This place is straight out of an episode of the X-Files. I'm from New York City so I've seen some…read moreweird sh*t - and this place creeped me out. Mummified animal remains, letters from serial killers, killer clowns, and a cardboard cutout of Danny DeVito... this museum does not disappoint! While not a full "house" of oddities, I would say it's more like a 1-bedroom apartment of oddities, but this "Whacky World of Weirdful Wonder" is completely FREE! They sell all sorts of strange toys, t-shirts, and trinkets. You can buy unique art pieces such as a "Death Loaf" (a loaf of bread impaled with spikes). Bonus tip: There's a bathroom in the back with a poster of Le Pétomane - a French performer with a unique...er...talent.

This place was amazing! There is a wide assortment of preserved animals, skulls, and artifacts. We…read moreall enjoyed our visit and will check it out again the next time we are in town.

I love this place and area. magical, peaceful, lovely. I…read morehave been foraging here for Asian pears, apples, paw paws and wine berries. I have been here for the Karma Fest, sadly the one here was in late June of this year, it will be missed. I have so many incredible memories here. love this place.

I do not understand why this museum is not advertised. Found this by complete accident when I was…read moreon my way to Rock Run Mill. I thought there was nothing to do near Aberdeen MD but I am so glad I found this place. I didn't expect a museum in a middle of the park to be so big and so good. The museum consists of about five different buildings with different theme in each one. Don't want to spoil it, just go. I figured I wouldn't spend more than an hour since I didn't think it would be that big. But I ended up spending almost three hours there! The main reason this museum is so great is the volunteers!!! Thank you so much each and every one of you (if you happen to read this). There is a volunteer working in each building (one was empty since the volunteer didn't show up[but you can still go in there]). All the volunteers are so knowledgeable and so friendly! They know everything! One guide/volunteer was asked a question to which he didn't know the answer to. He actually went out to find the answer from other volunteers! Even if you don't want to explore the museums the whole area is lovely to walk around. I saw a deer. For someone who lives in NY, that alone is enough to make my day. Anyways, once again THANX to all the volunteers and workers! You guys make this museum. For potential visitors, don't even debate if you should go there, JUST GO! But be prepared to spend at least two hours there! It's well worth it. BTW apparently people have weddings here too! I don't know if this would be my choice for a wedding location, but definitely worth revising!

Wilmington, DE - we visited several du Pont estates during our stay in the beautiful Brandywine…read moreValley area, starting with the Hagley Museum, which is the place of the first du Pont family home, built by the French immigrant ancestor who started it all, Éleuthère Irénée du Pont. We toured the house (Eleutherian Mills) and garden, powder yard, saw a small antique car exhibit, a gunpowder demonstration, and strolled around the grounds, which are very walkable and well-shaded in parts, but there is also a shuttle that travels between the main areas (visitor center/museum, house, powder yards) which runs every 20 minutes. The property is impeccably maintained and gorgeous to walk around, bordered by the Brandywine River where we saw some kayakers row by (for paddlers & outdoor enthusiasts: you can do this as an activity in the area). Everything was SO well-organized, and the tour guides & staff could not have been more lovely or helpful. They helped us time-manage our tours (as we arrived late in the day and were in a bit of a rush) and were generous with answering questions and sharing information about the history of the place and of the du Pont family. ======= TIP: If you love museums and historic homes & gardens and plan to visit at least a couple, the best thing you can do is purchase a Brandywine Treasure Trail Passport ($49 for individuals, or $99 for family including 2 adults & 3 children 17yo and under), which grants you admission to 12 area attractions that you can visit once any time between May 24-October 31. (This year is almost over but you can still buy the 2025 pass or wait for 2026 to be released.) There were many enterprising du Pont descendants/cousins, and the multiple grand estates in this area were built/owned by different branches of the family: in addition to Hagley there is also Winterthur, Nemours, Mt. Cuba Center, and Longwood Gardens - all of which are included in the passport. I find these properties to be more impressive than the Newport RI mansions, and highly recommend visiting as many as you can!

