A place you can spend a day at if Art is your thing. Lots to see and do. The mini version of the…read morecircus that he spend 50yrs building is super cool. The home that you visit the first floor shows how the rich lived. They came from poor start and turn a circus into a cash cow and in to other things that made him more money. High recommended to stop and see everything

This place is kind of deceptively huge…read more I enjoyed the circus museum of the area! There's two buildings that contain the entire thing. I really liked the interactive areas of the upstairs portion. And seeing the train cars in person was really interesting! The art museum was partially being renovated during the visit but there was still a huge amount of very large art pieces available to see. I enjoyed the restaurant inside a lot too. Very good food but if you go during 12-1pm, it's best to have a reservation. It was a full house! The store was cute and I only wish they had a few more museum-specific souvenirs. Make sure to bring a hat and water if you'll be exploring the full area as it can be HOT outside exploring the garden areas.

A very cute a fun museum!…read more My group and I came here mostly to see the manatees but enjoyed the rest of the museum as well. We went through the exhibits on the two floors relatively quickly but they were interesting to look at. I liked the emphasis on Florida specific history. The planetarium was interesting and the seats were very comfortable. The manatees were obviously the highlight. We were able to see two babies, Sorbet and Juneau, right at feeding time. The top view of the water had a superior view. Overall, while I'm not from here so I'm not sure when I'd be back if I went, I really enjoyed my time here.

Sad to admit this was our first visit here, and literally on the last day of the Clyde Butcher…read morephotography exhibit. Jade who worked up front was friendly and helpful. Manageable sized museum where we spent about 90 minutes and had to leave before viewing everything. The Butcher exhibit was very good, I wish there was more. Truly incredible work. There is a manatee rehab area, although no manatees currently as the ones they had were thankfully released back into the wild. Emma who works in this area answered several of my husband's questions and was quite knowledgeable and informative. Some great historical artifacts, especially for local history. Excellent museum gift shop as well, with a large variety of items and another friendly and engaging employee, Anne. Looking forward to the upcoming baseball exhibit, and will allow more time.

I spent 2 1/2 hours with a Veteran guide, Jeff Sherwin, the Gallery Section Captain. Jeff had many…read moredetails, anecdotes and personal experiences to share, it made for a fascinating afternoon. There are many exhibits, well laid out, including artifacts, videos, newspaper clippings, interactive opportunities, and much, much more. It makes discovering facts about our American history a little less overwhelming. Many things I discovered I either never learned in high school or didn't remember. Everyone I encountered who works and volunteers here is friendly and welcoming, with a terrific sense of humor. So many stories, I could go back and spend another few hours and learn even more. I highly recommend a trip to this museum. If you are fortunate enough to have Jeff as your guide, you will learn the 3 things required for victory, common to every war (Hint: W.A.O.). Find out where Kleenex got its start before manufacturing hygiene products and why Lucky Strike changed is packaging from green to white. I am very proud to be an American. The history on display conveys where we came together, where we messed up, how we learned and how we continue to grow as a nation. I learned so much in a short period of time, mostly that history is important for each of us to understand our heritage. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" --George Santayana. Thank you, Jeff, for your service and for spending your time with us.

We visited often. The volunteer staff are knowledgeable and fun to chat with. School trips are a…read morepriority for these folks. Education is key to remember our history

You get what you pay for, and this place is free, although they do accept donations. So don't be a…read morecheapskate and give some dollars if you go. It's mainly outdoors and walking ‍ is required. They have a map and scavenger map for fun. There is no guided tour but that makes it better because you can roam as you like. Seeing all the historical items is always cool and really makes you thank God we weren't born back then lol (no ac). My spawn and I really enjoyed all the old time items and it was cool having to explain what things were. Please go and enjoy yourself.

Such a fun place to visit if you are in the area. I highly recommend taking a self-guided walking…read moretour of the main building and outbuildings.

This place is a hidden somewhat run down but still super awesome old school gem that we loved…read more Florida's "Colonial Williamsburg" type living history museum with several buildings o exhibts as wrll as: Some livestock animals. A small garden inckuding sugar cane. Lots of vintage old stuff to explore. We woukd have loved a docent but self discovery was neat too. We really enjoyed our visit. Hoepfully some big money or loving volunteers step up to help support this super cool place. A trip back in time.. I love this place.

