Great 3-story children's museum. It has a lot of quality interactive fun exhibits. Some need…read moremaintenance or updates but overall it was a great time. We especially loved the construction section. It had great hands on tasks dedicated to the trades- electrical, plumbing, tile laying, painting, wall framing, and brick laying. It was really cool. There is a nice farming section. A really big water table. Also a large tree house climbing structure and for the bigger kids a harnessed rope course. It was easy to spend 2 hours here. Great resource for the Terre Haute area.

We stopped here after Indianapolis children's museum day 2. It was worth the hour drive to see…read morethis unique museum with rope challenge. It is an hour drive from Indianapolis and recognize ASTC reciprocal membership. Plus it has a great science store with cool toys for kids. There are 3 levels inside and plenty of activities to enjoy. My son and I tried the ropes challenge before 3:30pm which is last slot before closing. We wore harness and attached lanyard attached to above track. It is probably a little more advanced for him but he did just fine. Afterwards, we checked out the large water table and special exhibit on butterflies with sand table. There is street parking which is free and they remind you not to park in lot owned by hotel.

We stopped here on way back home. It is okay for stop through but not really destination…read morechildren's museum. It opened pretty late at 11am on Sunday but timing was perfect for us. It is next to church so don't get confused when you follow GPS directions. Sign of the building is behind the building which can be tricky to find. First floor is science exhibits and second floor is toddler floor. We spent almost an hour and it was worth it since we have ASTC membership for free admission.

We stopped off here as a break in a long roadtrip for our 2 year old. It's about 5 miles off of…read moreI-65, but well worth the stop! He had so much fun and rocketed from one station to the other. Everything is hands on, and there is such a diversity of activities, from looking at the live animals (snakes, bearded dragon, turtles), to playing in a small kitchen, drawing, building with Legos or large foam blocks, and climbing into then sliding down a tiny rocket. The staff were all so friendly, nice, and helpful, and they went out of our way to make our experiences great! I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone who is traveling on I-65 through Indiana and needs a break for a little one!

I don't think I will ever get the images of the Rotary Jail out of my mind. The Rotary Jail is both…read morefascinating and horrifying piece of local history. This is the last rotary jail that is functional in the United States. Like many Midwest towns, the sheriff's home also served as a jail for short term stays. The rotary cell system was designed to minimize the number of guards required to secure thirty or more inmates. The birdcage shaped contraption, is made up of two layers of small wedge shaped cells. There is a single door that cells must rotate towards to add or release people. Benjamin Haugh and William Brown of Indianapolis built the system and installed many throughout the US. Unfortunately, the rotation of the cells proved to be extremely dangerous for inmates and most rotating jails were condemned within a few years. The jail in Crawfordsville became functional in 1882 and operated through 1973. Modifications were made to the jail in the 1930s to improve safety. The building was restored and preserved as a museum in 1975. The museum also has several displays describing the local sheriffs and their equipment. Several pieces of period furniture and housewares are on display. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places. The tour guide was amazingly knowledgable and realistic about the dangers of the rotary system. She demonstrated the rotary action of the cells for us. We are allowed to walk into the cells. Admission is $8 per person and small kids are free. I didn't see ADA access and there are a lot of up and down steps, so it would be difficult to maneuver a wheel chair or stroller. There are no public restrooms either. We parked downtown and walked two blocks. There is a small gift shop in the rear of the house selling sheriff themed and other trinkets. I highly recommend a visit if you like history, architecture and engineering.

Most interesting museum we've ever been in! We've traveled the US and several countries and I must…read moresay, this is the one that we stumbled on that will forever be remembered! Who knew a rotary jail was a thing? Not us! The guided tour takes you through the sheriff's residence which has several original furnishings and household items. There's plenty of history to read on the walls and other time period items to learn about but the main attraction is of course the jail! Our tour guide was a bit odd and he was pretty short in his stories and explanations but the gal that toured the jail and basement was perfect! She explained everything in detail and embellished with some tales of the jail! The jail rotates! Literally spins around with one door in and one door out! Well, that was the way it was built originally and operated until 1933, then they said no more rotating, too many prisoner injuries! It still rotates though, the only one in existence so definitely a must see!

I took my granddaughter to the Carnegie Museum in Crawfordsville because a guide told us they had…read moresome STEAM activities for kids. The building was originally the town's library that was funded by a grant from Andrew Carnegie. A modern library was built across the street and the Carnegie building became a museum. The museum is free, however they had a donation box. The layout is a little meandering, but one of the staff described the activities and exhibits. Downstairs there were several interesting activities for kids that involved simple physics and biology. She loved making music with balloons. There were other activities that she enjoyed such as making a political button. Through out the museum are local artifacts that are interesting (such as an early telephone operator's machine). There was interesting information about famous people that came from Montgomery County. Upstairs was a macabre exhibit about death rituals. There were some empty spaces in the museum and they seemed to be in transition. There is a small gift shop to help support the museum. Our visit was good. My granddaughter had some fun learning and engaging in the activities. I learned some things. The staff is friendly.

