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.

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)

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.

If you are into local history this place has tons of it. The exhibits are great the people that are…read morethere are very knowledgeable of the area. It's not open that long but it is definitely worth a visit.

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.

If you are a fan of Art Deco architecture and are in the Syracuse area, this building is a…read moremust-see. It gleams with chrome during the day, and brightly shines with lights at night. It stands as a lasting tribute to another age, an age of developing technology - an age of industrialists that looked to the future with wonder and determination.

Utica Children's Museum is small and open with plenty of great activities for kids and adults. What…read moreI liked about this one is the activities aren't the same as every other children's museum we've been to. There were a few standards, but a lot of imaginative play areas and some great science stations. We built a tricycle out of large wooden puzzle pieces, played with light refraction and made a stop motion video. I learned about different tree seeds local to the area. My daughter loved driving the rickshaw. There was a story time and a fun rainbow craft with marshmallows. The museum is clean and bright and pleasant. I was a little sad I am too big for the climbing structure. It looked pretty fun!

The new Utica Children's Museum is a great place for kids from tots to young teens to explore,…read morecreate, and play. The museum is two levels, although there is just a multi-story climbing structure on the first level. We brought our two toddlers, who liked the imaginative play area with the world market, stage for performances, musical instruments, car-building and race tracks, builders area, book nook, and weather exploration. I loved that there was such varied hands-on education on STEM, music, colors, world languages and culture, and sensory exploration, appealing to a broad range of youth. We saw much older kids who seemed to still be engaged in the science and engineering activities, like building their own vehicles and testing and racing them. The one area the museum is a little bit lighter on compared to other children's museums we've been to is arts and crafts. There is a classroom for special activities and classes, as well as seasonal programming like gardening. Prices were $15 each for adults and kids, which seemed fair given the overall quality and diversity of the activities. There was at least one staff helping to put away the market toys and building materials to keep the area clean and organized. My kids had a fabulous time, as did even the adults. I could see this attraction being especially popular during very hot and cold weather days. There is a small area on the first floor with tables and seating to eat; vending machines with snacks and beverages are available.

Good amount of vendors, artisans, food trucks and more for Syracuse Art Festival! Jewelry,…read morepaintings, eclectic lamps and furniture and so much more. We passed a bag pipe performance and other musical entertainment throughout the festival.

Beautiful day to take in some interesting and beautiful Arts & Crafts in downtown Syracuse. This…read moreannual event draws large crowds and features several vendors and food trucks. Definitely worth checking out.