From the South Lyon, Michigan website:…read more Witch's Hat Depot HOME RESIDENTS COMMUNITY WITCH'S HAT DEPOT Sub Menu About the Witch's Hat Depot Museum and Historic Village The Witch's Hat Depot Museum and Historic Village represents the joint efforts of the City of South Lyon, the South Lyon Area Historical Society, the South Lyon Historical Commission, local service clubs and a great number of volunteers. This community effort has resulted in a fine museum and charming, historic village that attracts many visitors, weddings and events. The Museum is open Saturday and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Special tours can be arranged by contacting the Historical Society at (248) 437-9929. The Witch's Hat Depot in Historic Village Depot The Witch's Hat Depot functions as a museum and the gathering place for the South Lyon Historical Society. It's distinctive roof line gives the building it's name: The Witch's Hat. The building was moved from the original location on East Lake Street to McHattie Park in 1976 as a bicentennial project and it now serves as the focal point for the historic village. The interior of the depot has been preserved to show what a turn-of-the-century train depot would look like. The Historical Society uses the Depot and the nearby Freight Building to store historic documents. The Depot is an excellent resource for railroad buffs or those who simply want to know more about the history of South Lyon. This website gives a more comprehensive history of the building, including its role in the state railroad system and a photo of the depot under construction in 1909 as well as a photograph of the depot in the 1970s before it was moved to its current location in McHattie Park. Historic Village Depot Caboose The caboose is fun for all, railroad buffs, children and the simply curious. It is a Chesapeake & Ohio caboose dating from 1926. The interior is furnished as much as it might have been when in daily use by the rail road workers. The caboose was moved to the museum site in 1982. Freight House Historic Village The freight house was built in 1984 to provide a much needed community meeting area as well as additional museum display areas. The basement is the museum's archive. The building design compliments the Depot. Funding for the freight house was provided by the City and the Historical Commission. In addition, all of the interior finish work was done by volunteers both amateurs and professional, making this truly a community building. It is an attractive, comfortable place to hold meetings and special events. Historic Village Washburn School Washburn School District #5 in Green Oak Township, Livingston County, was built in 1907 to replace a log school building. It served the families in the area until 1953 when the district consolidated with South Lyon Schools. The building was donated to the City of South Lyon in 1984 by the Gordon Wood Family. In the interim, it was used as a church and for a short time as a home. The City, in conjunction with the South Lyon Area Historical Society moved the schoolhouse to its present site in McHattie Park where is serves the community as part of the museum and the historic village. School children hold day-long classes in the building giving them a "one room school house" experience. The school is open for tours as part of the museum complex and is available for meetings and other community needs. Little Village Chapel in the Historic Village The Little Village Chapel is the most recent addition the Historic Village. This 1930's era "kit building" was donated to the City by the congregation of the Immanuel Lutheran Church. The building was moved in 2001 from East Liberty Street to its current site. Historic Village Gazebo The gazebo in the McHattie Park Historic Village was built in 1991 to compliment the circa 1900 village. It is used by the community for band concerts and other entertainment. It is a welcome shelter for these wanting some shade or just a comfortable place to sit while visiting the Historic Village. Recognized as a lovely setting, many wedding ceremonies have been held there. The gazebo provides a pleasant interlude on a summer afternoon. © 2016South Lyon, MI335 S. Warren Street, South Lyon, MI Telephone: (248) 437-1735 / Fax: (248) 486-0049 Site use and Linking Policy, Title VI Non-discrimination Plan munetrix logo1logo2 Powered By Revize LOGIN

Highly recommend! Whenever there's kids in town visiting we try to get them here (but equally…read moreenjoyable for adults too!). It's so fun to be hands on with the animals and the staff/volunteers are the nicest, answering all your random questions and telling you about the animals, but also giving you space if you don't feel like socializing.

This place is great. You can learn a lot about different animals, hands on. The staff is well…read moreinformed, and passionate about learning. It's free to go, so make sure to stop by their very reasonably priced gift shop and or leave a donation. Side note, I can't wait to go back. I want to snuggle their ferrets, and purchase some more of their cool science nerdy earrings!

In the university, there are several museums is free to public. Those are students and teachers…read morecontributed result. This is two floors building. The collection is huge. The entrance is mammoth animal bones. The upper floor has pterosaurs with flying wing. The collection includes sea creatures, land animals and predators, small animals and more. The visit takes place 1.5 hours. But it has a lot to offer. Definitely is must visit museum in the university.

What could be better than a free Museum with free Air condition on a 94 degree weather and free…read moreparking?? Maybe parking was free because we went on a Sunday. This was a fun place to walk around and escape the heat! It is also great for kids as there are a lot of exhibitions and hands on experiments they can partake in. I enjoyed watching videos about the birds as I recently got into birding and seeing the various displays they had. There are 4 floors, a gift shop, plenty of bathrooms, plenty of places to sit and rest, and it's all free!