Like most small population counties, funding for saving historical items is a challenge. So, I…read moredon't hold them to the same standards for presentation and prominence as I would a larger metropolitan location. So, when I visited the Montgomery County museum, I kept in mind how it compared with other county museums like Owen County in Spencer, or Johnson County in Franklin. And so my rating, as an outsider, is for an A-OK rating. The entrance is on the ground level and as you wind your way through the exhibits, you may find a large emphasis on having the displays being kid friendly or at least, kid focused. There are some antiques and some memorials to relatively famous people from Montgomery County. Through a back stairwell, the museum has a more spacious area on the second floor. There is a room with larger display items like a telephone switchboard, a doctor's buggy, a sign from a local business, and a piano owned by a prominent local family, the Elstons. But beyond that, there is a lot of open space that seems underutilized. Maybe they have activities that require more open space, but for visitors at other times, it seems like it could be put to better use. There is a small gift shop on the lower floor and a parking lot alongside the building since street parking is pretty limited in the area. I'm guessing the appeal to locals would warrant a higher rating, but without anything to separate this collection from many others around the state, it only has limited appeal. Perhaps if there weren't several other museums/homes down the street, there would be more to display here of the county's history. Review #1389

Good place to take the kids, especially if you have any fire truck fans. There are a lot of hands…read moreon equipment to check out. Really neat place.

My husband and I went to the Haan Mansion Museum of Indiana Art on a day when the mansion was…read moreclosed. It was the only time that we could fit it into our schedule. Why bother visiting if the mansion is closed, you ask. There is a cute sculpture garden behind the mansion that is open even when the mansion is closed. There are close to 30 sculptures. It is really fun to take a walk through the garden and see the statues. It will give you something to talk about and plenty of photo opportunities. If the outside is this fun, I can't wait to see the inside!

Visited today for their Holiday decorations. I have driven by the mansion hundreds of times but…read morenever stopped in before. There is limited parking next to the house but plenty of street parking. We walked up to the front door and you have to ring the doorbell to get let in. We were greeted by one of the many volunteers on site. Frequently, there is a short presentation before your self-guided tour. We missed the presentation so the volunteer gave us the highlights. Mr. And Mrs. Haan, who donated the house to their museum foundation, were walking the house also!! We made our way through the mansion which is wonderfully decorated for the holidays. Upstairs, there are multiple train sets. One has buildings from England and the U.S while the other one features Lafayette buildings that have been made available around town for purchase. It took us about one hour to take in the whole house and read about the antiques and view the Indiana art. (P.S.- there is a public restroom available for use if needed on the first floor). We enjoyed this visit and look forward to coming back in the Spring to enjoy the outdoor sculpture garden.

I love this little museum. Yesterday we went to the music in the garden only it was inside instead…read moreof in the garden because of the rain. I enjoyed the music very much. They also served free lemonade and popcorn. The new Lincoln exhibit is really good too. Of course it's not on the same scale as the one in Springfield but for a little museum it is interesting. It has a lot of local history about Lincoln in Champaign coiunty,. My dauighter loves the discovery room and the gift shop has some good items in it. Check the time before you go because it opens at 1:00.

Awesome museum with 9 permanent exhibits and a rotating special exhibit in the Campbell Gallery…read more Admission is free which is incredible given the quality of the museum. This museum is both larger and nicer than many museums that have paid admission around Illinois, and also feature some interactive components as well. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the Champaign area as a fun place to spend an afternoon learning. This is also a great spot to visit if you're looking for something to do while dining nearby, or to spend inside on a hot summer day.

My husband and I visited The William R. and Clarice V. Spurlock Museum while at the University of…read moreIllinois. There are six permanent galleries, each one features the history and art of a different continent. There is also a temporary exhibit space. When we were there the temporary exhibit was on the first Farm Aid, held at Memorial Stadium. The museum was very enjoyable. I loved how many different things I could see in a hour. The best partwas that admission free!

We've lived here for just over a year, but my husband and I had never visited the KAM…read more We stopped by here on a Saturday afternoon. It was a nice, quiet visit. Museum was well staffed with security. Superbly clean. It took us a little over an hour to walk through the various rooms. Several of the rooms were empty, awaiting new exhibits. I'd probably come back again when the academic year is in full swing. My favorite part of this visit was the Blue and White Ceramics exhibit they have on display. There are many great pieces of art to see, though. Ellnora Krannert was extremely generous and numerous pieces in the museum are thanks to her. I wouldn't recommend this museum to children under 13-14, unless the kids/tweens/teens are really into art, art history, etc. I just think the little ones would be bored. You can visit KAM's online calendar to see if they ever offer children's programming. (Head to the Spurlock Museum if you're on campus with little ones instead.) Highly recommend KAM to anyone else. We're very fortunate to have an art museum of this caliber in our community. Summertime is the perfect opportunity to explore these locations on campus. Checkout my other Champaign-Urbana museum reviews, too!

Great museum on a terrific college campus. I know it doesn't get the attention the sports…read morefacilities do but it should. Check it out next time you are in C-U. It is a great way to recharge your batteries and let the power of art soothe your soul.