We did not have this museum on our radar until we learned about it when touring the nearby Nemour…read moreEstate. It helped that with our reciprocal museum membership we got free admission! It was already 2pm when we arrived so we had limited time. We walked the road to see the machine shop demo and the powder rolling demo by Bob. Both were quite interesting especially the big bang finish of the powder rolling demo. Learned a lot! Given it was late and way too hot to walk up the hill we skipped the house tour which looked interesting. We opted for the AC in the visitor center and the very educational two floor exhibit on patent models. Nerdy. Overall a big thumbs up for this museum.

We enjoyed the tour. Started off with an interesting video. The docent was good and knowledgeable…read more Took so see many interesting spots in and around the home, including a life size version of a wigwam that would have been in the area at the time.

Why is the Hans Herr House significant and who the hell was Hans Herr?…read more The house itself is significant as it is the last remaining structure that is still standing from the original group of Mennonites who came to the Lancaster County area to escape religious persecution from their native Switzerland. The house is also significant in that it is the oldest structure in Lancaster County and likely the oldest remaining Mennonite meetinghouse in the Western Hemisphere. The original group traveled from Switzerland to Germany to escape religious persecution then after a governmental regime change they were forced from Germany to England where they met with William Penn who allowed them to colonize a portion of what is current day Lancaster County or when they arrived in 1711, the extreme most western frontier of Pennsylvania. One interesting piece of information is that the house did not belong to Hans Herr as it was built by his son Christian which is why his initials are over the doorway along with the inscribing mark of 1719. On the tour you are told why the name remained(s) Hans Herr House versus Christian Herr House but honestly I forget why. Maybe something just deferential from Christian towards his father or because of his father's status with the original group that came to the area or maybe everyone just liked the flow of the name more so it's based on tradition? The tour itself is around 40-45 minutes and it starts in the building which houses the gift shop and you are given a brief overview of the Anabaptist faith, the Mennonites who are direct descendants of the faith and a map which shows the route the initial settlers took from Switzerland to Pennsylvania. After that you are taken over to the house where you see the three rooms which make up the first floor (kitchen, bedroom and all purpose dining room-meeting room-family room) and the second floor which is where the eight children slept and finally the basement which is accessed from a side entrance outside of the house. You learn that the key to the home's design is that they didn't believe in wasting any space so every inch served a purpose such as not having hallways so as soon as you walk in the front door you're right in the kitchen. One thing worth noting, if you are someone who is hardcore hung up on only visiting historical places if they have lots of original items then this place might not be for you. There is not a whole lot original to the house that you can see with the exception of a piece of the ceiling insulation on the first floor (rye straw + manure + ??), the wooden crossbeam over the kitchen fireplace and the steps which go from the second floor to the third floor attic (obviously you can't use them). Past that I think most everything else was changed out in the 19th century when the house was still used as a residence or in the early 70's when the initial renovation occurred to make things into a tourist destination. If you want more original take a look at the bibles on display in the gift shop which are original to Hans and Christian. I wouldn't call the Hans Herr House a must see, but it's interesting enough and the tour is the right length to keep everyone interested along with being located close enough to most of Lancaster County's tourist elements. If you go: The 1719 Hans Herr House is open April 1 through November 30, Monday-Saturday, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM. Forty-five minute Herr House tours are offered at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. This is not the tour information for their reproduction Native American Longhouse. That tour is offered at 10 a.m., 12 noon and 2 p.m and has an entirely different focus. Prices are currently Adults: $8, Children 7-12: $4 and Children 6 and under: free with a slight discount if you choose to tour both structures. There are also several special events that happen throughout the year and that information is available on their website.

I think this place is a great place for kids, but I think most of the exhibits are geared towards…read morekids who can read. I thought my child would be able to partake in the exhibits either way, but she was not a reading age yet. So many of the exhibits were above her head. The best thing about the institute were the live classes and demonstrations. The live dissection of a cow eye was amazing. They also had a combustion show (think cool fire colors) and that was excellent. I did one of the planetarium shows and it was a little bit dry, even for an adult. Personally if the child can't read yet, I would say you may not get much out of it, but still a great place.

