After touring the nearby Stickley factory we drove a few miles to the Fayetteville library where…read morethis gem of a museum is located on the second floor. This used to be the factory years ago. The library on the first floor is hands down the best furnished library we've been in since it was all Stickley furniture! The museum is small but well done with good displays. The curator Amanda was very helpful and enthusiastic. We learned a lot on top of the tour we just did. Highly recommend but check the days and hours that the museum is open since they are limited.

We planned to tour the Stickley Museum as an add-on rather than a focal point of our family's…read morevacation itinerary, but it turned out to be the highlight of our trip! In fact, we enjoyed it so much, we were surprised we stayed so long! And, we hope to return! I must say that our enjoyment was mainly due to the personableness and knowledgeability of the director and curator, Amanda Clifford, who communicated effectively from day one; that is, the day I emailed before the trip, and that's out of the country since we're not even Americans! We're Canadians and we're antique furniture artisans. Amanda was so attuned to our passions--perhaps sharing them even--that the three of us covered a lot of territory together at once. We felt like the tour was a real treat, being able to discourse deeply over the mechanics, aesthetics, history, sentimental values plus the current appreciation of antique furniture. We discussed the variety of woods, the types of structural techniques, the idiosyncrasy per Stickley brother, and enjoyed listening to all the fascinating stories behind specific pieces, time periods, and personalities. The visit really adds meaning to our own work! Moreover, the museum is situated above a lovely public library, which kept our kids, who preferred to do something other than to study old furniture, busy with computers and books while my husband and I toured the floor above. The librarians were friendly and accommodating. Even more, every space in that building, including the washrooms, seems to be furnished with prized pieces of Stickley antiques! The venue, including its outdoor garden and indoor cafe, has a wonderful atmosphere all around! While explaining some of the history of the Stickley company, Amanda ended up also covering information on Fayetteville, a quaint, history-preserving community, plus other cities and regions in the state of New York. Every question we asked her--be it regarding furniture, geography, history, or just plan tourist-related interests--was answered with expertise, courtesy, and thoughtfulness. Thank you, Amanda, for making the tour a thorough pleasure! We hope to return in the near future for a visit to the Stickley factory in nearby Manlius, NY, too! ------------------------------- People may not realize this as personally until they visit a museum like this one, but the pieces of wood we use as furniture in our homes are items we live with day and out, and throughout history. How we make them, use them, decorate with them, choose them, maintain them, and value them speaks a great deal about the culture from which we come and about the characters who own them. This is what makes furniture both pragmatic and personal, functional and fascinating, and why so much of ourselves as human beings is invested into antiques; hence, making a visit to the Stickley Museum so significant. (Written by the owner of "Olden Wood Revivals", a co. of artisans who specialize in restoring antique furniture in Northumberland County, Ont., Canada)

Whether you're a Syracuse resident or just visiting, the Erie Canal Museum is a must see…read more The Museum is small but mighty. It packs fun and education all into one place. Meander around the self guided museum to see a variety of exhibits including a boat you can actually sit in! The museum is great for all ages; young and old. The staff is super friendly and the admission price won't break the bank.

I didn't know much about Syracuse on the whole other than they have a university. And that the Erie…read moreCanal passed through here when it was a major mode of transportation. I am glad that I came to this museum as it added to my knowledge of the Erie Canal. More than I thought I knew. Do check out the website ahead of time. It has some important information. One such thing is parking, if you are lucky enough, you will be able to snag a spot reserved for the museum parking in the city lot located across the street from the museum. Find the spots that are labeled "Visitor Center Parking," this place doubles as the visitor center as well. Otherwise, there is street parking available at a small cost. Also from the website you will find the hours and price for admission. Admission here is technically "pay-what-you-wish" meaning it can be whatever you feel an admission is. But they suggest $12 at the time of me writing this review. Once inside you will be greeted right away. The staff here is mostly volunteers but definitely know their stuff when it comes to the canal. I was given the layout of the museum and suggested where to go first. The museum is two floors and it is suggested to go through the first floor first, unless you need to use the restroom, those are upstairs. If that is what you need, you can start upstairs. I started off by just checking out the first areas of the exhibits and was approached by another volunteer who took me on quick once through about the canal and important dates and events that marked the opening of the canal. You also find out that the street in front of the museum is named Erie Boulevard because that was once the canal route. That is until it was rerouted. The things you learn when you just listen. Then I was sent on my way to make it through the museum. I went slow and took a lot of pictures so I could go back to them in case I missed something. I really enjoyed the set up of this museum. You go through an explanatory phase of the museum and then you get to explore set ups and walk through displays. Take some time to explore the canal boat as you can walk through it and see what it was like to travel by canal. Believe it or not, people still travel through the canal for leisure travel and they have had visitors here that have shown up via the canals. Once you complete the first floor, trek upstairs and take a look at the displays of the businesses of the day. Bar, pottery place, general store, and theater. All meticulously put together and showing what it was like back in the heyday. After you have taken in everything in the museum you can head outside and take in a bit more. On the canal side of the building you can view the boat inside and what the weigh station looked like. Street side there are a few things to check. Their garden area is beautiful and a nice place to catch some rest. Fun fact, Syracuse was a major stop on the canal because of all the salt. Hence their nickname The Salt City.

