I love a good hidden gem. The David Owsley Museum of Art is hidden in plain sight, though, because…read moreit's located on the campus of Ball State University, one of the biggest universities in Indiana. So, I guess, if you know, you know. But if you don't know? Then, in the words of the late Biggie Smalls, aka the Notorious B.I.G. (RIP): If you don't know, now you know. Either way, you'll find this surprisingly large art museum in Ball State's Old Quad. Parking is kind of a pain: You'll need to park in one of the metered lots. Make sure you pay! Those campus parking attendants don't play and are always out in full force. The museum houses works of art from all around the world. I saw everything from African masks to Greek statues. It's kind of amazing to me the amount of art this place holds. There are two stories of things to see. I forgot that I was on a college campus -- it really is a real-deal art museum. Best of all: This museum is free! Just stroll right in and peruse at your leisure. Just don't plan to visit on a Sunday or Monday, because it's closed on those days.

Museums are homes to pictures each worth a thousand words. Thank you, David Owsley Museum of Art at…read moreBall State University. I appreciate your being free, accessible, and a place to catch one's breath and feel artful.

Such an awesome museum! The staff here are incredibly kind and welcoming. They're willing to give…read moreyou a tour throughout or you can go at your own pace. So much to see from science experience te to actual space artifacts to astronaut regalia and awards from around the world. The museum is very clean and kept nice for visitors and there is a really neat video to watch that shows every hour which I would highly encourage everyone to sit in for.

We have drove past this place 1000 times. Today was the day we stopped in. So happy that we did…read morethis. Our family lives right here local in the area and we were down for a visit. The staff inside is extremely friendly and everyone made us feel entirely welcome. No pictures from the inside, you guys gotta come and see this for yourself. They have everything displayed so wonderfully and you learn a lot here. The gift shop is also spectacular and there is something for everyone. Definitely a must go.

Great history great facility and a must see visit when in the piqua area. Canal boat rides are a…read moresuper way to get a viewpoint of how slow transport of goods once was

Went to this wonderful example of early American farming while in Ohio visiting friends. The barn…read moreis comprised of two square pens made of hand-hewn boards from trees, it is an interesting thing to see. Not being from Ohio, it was interesting to see and learn about the history odd the state as told through the Johnston family, who lived at and operated the farm from the early to late 1800's. The farmhouse was built in 1812, and added into shortly thereafter so to have both public and private areas. John Johnston was an Indian agent, and at most times had tribal representatives living in the land there. The spring house is still operating, the spring runs well and is smells so fresh! The canal system was especially interesting to me, it was started to move freight and goods from Ohio to other markets. Unfortunately the railways were more successful in the long run. However, you can take a short ride an a portion if the canal system that is intact on the property. Great way to learn about our heritage while enjoying the Johnston farm.

I haven't been here in years! We used to bring the kids here for the playground but the entire…read moremuseum is super cool. Lots of spaces to wander thru, lots of eye catching displays to keep you entertained and elevate use of your brain. The waterway is one of may favorite parts of the museum and glad it's still up and running 20+ years later. We actually went to watch the Mesmerica 360 show in the dome theater. That was rather mundane to me but that's not the fault of the museum. My biggest peeve of the visit was seeing the us flag was still being masted when it is in tatters. I posted in my 'check in' and I will post again here in my review that it's time to retire this flag and replace with a fresh replacement. Whomever is in charge of the grounds here should be embarrassed. Please do better.

Came on a weekday during Christmas break. Packed with kids, so maybe try an off time…read more Medium-sized children's/science museum, loads of activities and displays. Aimed at single-digits ages, and Kid K felt a little old I think. She found stuff to do, but a quieter day with not so many little kids would have been more fun for her. Still, she did some of the science things, and we went to the indoor zoo- very cool, very cute, very clean. They had a few scheduled special activities during the day but we missed them. There were a lot of staff around helping and keeping an eye on things, which is always good. Multiple discounts, so check for those. Prices are reasonable even without them. Parking was packed on a busy day, but we found a spot. It's in a big park so no other crowded places nearby. A great draw for the area.

I was deeply moved by my visit to the Coffin House in Fountain City. Levi and Catharine Coffin were…read morepart of the Underground Railroad. They housed nearly 1000 freedom seekers (run away slaves) before the Civil War. They developed a network of people to help clothe, feed, provide medical attention. and transport the runaways through town to safety. Today, their immaculately preserved home and adjacent Interpretive Center tell their story to thousands of visitors. The home and Interpretive Center are part of the Indiana State Museum system. We arrived on a Friday, not realizing that tours of the home began at certain times. The morning tour had left. We were lucky that Joanna, one of the guides, took us through the house despite our late arrival. Joanna was knowledgeable and passionate about the Coffin story. We learned a great deal. Joanna went above and beyond to provide us with this tour. The interpretive center has interactive story boards, artifacts and a theater. In the theater, a short film paints a picture of the challenges of the Underground Railroad. There is also a gift shop with some great books. Restrooms are also available. Parking is free. There is an admission charge, but we had museum membership, so there was no additional charge. The Interpretive Center is fully accessible, but the house has limitations. This is a must visit for school age kids and anyone interested in history. Be sure to visit the web site and arrive in time for tours. You will want to reserve space in advance. Plan two hours.