My family, in laws' family, and I visited here last week what's the plan to get a family Max…read moremembership and enjoy the institution art for a good long day and it was an extremely happy time for all. Needless to say, we got through less than the 3rd inside of the whole day's time. This large and famed institution has a lot to review and I hope to help your family to make an informed choice about ticket types and visiting. Ticketing is easy whether or not you did anything online, with obvious easy signage in the secondary Hall after the famed Ben Franklin Statue Hall. Welcome staff and generally all staff are so helpful and knowledgeable. We decided on the Family Max membership because it includes ATSC membership including admission to 300 other science centers, many of the same caliber and fame, also because many of them will be at our travel destinations for the next year. Membership is entirely online with barcodes and online ticketing reservations (which ironically generates even more barcodes, one per attendee) so it is extremely easy to use, especially more so if you have good IT fluency and a good record-keeping system. I did not use the parking deck, which membership discounts are $10 off the $25 fare each day, but access from any point in the city and by any type of transit is very easy. The building is famous, easy to find and hard to miss. Frontage is right on Logan Square and extremely easy to find and orient oneself. Specialitly entrances such as accessibility, ramps and group entrances are very easy to find. Special events at pavilions have their own entrances. The Halls and exhibitions are overwhelmingly many and a large with tons of displays and booths to occupy all humans of all ages for dozens of hours. We join their membership not only because we aren't too far away but because it would take so many visits to well appreciate the breath and death of this institution. Although I last came as a grade school student, I can see clearly why the parents then and now consider this a worthwhile trip. The included science shows (usually four different ones daily with a few repeats within each day) are excellent examples of this commitment to education and sturdy science. At a time when so much misinformation and alternative science prevail profitably, it is comforting and necessary that this this ideal cause continues. Lastly, the overall venue is just excellent with so many types of science represented as to sate the curiosities of any child in any domain. Great food is just blocks away, notable is that Chinatown is straight down Race Street, and great views from most windows ease the usual concerns of parents about logistics and interest both.

Amazing property, it is a hidden gem. Went with my family for the tour and everyone enjoyed it!read more

Wow. What a unique, random gem and historic property. What is Fonthill and why is there a castle in…read moreDoylestown, Pennsylvania? Fonthill Castle was the home of archeologist and tile maker Henry Chapman Mercer. (Also in Doylestown are two more Mercer buildings you can tour - the Mercer Museum and the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works building, the business Mercer ran and where most of the tiles in the castle were produced.) Henry Mercer seems like he was an interesting guy, and you can see that in his home - 44 rooms, 18 fireplaces, 200 windows, who knows how many staircases...! And designed and decorated in a way I've never seen anywhere else. The castle is an early example of poured-in-place concrete building and is a mix of Medieval, Gothic, and Byzantine architectural styles. And there are, of course, Moravia tiles (and some historic and international tiles that he collected during his life) throughout the house - almost more than you could imagine. We visited last Saturday to experience their "Fonthill Castle Holiday Lights Meander Experience," which allows you to visit the castle through a self-guided experience (there were staff in various rooms who were happy to answer questions) and enjoy a series of Christmas trees on display throughout the home. I definitely enjoyed the experience but am definitely planning a return visit to see the castle in better light (not at night in the dark - which was perfect for the Christmas tree experience) - they offer 60-minute guided tours though the house for most of the year! The castle is pretty wild, and I look forward to visiting it again and experiencing it in a new way. If you are interested in architecture, art, crafts, the Arts and Crafts design movement, or just quirky, unusual places, definitely add Fonthill to your list and check it out!

They do a fantastic job of taking the uncomfortable and hard to look at and making it fun and…read moreeducational. I've always loved the medical field, being in healthcare is such a rewarding experience but being able to see what tools and techniques were used when things first started to reading stories about various ailments throughout history is such a fascinating way to spend the day! They do a great job respecting those who are on exhibit for us to learn about varying conditions. The first time I came here was actually on a highschool field trip and years later it was like a whole new experience.

