Top notch museum, historical and genealogical library, pioneer village and train museum! Remarkable…read morefacility for a small town with knowledgeable staff. Highly recommend!

Since I retired, I have had the opportunity to check out a lot of county museums in the state…read more This is one of the best! Inside the museum, you will not only find a library with historical information about the county for those chasing ancestry, but there is a fine collection of donated items from within the county or from collections put together by residents. The gallery on the main floor houses historical artifacts from the pioneer days (including Native American) that were donated. There is also a recreation of a parlor including a harp. There are lots of war related items that have been collected. One of the most interesting, yet small in size, items is an authentic Presidential Inauguration brass coat button from George Washington that was found on a local farm by a ten year old boy. Tours are provided to those who are interested for a fee. Outside, the town has recreated a Pioneer Village (there is a self-guided walking tour brochure inside the museum). Based upon the 1840's, it gives visitors a chance to see what buildings looked like. I am not sure if you can go inside since I went late in the day, but you can definitely look in the windows to get a peek. The village includes an authentic log house from 1830 that was moved on site. Other buildings were constructed using donated timber from the area. There is also the home of John Hay, former Secretary of State and personal secretary to Abraham Lincoln. The house's origins date back to 1815 and sits on its original site. Note: The Pioneer Village is adjacent to the Depot Museum which is just a short walk away. Review #2652

There's much more to French Lick, Indiana than I had understood and so much of it was spelled out…read morefor me through the displays and exhibits at the museum. Frankly, this museum is much nicer, informative, and engaging than it has any right to be. The very friendly docent on duty welcomed us warmly into the lobby and, after we paid our small admission fee, she took us through everything we needed to know about accessing the audio tour, the basics of the exhibits and I'm sure anything else that we had wanted to know. She was very friendly. The exhibits wind through the building with an early focus on the founding of the town. The major portions of the museum, however, are devoted to the flashier aspects that really shine of this small burg in the Midwest: the circus and laxative waters! Massive exhibits are devoted to the sulfur water that was an early cure-all which gave rise to the large spas that drove tourism to town. The most square footage is devoted to the huge, massive, enormous circus in miniature. My partner is all about miniatures and was totally engrossed in this display. And rightfully so; it is very impressive! Everything was above average for cleanliness, order, and functionality; which, if you've visited other small-town museums, you know isn't always the case. I left having a much greater appreciation for the town and its history!

This is NOT a holiday inn, it is truly a RESORT. The word luxurious only begins to describe the…read moreresort. Well worth EVERY dollar

As a parent, I find this place completely overwhelming and chaotic, but my 5.5y/o and 18m old both…read morelove it. Do yourself a favor and arrive as soon as it opens, before the crowds, and it's lovely! Best kept secret is the construction zone. You can access it from the 2nd or 3rd floors, using the side staircases nearest the portland side of town. It's a less busy, fun space to decompress and my kids will play with the shovels and forts for an extended time. Outside drinks and snacks are permitted, but remember that you're traveling up and down stairs/elevators with whatever you bring in. Their snack options are basically just a vending machine, so we don't usually buy anything there. If you're able to buy a membership, I love having the dual membership with the zoo!

In short: fun for kids, not so great for adults…read more This isn't a museum but more of an indoor science play area for kids. We've been here twice in the last several years and both experiences were exactly the same. Same exhibits and the same 'old' feeling of worn out and dirty 'exhibits.' Some things are even broken. I was personally bored in here quickly. On the flip side, my son loves this place. He loves making paper rockets to shoot out to the floor below, building things in the construction/fort area, and watching the balls roll in the watershed exhibit. Making the weatherman video was a blast, as was playing with the air tubes that pushed out scarves. We spent a decent amount of time on each floor, with the exception of the top floor that didn't hold our interest at all. Then he was ready to go. We spent maybe four hours here each visit. We live about an hour and a half from here, so it's a bit of a drive. I was determined that we stay here longer than the time it takes to drive here. Might be worth the drive once or so to bring your kids, but not frequently unless you live nearby and your kids love this place.

