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

DELIGHTFUL!! We visit West Baden every year, but have never visited the museum at French Lick! We…read moreare history buffs and truly loved the details of the past. The breadth of authentic , thoughtfully curated pictures and film was very impressive. The Circus miniatures are not to be missed. Kids would LOVE this! They will not believe that the Circus coming to town was a real thing!! I will go again next year. A new tradition!!

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!

Tonight was a special event held in the IMAX Theatre to fundraise for Dolly Parton's Imagination…read moreLibrary. The movie "9 to 5" was being shown on 9/25 at various venues across the country. The theater has quite comfortable seating, great sound system, and unsurprisingly great visuals on the 4-story height screen. Boxed popcorn was even being sold in the first floor gift shop. An info table was set up on the third floor near the entrance to the theater with local reps available to answer questions for the Imagination Library and to solicit donations. Science Center has a large parking lot located directly behind the building. Cost is $8 for members and $15 for nonmembers. There is a pedestrian walking bridge connecting the lot to the science center. An elevator is also available to provide total accessibility and just so happens to be topped off with the triceratops statue originally seen at the Louisville Zoo many decades ago. Very nostalgic! Science Center appears well kept and brightly lit and a welcoming space. Employees encountered this evening were all quite welcoming and friendly. Looking forward to checking out future events at this venue.

The kiddos plus cousins recently invaded the Kentucky Science Center. We got to explore it much…read moremore than we had been able to before, and I left with more appreciation for all that it offers. The kids played with the sensory activities, the dinosaur and animal exhibits, engineering fun, the makerspace and so much more. We ended up spending a couple hours there, and we could have stayed longer if not for impending nap times. The facility was clean and so much for everyone to learn. Our family members, who were visiting from Philly, lamented the fact that they don't have a kids science museum like this by them. It was neat to see it through their eyes. We also ended up getting the membership that also includes the Louisville Zoo. As long as we visit twice, the membership will be a deal. The science center also hosts great events, including some fun ones for adults. Plus we need to go back and see a film in its theater. Like I wrote in my last review of the center, it's a gem!

The Wonderlab has been a childhood staple for me, for as long as I can remember. Now, I've gotten…read moreto pass that on to my nephew. This past week, we did a small staycation within the state, and we took a trip to Bloomington. We of course, had to do this while we were there. Luckily enough, I work in a partner company and got my discount to come in for the day. Then, we had a few others that were on the access pass. I will say that Ian was awesome checking us in. I even got to hear some tips, tricks, and fun facts! While it seemed smaller to me, it was still as fun, as I remember. Even with a few new exhibits. I wish I lived closer to come back more often, but this is one of my all-time favorite places in Indiana!

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!

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.

Kidscommons is a great little secret gem located in Columbus, Indiana. There are two parts to…read moreKidscommon. There is the children's museum that is stem based. It teaches you the water system in your home and even has a huge toilet that kids can go down via a slide. It provides 4 floors of fun learning for kids ages 2-12. I think past that age , it could be less interesting to the older kids. The cost for the museum is 10.00 for kids 3 and up. Adults are 14.00. Across the street from the museum is Kidscommons indoor playground. This is free and provides hours of play for the kids. They have areas for toddlers, 2-5, a section for 5-7 and another section 7 and up. They too offer stem games in a fun interactive way for the kids This playground is free of charge! Even if you do not want to go to the museum, this is a fun free activity for the family! I definitely will be going back!! Also, when your go to the museum, they will stamp your hand so you can go back and forth to each venue This is definitely a place you will want to check out and only 40 minutes from Indy. When you are all finished learning and playing, you might want to check out the ice cream parlor a few doors down from the museum. That too is a fun place and definitely worth checking out!!

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.

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.

Being at Farmington is both sobering but also very inspirational. The last time that I visited…read moreFarmington was during a family reunion in 2005 or 2006. I am a direct descendent of David and Martha Spencer, the patriarch and matriarch of a family of enslaved black people on this farm. They are my great-great-great grandparents. I know who begat who and therefore, who begat me. I am fortunate that I know that part of my lineage. My ancestors toiled the land but did not reap the fruits of their labor. That is where their story began, but, not where it ended. After being freed from the bondage of slavery, my ancestors went forth and created a life and a legacy right in Louisville, Kentucky and beyond! I am proud of their strength, perseverance, love, and dedication to family. This beautiful place is a testament to how far we have come as Americans and we have come far. It is also a reminder that the fight for equality, freedom, justice, and democracy for ALL is a battle that continues to be waged and a battle, together, will be won.

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.

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