Coming from a place where cotton and hand looms were pretty much the life of the people, a lot which was stolen by the British imperialists back 300 years away I was still amazed. Yes, I have seen enough of high quality cotton stuff and carding and converting them into threads still this place amazes me. It's a part of the industrial revolution of the west especially a teenage USA. The drop in the water, opportunities for growth etc and then how a planned city nearly dies and coming back while thriving on the diverse culture of immigrants is fascinating. Not to be missed. Park in the visitor center and take the free trolley. Won't take one more than 2-2.5 hours to and from the visitor center. read more

Boott Cotton Mills Museum - Museums Near Me - Lowell, Massachusetts

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Excellent place to visit as they talk about the historical impact of millwork on Lowell and how it transformed the lives of ordinary teenage girls/women in a time where they had almost no economic opportunity. The looms themselves are turned on several times a day so that visitors can experience the loudness of the looms and how fast the weaving takes place. (You do need the ear plugs.) Bathrooms are renovated and are available on both floors. This will take between 1 - 2 hours. The admission fee is $6 for adults. read more

Beautiful restored cotton mill with running power looms/weavers. This is part of the National park service and is a two floor museum dedicated to the Lowell cotton mill era of the late 19th century to early 20th century. The highlight is the running looms that workers operate daily and create simple cotton fabric that they sell a portion of as dish cloths in the store. Super cute! Upstairs is a traditional museum showing the lives of people in the mills and the guides are more than enthusiastic to tell you more. It's a very nicely restored mill and very cool to see it in operation. Worth the visit and if you're a student, it's just $3 for entry! read more

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As a history teacher I love to be able to visit the sites of the places I talk about in my class. I've always wanted to be able to visit Lowell and be able to visit the mills and today I was able to visit this museum to help make history come alive for me. In essence the birthplace of Industrialization in America. This museum provides the opportunity to see how the textile mills revolutionize the way people worked in America. As you walk in you actually see the machines working on the first floor. When you move to the second floor you are able to enter the museum and understand the inner workings of the textile mills. On the second floor they have a theater which goes through the history of how the City of Lowell was started and why as well all the textile mills and the history of how and why they started in Lowell. The great thing about this place is you can go as quick or slow as you want. One of the i thing about the museum is the explanation of how the Textile mills flourished in Lowell but also they go through the demise of the industry and how Lowell has also built itself back from the closure of all the mills. read more

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This is an awesome museum especially for people with kids! The fact that they have an actual weaving floor with working looms is AMAZING! You will definitely need some ear plugs but it is worth it. There is usually someone there actually working the machines and making dishcloths that you can then buy at the museum store...how cool is that! They are literally bringing history to life and they do it in a fun and interactive way. You will not be disappointed if you come here. They have another display upstairs that will have you rethinking your clothing purchases...you gotta check it out! I loved every aspect of this museum and love that it is also a National Park so I got to get a stamp in my passport!!!! read more

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This museum is worth a visit and gives a great look at the history of Lowell. Admission is cheap ($6 for adults, $3 for students) and it took us about 45 minutes to work our way through the exhibitions. The highlight was definitely the actual working mill on the ground floor - very cool to see in action, especially after reading about the mill and working conditions in this museum and also in the visitors center a few blocks away (about a 10-minute walk). The upstairs exhibits provide more background on the history of mill towns, cotton production, and some hands-on displays on weaving. If you collect National Parks Service passport stamps, you can get a stamp for the general Lowell site here, as well as a specific stamp for this museum. There's also a gift shop with lots of NPS and Lowell-specific items. read more

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This was a cool museum! You can see an actual working cotton mill, and while most of the machines aren't running, it's still loud. I saw other reviews mentioning bringing earplugs, and I recommend you ask for some at the desk. (They didn't hand them to me automatically, but were happy to give them to me when I asked.) It's truly cool to be inside when the actual machines are working. You can learn a lot about Lowell's industrial history, and it's worth a visit for anyone interested in labor or industrial history especially. I visited during a lunch break when I was at a conference at the nearby university conference center, so I spent about 45 minutes there, which seemed about right. If you're the sort of museum goer who likes to read every time (or if you watch the 20 minute film they play every half hour) you could easily spend a bit longer here. The museum doesn't hide or plaster over the connections that the industrial mills had to slavery in the 19th century (these mills- many of which were owned by abolitionist Quakers - were completely reliant on cotton grown by American slaves) and the suppression of labor organizing in the early 20th century, they don't exactly play this up. I recommend making sure you watch the little video terminal that plays interviews with former mill workers that highlight the importance of the unions in changing the work environment. read more