What an incredible museum!…read more If you know me, you know I have a deep love of historic architecture. Now I've seen my fair share of octagon houses - and often being volunteer-run historic sites or restrictive museums, it isn't too often I get the chance to get a complete top-to-bottom tour. However, we happened to be in the right place at the right time for the Wilcox Octagon House Museum! This place is only open on select Sundays throughout the year, all of which can be found on their website. This place is entirely volunteer-run, and the women we met who gave us a tour of the site were incredibly knowledgeable, not only about the site itself but about the intriguing things going on in the world throughout the house's lifetime. We started on the bottom floor and learned about the structure itself, and all of the changes it went through as it changed ownership from its original builders, the Wilcox's. It was very interesting to see how at one point the house had been turned into a duplex, had a remodeled 1940's kitchen, and the unique and oddly-shaped closets. My favorite fun-fact was that the house was so highly taxed when it was constructed because each room - including the tiny closets throughout the house - was taken into consideration when being taxed. As we moved throughout the house, we were able to see the super-cool wine cellar in the basement, original kitchen, plus the top floor and the gorgeous windowed overlook with an amazing view of the surrounding town of Camillus. The volunteers were very informative and friendly, and understanding of the fact that we were kind of in a rush, only because we had plans to catch a boat ride at another museum a short drive away. I am so grateful that they were incredibly accommodating of us! In short, this was an incredibly cool place to experience, and I absolutely recommend coming here if you happen to be looking for something to do on a lazy sunday. A historic home like this is truly a treasure and it always feels good to support small volunteer-run historical such as this.

The Children's Museum in Oswego is fantastic and filled my kids with hours of fun and…read moreentertainment. We arrived on a Monday morning, left for lunch, and returned for more play until the museum closed at 4PM. The museum is technically two stories, although the first floor mainly consists of the admissions desk, a small gift shop, and a water play station. Waterproof smocks or covers would have been nice since my son's shirt did get quite wet. There were boats, fishing rods, and cascading channels of water for various kinds of water play. This was a hit with both of my toddlers. The second floor had much more activities. From large and small foam blocks, Magnatiles, a scarf suction pipe/chute, books, light tables, brite light pegs, and a mini spiral climbing structure, to a dentist's office, pizza and salad restaurant, fire truck, tree house, farmers market, farm, toilet to teach plumbing, aluminum recycling, color wheel, and much more, there was a lot for kids of all ages to explore. There was also a small sectioned-off area for 0-2 infants and pre-walkers. The space hosts birthday parties as well as STEM classes. The staff were lovely. We were given a stamp in our hands before we took a break for lunch so that we could re-enter for free that same day. The only complaint I have is that there was less in the way of offering arts and crafts or even free-form drawing. We did not see any parking lot, but took advantage of free 2-hour street parking. This is definitely a great spot for families with young kids in Oswego.

our family loved this place up until my daughters birthday party we had there, we paid for the most…read moreexpensive birthday party package, they didn't decorate the room with the colors we told them, they never gave us any scents for the slim add on that we paid extra for and they NEVER gave us any goody bags that were apart of the birthday package, we called and complained, it took them a couple days to call us back to tell us we would be getting an $80 refund and that it would take 5 plus days to receive the money and still haven't received it. We paid a ridiculous amount of money and didn't get what we paid for...... Also the pizzas they give you for the party are not actual normal sized pizzas they are slightly bigger than a personal pan pizza. But a lot smaller than a medium sized pizza. Definitely not happy with this place.

This is a great small historic site with a working blacksmith. Don't expect an entire historic…read moredistrict, but if you want to learn something about US history, this is a great way to spend a couple of hours.

Wonderful place to learn the history of the Erie Canal! They have an informational video to get you…read morestarted on the basics. Then, you can take a small tour through the main building where they hold classes such as basket weaving or Canal Kids Club. There is also a small gift shop where you can purchase history learning materials, books, art and other souvenirs, even a membership if you're interested. Then you can head over to see a Canal boat replica, where you can see how life on a Canal boat was when the Erie Canal was in operation. There is a wet and dry lock for the Canal boats that was actually used at the original operation of the Erie Canal.The museum also has an operational Blacksmith shop where they sometimes have a Blacksmith come in for demonstrations. There is a general store that is set up like it would have been during the use of the Erie Canal. There are other surprises in the general store such as a model replica of the Eri Canal, also preserved clothing and items used at the historical time. There is so much more that I can't even list here! You can even ride your bike or walk the Erie Canal path from this location! I strongly suggest that you check this historic location out! You will love it!