Since the Hoosiers did so well this year NATIONAL CHAMPIONS I thought of a great place in…read moreBloomington. The Wonderlab!!! It's a nice sized science of wonders in my opinion. They have a bubble room! It's awesome. A place where you can parachute little figure people over and over again. Shoot I laid down on a bed of nails once here. They have a huge climbing vine that you can climb all the way up to the second floor. But, you have to climb back down it doesn't exit on that floor. They have a cool water science area for kids complete with rain gear - which is optional do what you want ha. It's just a cool place. It's not too big and it's not too small. It the perfect sized science museum. They have the coolest gift shop! I still have my Wonderlab water bottle from years ago. If you've never been make a day of it!

Tucked in amidst the buildings step into this wonderland for kids to explore science. All sorts of…read moreexperiments and things to learn, places to climb and things to do. Good for all ages! There is even a gate enclosure for toddlers to play separately.The older ones,even adults, will enjoy seeing what it's like to be laying on a bed of nails! It is a very busy place however so do keep an eye on your littles as they may feel the desire to walk to the next activity without you! If this were closer then I believe we'd take my grandkids more often, but it makes an excuse for a little road trip, although I'm always easily persuaded to be on the go!

This store is a unique jewel in Indiana-actually the whole Midwest- for Southwestern Native…read moreAmerican jewelry, rugs and artifacts for sale at very fair prices. I have seen art items of this quality for sale at many places: Santa Fe and Taos New Mexico, the store in the Heard Museum in Phoenix, the store in the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis- (two premier Native American art museums in the world) and if you were to slim down their offerings to the "best of the best", you could compare it to this store, , Not Just Rugs in Bloomington, Indiana. Navajo rugs, Santa Clara black pottery and other high-quality hand made ceramics, beautifully made Kachina dolls, amazing jewelry from many reservations. Don't miss this store if you are an admirer of this work.

This is my favorite locally owned business. I have been a customer since they opened 15 years ago…read more I buy all my Southwest jewelry there. I get compliments all the time on my turquoise jewelry and send people there. The owner has lived in the Southwest and knows people there and goes twice and year. He visits the reservations and purchases all kinds of things from the locals he knows. You can buy all the items in this store for less than you would if you visited like a store in Albuquerque, NM.

I have been to two exhibitions at the museum. The staff is extremely helpful. The building is…read moreextremely handicapped accessible. The graduate students are extremely gifted and developed great exhibits for the public. One exhibition was African art and another was Holocaust artists from q940-1970. You will discover many treasures here. Your greatest challenge will be parking.

I purchased a pack of cards of things to do in Indiana. This card lead us to the museum in…read moreBloomington. The museum was much bigger than we thought it would be. It was very well presented. We took a small one hour tour that highlighted 3 works of art. It was lead by a student. The pace could have been quicker and more areas highlighted, but it was interesting non the less.

I drove from Indy one day to bring my toddlers who are 2 and 3 here. They had a blast! For the…read moreprice it can't be beat. I felt like it was reasonable priced, wasn't too crowded. We won't come often since it's over a hour away but def something I'll keep in mind for rainy days.

This children's museum was perfect for my 20 month old! The entire building is full of hands on…read moreplay, learning, and craft activities. The staff were all extremely friendly and engaging with the kids. I loved throughout our time they had "5 minute" programs, perfect for a quick learning opportunity and then back to play. Price was very reasonable, especially compared to other children's museums in the Indy area. I felt the interior was clean with a hand washing station available on the 2nd floor. I like that ticket sales are split between morning and afternoon to help with crowd management. Such a fun way to spend a day!

We have walked the grounds of Farmington many times, it's a peaceful and lovely place to visit,…read moreeven if you don't do the guided tour. We have done the guided tour before and very much enjoyed it as well. They take care to talk about the enslaved folks who lived there as people and honor their history also. There's also a Lincoln connection which is cool to hear about, and there is a working farm on the property and a native prairie which was recently installed. Lots of wildlife to see.

The Visitors' Center is small, tasteful, and helpful, with a terrific staff. Our tour guide was…read moreJohn who was a wealth of information that he happily shared. The main house was done beautifully, and took us back to the time of President Lincoln. So much of it was original or perfectly reproduced. It was obvious that John cared about his subject matter and he was kind and generous toward the visitors. I would highly recommend this to any tourist or local.

Cool tour of original 19th century doctor's office. Well worth the visit, highly recommend.read more

Excellent historic site to tour with the family. If your children have become bored with visiting…read morelocations of historic interest, I would suggest Dr. Hutchings' office. The medical instruments and the GENUINE skeleton in the exam room is enough to intrigue anyone.