Philadelphia was the first hub of modern medicine in the US. It's incredible to just take a few…read moreminutes to really appreciate the magnitude of this. The staff was really nice as we arrived a few minutes after our allotted time on our purchased tickets. I struggled with the tightness of the space. Many specimens required me to squat which may not be possible for other guests. There is so much to see but it's in such a tight space, specifically the first floor. Many of the glass cases were also warped which was not easy on the eyes. The museum has great potential if everything was spaced out more. Given that the space is tight, one felt rushed to read everything because there were other guests shoulder to shoulder trying to experience the space. If you were ever into Ripley's Believe It or Not, check the Mutter Museum out, plenty of unique cases! I felt queasy at times seeing real specimens floating in jars. The pharmaceutical marketing room was intriguing, I love seeing ads from the past!

The Demuth Museum was a welcomed distraction during my visit. Lancaster isn't that big of a town,…read morebut there is hustle and bustle out on the street that you can escape from by entering this museum. It is honestly a well put together museum that is detailed to Demuth and his connection to Lancaster. This museum is part viewing and part interaction. It is two floors and you can move about it at your own pace and in any direction you feel appropriate. Take you time while doing this and you can definitely find a place to the side to appreciate the art. At the time of my visit the downstairs had an exhibit of art on loan from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It is a small exhibit but the pieces you find in the exhibit can definitely be appreciated. They rotate what is on exhibit in here dependent on what they can get on loan. I was told that they would be doing a change up soon on the pieces and it would be a whole new experience. Throughout the rest of the museum the pieces you see are pieces of Demuth himself. They have many pieces from Demuth that they rotate in and out of viewing sot that means you may not experience the same thing twice in a long while. With this museum being the family home of Demuth, you not only get to view the museum, but the home that is kind of a time capsule of when it was in use as a home. Upstairs it goes more into depth on Demuth himself. You can view the materials he used to create some of his art and learn about his life when he was younger and his travels to study art. In what I would say is the last room for you to visit is a room that contains art of artist that were from other countries looking to start anew in America. One piece invited you to write a message of encouragement to add to the piece of art. This really added an interactive touch to this museum. From the upstairs you can see the garden that inspired Demuth to produce some of his art. And where he spent time with his family.

We were first introduced to Demuth's work on a visit to the Barnes in Philadelphia, which has a…read morefairly large collection of his work. Because of what we saw there, we were interested in seeing what was on display in his home in Lancaster. I thought the information that I read before going said there were some 50 pieces of his work. Maybe because of another special exhibit taking place I only counter around 12, most being his early (?) work of various flowers. There were some portraits but none of his "architectural" type work. Maybe worth a short visit if you're in the area.

I was gonna take my daughter to North Museum of Nature and Science...but the tickets were sold out…read moreon Easter morning. Then I found Turkey Hill Ice cream Experience only 30min away from Lancaster, and decided to visit. We bought the double scoop experience (comes with ice cream test lab) and obviously that was the highlight of the place! The test lab is about 45min experience and the whole thing with self-guided tour takes about 1hr 30min to 2 hours depending how crowded it is. The visit was fun and of course my 5-year-old daughter had a great time eating tons of ice cream!

Visted on the 4th of July, perfect tourist attraction for locals and all ages…read more Even being solo for the experience, with families and kids was relaxing, and pleasent. Admission prices are reasonable, and who doesnt love unlimited samples of iced tea, and lemonade, icecream on a hot day. Vistors have a choice between one scoop, two scoop, or three scoop attraction. I choose one scoop; hilights of my visit- learning history of Turkey Hill, process of icecream being made, creating a virtual icecream flavor, watching the production , live from interactive camera in one of the exhibits. Be sure to take the few moments, to watch the introduction video. My favorite ice cream sample flavors were Graham Slam & Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake. An attraction must, well visiting Lancaster, PA. My recommendation would be too sell a few more flavors that you offer , with unlimited tastings. My favorite was orange icedtea.

Super cute place! We sat at the bar and the bartender was super helpful. Didn't realize they had…read moresuch an extensive menu so sadly we had already had lunch but our order of potato skins was delicious and great presentation. Might suggest better signs downstairs on outside of building of where to enter for the restaurant- maybe some big arrows painted? the downstairs is the car museum and it looked pretty amazing too! It's a great place to visit, don't miss it!

I am glad I found this place! I'm a car lover and visiting this place was ideal. The guy that works…read moreat the main lobby was nice and knowledgeable about cars! I enjoyed the selection of cars. They also have some cool merchandise to purchase.