutionary War years to about the early 1900's. You will definitely get a glimpse into what life was like back then if you visit this museum. read more

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Really cool place to walk around! A little confusing because there are so many staircases and so much going on! There is an elevator if you need it because it is seven floors! We walked up to the floor and then took the tour down. It is a self guided tour, so it is a lot of reading, and it's a little dark. It's definitely worth seeing. read more

This museum was awesome, so much history and stuff to look at. it'll definitely take you a few hours and well worth it

Highly recommend this museum! You've never experienced anything like it. It makes you grateful for all the common household objects we take for granted today. In particular, I recommend going to the top floor, where he slyly places exhibits on crime & punishment right next to education. They even have a full 15-foot-tall gallows on this floor, along with weapons used in real murders, and the law enforcement tools that brought those criminals to justice. In addition, they have a full general store from the 1860s that gives an accurate picture of daily life, where you could stroll down to the general store and barter some of your excess eggs, butter, or cheese (all products produced by most American households themselves until the 1850s). Highly recommend making the trip 50 minutes past Philadelphia to see this grand tribute to pre-industrialized life. Spinning wheels, clamps, lanterns, meat grinders, mills, buggies, wagons, black smithing equipment; all items regularly seen in an American home a little over a century ago, and now all items that are rare and unknown to the people. This museum is filled with objects now extinct due to the rapid progress of society! Henry Mercer recognized this in the late 1800s, created a vision to save these items for future generations, and saw that vision through with this seven story fireproof all-concrete museum! It's thanks to him that many items can only be seen here in the world, the rest are history. read more

Mercer Museum - Pre-1900s medical equipment - Museums Near Me - Doylestown, Pennsylvania

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My BF has been talking about this places for years and perhaps raised my expectations too high. Overall it's an enjoyable, eccentric afternoon outing. We went with a couple of friends after Xmas as an "adult" way of hanging out. I can see why the American Museum Association didn't recognize Mercer as a real museum until 2005 -- it's higgly-piggly due to Henry Mercer's collection habits, not to mention he wrote large catalog numbers on the pieces! Definitely interesting to see old pieces of Americana and enjoyed the current exhibit on old time music. Be warned that there is no heating/air conditioning so dress appropriately. read more

Mercer Museum - Ceiling full of cradles & chairs - Museums Near Me - Doylestown, Pennsylvania

What an amazing collection of a diverse group of things. There are several floors to explore with an open area in the center. As you look up, there are all kinds of things hanging from the ceiling from a baby carriage to boats and there is even an old fire engine. There are rooms with a label such as "general store," "blacksmith," etc. with objects in them that fit the label. There is also a library run by the historical society with a card catalog. There is an area you are free to browse and look at the books while seated and another area for researchers only. If you are looking for ancestors or historical information you would need to spend a lot of time there but just looking at the variety of books Mr. Mercer collected (and there are many more at Fonthill Castle) was quite interesting. It is obvious he had very broad areas of interest. In addition to his collections, there was also an exhibit on Apollo 11 which we didn't have time to explore. There is a gift shop that is small but has a variety of items such as toys, books, jewelry and various gift items. You could easily spend several hours here. There is even a room with vending machines and seating if you need to rest. I appreciated that as it was quite hot in the building and I needed some water to drink. read more

This is a truly amazing place! Such interesting artifacts of everyday life of the pre-industrial age. Every time I visit I see something I didn't see before. Also great to visit at the same time is Fonthill Castle. We did both in one day. It's especially wonderful at Christmas. read more

I definitely recommend this interesting museum for adults and older children alike. The collection captures so many important artifacts from American life in the 1800s and earlier, giving tremendous insights about the day to day practicalities of survival in earlier eras. It can feel a bit overwhelming as the collection is so vast and plentiful, but it is worth pushing through to capture all 7 floors. I want to give an extra shout out to the docent on duty - Gloria. She was so helpful, instructive, informative and charming. Her enthusiasm was contagious and I was so glad that she was there. If you meet her, let her show you the best way to capture that majestic interior in a picture, not to mention how to take a photo that will make you look 20 years younger! And then she'll lay on the floor to show you the best view of all!! read more

Something fun & different to do. The space is unlike any other museum I've ever been to, there's a lot to look at when standing in just 1 area. My husband and I started from the top & worked our way down, instead of having to climb 7 flights of stairs. 1 1/2-2 hours is enough time to be able to comfortably see just about everything. They also have nice, clean restrooms on site. read more

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Wish I could be more positive. The place needs a good reorganization and cleaning. There didn't seem to be much climate control or preservation going on. I realize that the museum was built and open decades ago (90 yrs). If they have anything very very rare and valuable they might not even be aware of it. I know nothing about the administration of this museum or if H C Mercer set up a foundation to financially sustain this collection but they need help. read more

Super weird and unique museum! It takes about an hour to walk through ($10 pp) depending on how much reading of exhibits you do. There are 7 floors but everything is very compact. It's great seeing the everyday items people used 100 years ago that range from baking to basket weaving to clock making, basically every profession of the day. I also enjoyed the temporary Route 66 exhibit with old cars. Great stop before heading to Doylestown to eat and walk around! read more

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This is a pretty neat museum that mostly displays American tools and crafts through the 18th and 19th centuries. The collections are quite vast and have decent explanations by each display. The museum is very artifact-crowded and is within Henry Mercer's castle. The castle is unfortunately very decayed, leaking, and not well-maintained. They offer a very generous military discount (free for the entire family). If paying, I think the price is a tad too much for what it offers. It's a private museum after all. There's only a small gift shop and snack room. WiFi is present throughout and there are complementary YouTube videos to go with. The museum is a bit too advanced for young fellows and is not handicap-friendly. Blessings! read more

Mercer Museum - Mercer Museum castle - Museums Near Me - Doylestown, Pennsylvania

What an amazing venue. Beautiful place for a wedding. We decided to book the Mercer Museum for our fall wedding and the photos online don't do it justice, spectacular. We toured the venue and were blown away by how incredibly beautiful it is, the great packages, and the coordinators are so responsive and accommodating. The venue package comes with everything you need to make for easy planning. Could not recommend enough! read more

I really don't know how to rate this, however a 4 is appropriate. Its $15 per adult to get in. This is a place about Mr. Mercer who inherited his wealth from grandmom and had a huge selection if vintage tools dating back to BC. So he built a museum to show them off. My friend and I takenthe elevator to the 7th floor which opens to an outdoor balcony and a small red door for you to go through. As soon as you walk in, your greeted by different directions, concrete walls and floors and you feel like your in a real castle. As you walk down floor to floor the stairway is open and you can see all his collection around the steps. Every floor has a stop area and it points out certain items in the vast collection and you have to find them. Its a life like hidden pictures. Once we ended on the first floor we were pleasantly pleased and enjoyed the experience. Mr. Mercer has a castle like house not far away that you can explore which will be our follow-up. If you are into old tools dating from before Christ and up then this is the place. Go see it and support history. read more

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