Wonderful place to take children. Old Florida at its best. Adjacent to Myakka State Park and easy…read moreto get to.

Let me tell you about the time my wife casually turned a normal "drop our daughter off at college"…read moretrip into what felt like a deleted scene from a survival movie... destination: Solomon's Castle in the absolute middle of nowhere. And when I say nowhere, I mean NOWHERE. I'm driving waiting for streetlights... nothing. Gas stations? Nope. People? Questionable. Cows? Plenty. Motorcycles flying by like we accidentally entered a post-apocalyptic biker convention? Oh yeah. At this point, I'm looking at my wife like, Babé are we visiting a castle or auditioning for The Walking Dead: Florida Edition?" Then suddenly... BOOM. Out of nowhere... like a mirage built by a very creative pirate appears this shiny, aluminum-covered CASTLE. Now I'm confused. Because one minute I'm dodging cows... and the next minute I'm like: Did we just teleport to medieval times sponsored by Home Depot? But here's the thing this place is AMAZING. Inside? Pure genius. Art everywhere. Sculptures made out of stuff you probably threw away last week. It's like if creativity, humor, and a junkyard had a baby and that baby became a castle. And then there's the restaurant. Yes. A restaurant. Inside a boat. Inside a castle. In the middle of nowhere. At this point, I've stopped asking questions and just accepted that I'm in someone else's dream. If you want the backstory, go ahead and Google it because it's wild. But honestly, just go. Don't overthink it. Would I have ever planned this stop? Absolutely not. Did my wife once again prove she's the CEO of random but incredible detours? 100%. Final verdict: Unexpected Slightly suspicious drive in Completely worth it If you're ever near Ona, Florida--or even if you're not take the detour. Just make sure your gas tank is full... and maybe say a quick prayer once the streetlights disappear

On our drive from St Augustine to Tampa, we made reservations to see Solomon's Castle in the middle…read moreof nowhere on beautiful land here in Florida. This castle was built by Howard Solomon, a high school dropout, with his bare hands and his own designs with whatever scraps of metal he could find or that were donated to him by others. He had friends and neighbors who helped him build. He built vertically because his land was more narrow than wide. So there are stairs to climb. Everything including his unusual artwork inside the Castle was donated or built by Solomon. He also had a 1930s collection of cars and trucks that are displayed at the Castle. His personal story is very interesting which will be told during the tour. Visitors are not allowed to photograph the auto collection nor anything inside the Castle. There is no cell service/wifi there on the property. They do not use computers so everything is paid by cash: the tickets (we paid about $40 in cash for the castle tour and the classic car tour), the food, and souvenirs. They are dog-on-leash friendly, which is nice. The staff is very welcoming and fun to interact with! The tour is very interesting with funny jokes thrown in. Food is served on the boat and reviewers have been favorable about the meals offered. Remember, it is cash only. Parking is free and at the entrance before you get to the Castle. Wear comfortable shoes. I was happy that we got to do the tour. I don't know that I would go back because it is so out of the way but it was worth the trip.

The museum is really beautiful and exploring the work of Dali was very interesting, he truly was a…read moregenius and an extremely gifted artist. Take your earbuds so you can take advantage of the QR code listening and viewing of paintings. I would not spend the additional 15.00 cost of the dome. My entire group felt the same. It is a large circular viewing screen with some of his works, turned into moving works or parts. It was staged with folding chairs and it was hard on your neck to follow the 30 min movie.

So happy to finally visit this museum. I love all things art and the collection here was amazing. I…read morewould definitely recommend whether you're into Dali or just art in general. Loved this outdoor bench!

Super cool museum. Not too expensive for entry. The staff is more than friendly, it's clean and…read moreexpansive. I highly recommend it, especially if you're in the area.

Imagine Museum was definitely worth checking out. There are two Floors of amazing glass art work…read more The museum is great for all ages. The staff were friendly, knowledgeable and made the visit special. I highly recommend stopping by and checking out the museum. Definitely will be going back.