The perfect place to take your kids, especially in the winter season! Such a gem for kids &…read morecurious adults. There is always something new to explore. We love coming here, and every visit feels a little different because they keep adding new, hands on areas for kids to explore. The newest GROW exhibit is a huge hit with my crew, especially the part where they buy eggs and pretend to run their own little farm stand. It blends imagination, real world skills, and ag technology in such an engaging way. I also loved the Amateur Nature Photography winners wall. It's such a beautiful way to celebrate local talent and get kids excited about nature. As someone who loves nature photography myself, I could've stayed there all day. A few favorite spots: Building Bricks area -- my boys love making forts Science Playhouse -- a multi-level indoor play area with climbing, sliding, and exploring. Indoor playgrounds are rare these days, and this one is fantastic. Micron area -- super engaging and surprisingly educational. Vending machines and bathroom layout -- easy, clean, and parent-friendly (a huge win). And don't miss the Dome shows. It's always worth checking the showtimes. My kids love grabbing popcorn and watching the short movies and planetarium-style features. This is one of those places where you can spend 30 minutes or three hours and feel like it was absolutely worth it. Staff is friendly, everything is clean, and it's genuinely fun to watch kids learn through play. Highly recommend for families, nature lovers, and anyone looking for a relaxed, meaningful outing with young kids.

Just in time for valentine's day, the chocolate discovery fundraiser! Held at the MOST, plenty of…read moreroom to roam the designated area and sample all the chocolate treats, provided by Sweet on Chocolate. Truffles, chocolate covered strawberries and cherries, pretzels, and candy logs! Lovely to be greeted with sparkling rosé! 1911 was on site, pouring selections. The large charcuterie table prices a savory compliment! The evening ended with a show in the planetarium. What a great evening of science, discovery, and sweetness!

A lot of interesting exhibits, can learn a lot here +;imagine what hard labor felt like im the…read moreworst conditions. Don't expect TOO much- its free but appreciate the donators. Kid sitting at counter kinda rude; maybe they were just having a bad day.

The Salt Museum is pretty cool to spend anywhere from 10-30 minutes. It's free (they also accept…read moredonations), and surrounded by a park, nice waterfront, bike path, and near a free public parking lot, so why not check it out? The staff was friendly. The history and exhibits were neat too. Definitely a little dark and "divey" as one reviewer wrote, but a unique piece of local history nonetheless. There is also a free electric car charging station near the park office building, but no restroom in the museum.

Still love this place. Came 2/25/2023 with several friends who had never been…read more It was a moving experience and sparked very good conversations while there. Come with an open heart and mind and you will leave humbled and inspired. Visited the gift shop on the way out and purchased several things and added $20 to my total as an added donation. Cannot recommend enough.

Very informative; knowledgeable staff, interesting artifacts, information videos, children's…read moreactivities etc.

Went to the Gage house with a group of 13 women. We seated at the dining room table where meetings…read moreregarding the suffrage movement had taken place. We viewed a video while drinking tea, which was quite nice. The video outlined the history of the Gage foundation and highlighted the woman who changed the course of women's rights. After viewing the video, Renee, a docent came and answered questions and gave us more information regarding Matilda's life and impact. I learned so much about the women's rights movement despite having been to Seneca Falls and having red widely about the topic. What was impressive was that Matilda's house was part of the underground railroad and her relationship with the women of Onondaga nation who were way ahead of their time When it came to female empowerment. There are various rooms and historical artifacts to see. There's also a lovely little gift shop, which also contains items from the Wizard of Oz since Frank Baum was Matilda's son-in-law. Overall, expect to spend about 90 minutes watching the video, going through the various rooms of the house and exploring the gift shop. A wonderful little gem.

The Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation was a very nice place to learn about the activist that is…read moreMatilda Joslyn Gage. The house had many different rooms that held interesting artifacts. These rooms include the Oz Family Room, the Underground Railroad Room, and the Local History Corridor. They let you interact with the exhibits displayed in the rooms, and we were able to watch a fascinating video about Matilda Joslyn Gage's impact on American History. The place was very charming and I had a great experience during the visit.

Our visit to Fort Ontario was fantastic. It is clear that the individuals who work there are very…read morededicated and knowledgeable. It is well kept, signage is clear, and the technology available made it very easy to engage with the artifacts there, which I loved! Not only were the information and items very informative and interesting, but there is also a beautiful view of Lake Ontario. A quick trip from Syracuse, and located in an area with many restaurants and cute gift shops, I highly recommend a visit to Fort Ontario - you will not regret it! Make sure you give yourself enough time to really look at everything. Well worth the time.

This place is very cool! Lots of history and well maintained. You can go into most of the…read morebuildings and they did their best to stage the rooms as they were back in their time. You can also walk the upper level of the fort walls. The views are amazing. This is an inexpensive way to spend the day teaching you kids history. Bring them and show them some of the American history available in Oswego!