It is not worth it for the money. You pay a general cost for the regular museum which could use…read moresome help as it is crowded in the children's hands on area and lackluster in the other areas. Then you have to pay extra for the special exhibit which is not noted on their website. For 4 adults and a 6 year old it was over $100 for a lack luster museum. Would rather spend my money in Detroit or Grand Rapids.

While up here last December, I discovered this gem while visiting the Art Museum directly across…read morethe street. It was closed for renovations and I wasn't able to visit at the time, so I made a point of stopping in while in the area. This seems to be a family friendly museum with a large kids area for them to explore. There's also a large area of Flint's history with logging, automotive, General Motors and cars. Also, I didn't have to pay since I wasn't a Genesee county resident? Otherwise I think it's $12 to get in if you are. The car exhibit is fabulous to look at. It's pretty much General Motors since it was a major Flint employer for many years. Overall I didn't spend more than a half an hour here cruising through the place. I thought there would be more, but there wasn't. I was hoping to have spent at least an hour but couldn't pull it off. No, I didn't read every single sign because not everything here appeals to me, but it is a good spot to learn and expand your horizons at.

What a very nice historical place to catch some Michigan history…read more Today seeing a presentation of how the Michigan Civil War were saved through restoration.

Huge museum with lots to do and see! It was a great experience and while we were there we got to…read morelearn extra bits of information from Dean. Would recommend to anybody with some spare time on their hands!

This is a free museum in the University of Michigan. All the artifacts are dig by the professor and…read morestudents. The collection is displayed on two floors. The first floor is the ancient Middle East, Egypt, Cyprus and Greece. The upstair has Roman and special collections. The collection is very ancient and interesting. The visit takes 30 minutes.

I went here the other day to check out the museum. Needed to write an essay for an English college…read moreclass; so, I came here. The people there are super nice and knowledgeable. I'll definitely come back.

Doing tourist things after hearing that this was a must visit for people with small kids. This…read morewas on the list of to-do's as we had a short weekend visit to the Canton area. .....Great place to see all of the exhibts.. Not a bad time at all. We got to see play and do so MANY things all active and the girls loved the play areas ...all of them. The bathrooms were clean and strategically placed...I was pleasantly surprised. The parking is somewhat close....& I liked the exercise...our girls napped so hard after the visit. I am in firm belief that the overall planning and logistics of this place are professionally done & handled well! This venue is a must visit if in the area and you like hands on action. The girls had a blast and that is what matters most!! 10/10 times I will return.. for the price I paid... I could see myself doing this again with a longer stay in the area! Sidenote the people in guest service station were super awesome... All workers that interacted with our family had smiles on their faces and were so helpful. ***Especially since we had Museum Pass in another state (Oklahoma City) and they participate in the reciprocating membership deal. I still paid for 2 full price even though I figured it should have be the cheaper ... But it was interpreted wrong I guess by me within 90 mile... I feel for the price I paid...it eas kinda worth it. We will return! *Questions reach out* Respectfully, Bryan and Family Oklahoma City

This is such an innovative way of having a museum. My husband and I wanted to bring the kids here…read morefor the first time. The bad news is there was an art fair and no parking only $20 parking. That did not kill our vibe. Tickets are $16 a person and under 2 is free. We purchased the tickets and we parked our stroller. The kids walked up the stairs and went into this water room. My son loved it so much. He was squealing and running around. My daughter loved played with the balls and throwing them in the water. Once we were done with this floor, we decided to go up the stairs. We were shocked to see a massive preschool room suitable for ages 4 and under. They have tons of toys for the kids. They had another water station. My kids were dry at first. However, a little boy sprayed water at my son and soaked him as his mom watched and said nothing. This didnt make our experience bad because luckily we had a change of clothes. I only say this to warn you to bring a change of clothes just in case they get wet. We didn't really go to the third floor. My husband said it was more for older kids when he went to check. The kids were having too much fun inside the playroom. We will definitely be back and hopefully not on a day where an event is taking place.

We love the Outdoor Adventure Center! We visit once a week when they open, which keeps my…read more2.5-year-old entertained and active. It can get busy with school field trips, so we prefer going early. There's a cafeteria, so you can pack a lunch and eat there, though they only sell a few snacks in the gift shop. We have a membership, and it's definitely worth it! Highly recommend this place!

I see the staff say good morning every morning on the news and finally got to visit on a field…read moretrip. I was with the littles, young elementary school aged kids, and they absolutely had the best time. This place was adorable, packed with so much for young kids to touch, see, experience, play with and play on and we were able to get through and do most of it. They loved the tree, the camp site, the plane, the kitchen, the waterfall area, the bunk beds, the fish, and fishing simulation, the driving simulations, this was a magical place for them. Since we had limited time and a big group, I did not get a chance to try the driving experiences, but it is only $5 admission. The only thing I wish they would have as a parent, and maybe this feasible for them would be to have a cafeteria where they actually sold food and drinks. You have to bring your own food and if you have a water bottle, they put it away for you since nothing is allowed on the attractions.