Historic downtown Lowell is a beautiful place to visit, and Boot Cottons Mills Museum is no exception! Beautiful area to walk around and the museum is cheap (6 for adults and 3 for students w/ IDs.) I know most local residents will be like, "Whatever I'm bored we visited this in second grade, and I really have out grown that phase where I wanted to be a Mill girl." But like, you should think again. Curators have done a really great job of keeping the fascinating parts of the museum--an entire room of functioning looms (scary and fascinating)--while also bringing to light some really important aspects of the textile industry in Lowell. It's great to come and see how important this area of MA was to the economy of the country in the early 19th century. However, the best part of the museum for me was part of their new exhibit: a room dedicated to today's global textile industry, a connection that many historians tend to miss or glaze over. The specific exhibit brings a very global perspective to industry and capitalism in a way that both children and adults can connect to or understand, with displays for both kids and adults. It also highlights the voices of people from around the world and presentsrelatable stories from workers in many different countries and contexts. I was very moved by the interactive displays, and the opportunities for visitors to write and share thier own immigrant and working stories from their families--as it is those narrative that are so important to the American identity. I think the staff has done a wonderful job updating the museum and making it more relevant for the present day visitor. It's definitely worth a visit and you'll leave with a lot to think about. Also be sure to check out the boarding house museum where the mill girls lived and the display on immigrant communities in Lowell. read more

This museum is right in the downtown area of Lowell and was a working mill until 1955. The first floor of the museum, named the Weave Room, has industrial grade looms that are operating as you walk through. It's very loud, but they give you ear plugs to wear as you walk through. There are videos that explain the exhibits. Another building belonging to the museum is the Boardinghouse, where the women who first worked in the mill were housed. Today, the Boardinghouse is the location of the Mogan Cultural Center., where many music events are held on the open-air stage. Visitors can also walk the grounds around the mills, and they can take a stroll on the walkway next to the Merrimack River. read more

The Boott Cotton museum was absolutely awesome! It allows you to feel first hand what life was like in industrial America while also giving a really deep analysis of the economics at work during the time. The building is also beautiful. The Rangers were friendly and useful. We spent at least 3 hours here and frankly it could have been more. Tickets were $6 a piece, but half price with a National Parks pass. Perhaps not the best place for children (I'm sure I'd have gotten quickly bored as a kid) but highly recommended for everyone else. read more

The Boott Mills Textile Museum in Lowell, MA. was an experience to remember. The Museum layout allow you to get a general feel for the life of Textile workers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The accompanying documentaries recorded the high noise, humidity and pollution. A must see site to appreciate sacrifices made to create our modern world. read more

Boott Cotton Mills Museum - The tower of the Boott Textile Mills. A shiny facad that hides misery inside. - Museums Near Me - Lowell, Massachusetts

While everyone flocks to Boston I was determined to see real 'Murica. So we headed to Lowell because I saw a special on the canals once on TV. It was great! this museum was a great find and very affordable. I was very tickled when a couple of days later I was listening to A People's History of the US and Zinn started talking about the mill women of Lowell and how they went on strike! The sound of the machines was a great way to start the tour! I was awe struck by the employee working one of the looms and couldn't stop watching the back and forth. It was a perfect way to travel back in time and prepare for the second floor. I would recommend this to everyone! in combination with the canal tour. read more

Walking the old mills was like a walk though time. I worked in these mills in 1970 for a while making underwear for JCPenney. lots of memories. Fascinating to see how they lived in the rooming houses in the 1800-1900's. read more

I just think for the price of admission, it's a very rich experience to learn about what life was like in an industrial mill city. The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful, seeing the weaving machines in action was great, and it just leaves you with some important ideas and questions as to how support cities after industry has left. read more

Now first off, I'm a History Nerd. This place was GREAT! I was born in Lowell and grew up in this area. I went here for a field trip in elementary school, but this was the first time since that I've visited the museum and actually appreciated it. For one, my boyfriend and I are both students at UML so admission was just $6 for the both of us. Nice, cheap date. If you're not students I believe admission is $6/person. Still pretty cheap. The first floor has the actual, working looms which was very exciting. There were two workers walking around inspecting the looms and they seemed pleasant. Very cool to watch the looms. Upstairs was a very detailed and informative exhibit. It starts with colonial America and how it was agrarian based and slowly turns into the Industrial Revolution. We went on a Friday morning and there was one other older couple there. The gentleman that was working the top floor put on the movie on just for the four of us. It was old fashioned and made in 1992. Still, it was very enjoyable. My boyfriend isn't as big of a history nerd as I am and he really liked the movie. A big theme was worker's rights. This theme is obviously still relevant today which led to a lot of conversation between the two of us as we enjoyed the rest of the museum. Cute gift shop too. Tons of books and little nick-knacks. read more

They do a great job here of providing context for Lowell's mill history and making history come to life. Very nice rangers that are extremely willing to answer questions. Easy to see in a fairly short time and inexpensive too. Seeing a museum on the history of mills and making fabric may not seem exciting but it was very informative and glad we stopped. read more