I will confess that for the longest time I confused the Levi and Catharine Coffin State Historic…read moreSite with the Huddleston House. I'm a nice guy, but I'm not always the brightest. The Levi and Catharine Coffin House in Fountain City is one of those rare historic sites that lives up to the "must see" label. Quite honestly, it's one of Indiana's quiet icons. This 1839 home looks like your usual Federal-style brick home at first glance. It's certainly been beautifully restored. However, looking at the house doesn't begin to give you the true history of the place. Once recognized as "The Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad," this eight-room home served as a safe haven for over 1,000 freedom seekers on their journey toward Canada. Levi and Catharine Coffin were Quakers and spent their approximately 20 years in Newport, now called Fountain City, providing food, shelter, clothing, and transportation for the over 1,000 freedom seekers who would learn that their arrival at the Coffin House was to be met with true hospitality and fierce determination. The Coffins would eventually move to Cincinnati and over the course of their lives they helped approximately 3,300 freedom seekers. The Coffin House has been ranked by The History Channel as one of the nation's "Top 25 Historical Sites." In 2016, the Smithsonian named the Coffin Interpretive Center as "One of 12 new museums around the world to visit." The Indiana Office of Tourism Development has, unsurprisingly, also called it one of Indiana's top museums. There are so many amazing experiences to be had here - simple yet profound. The Interpretive Center is sublime. While the house is, of course, not completely accessible there's much here that is and that can truly be experienced. The home is now a National Registered Historic Landmark. Fun facts: Every person who traveled through the Coffin House is known to have reached freedom. While the Coffins were by far the most active in this community, the entire community was known to be supportive and would often serve as lookouts to give the Coffins warning if bounty hunters were about to arrive. While Levi Coffin's reputation as a leader of the abolitionist movement was well known, the house was never searched. Admission is affordable - members get in free, children under three are free, children ages 3-17 are $5, adults are $10, seniors are $8, and they offer a variety of event, tour, and field trip options. The pandemic is currently influencing tours and they are scheduled and timed. This site is truly one of Indiana's gems and worth a day trip out to Fountain City. The area also has a nearby Amish population making this an ideal day trip for those who enjoy historical sites and cultural awareness.

My school went their for a field trip and we had a blast we got to see the inventor of cruise…read morecontrol and he is from this area and he was blind

Always love coming to this great museum. They have such a great collection of Indiana history. They…read morehave a great array of history from the Perfect Circle Piston ring company. They also have a lot of great memorabilia showcasing a man that not a lot of people know about, but something he created millions of people use everyday. Cruise control. Ralph Teeter was a blind man from this area who created cruise control to be able to get around and be independent. The museum manager who is always here is such a friendly man Whois so knowledgable.

AMAZING An incredible collection of aviation history…read more Definitely takes 4-6 hours to really take it all in. Highly recommend.

This place is incredible and huge! There is so much to see! With a staff who are passionate and…read moreready to help, the museum is logically laid out through a chronological walk across Air Force history. No need to purchase tickets as your entire experience is free. Please be sure to stop by the gift shop. They have so much to see and many interesting trinkets. Go and enjoy!

Mind blown.. Allen County Museum & historical society…read more Of the many county and village museums I've seen in my day, Allen County was really a nice place to visit. They felt like a micro version of Ohio history connection, and daresay.... maybe even better in my opinion, if it were not just segmented to the area itself! You walk in, usually an old person is there to greet you at the front, the exhibits are free, except for one of the victorian houses next to the museum you can tour for a small fee. (We declined this trip) The museum has a lot of excellent exhibits... starting with the founders, their original covered wagon from the 1700s, and other locally celebrated families and events. EXCELLENT curation! The odd, but fascinating: *Someone's doll house replica of George Washington's Mount Vernon -- completed with furnishings, and figures (Takes up an entire room). *John Dillenger exhibit with death mask casting, and his original jail cell in Allen County... WITH a wax replicate of John. *A train -- INSIDE the museum *A fine collection of wagon/hearses *Restored animatronics with taxidermied animals from the late 1800's. Reminded me of the old nickelodeons that amazed and wow'd people from back in the day. The restoration was really amazing. I could go on, but I really hope you'd experience this gem of Northwest OH for yourself! It's really worth the time to stop and visit! Makes the historian in me all giddy just thinking about it!

Given Lima's modest size and relative lack of wealth, the Allen County Museum is impressively large…read moreand pretty amazing. It has enough oddities that it's worth a detour if you're heading up or down I-75 and have an hour or two to spare. I'll acknowledge that the sprawling space is largely filled with a lot of homespun local history that may not interest everyone: models of local grand homes that were demolished long ago, various old furnishings and carriages going back to Ohio's frontier days, many exhibits devoted to Lima's one-time prominence in locomotive manufacturing and as a major railroad hub, and a wall honoring LIma's famous and not-so-famour (Phyllis Diller, Hugh Downs, and a bunch of folks I'd never heard of). But there are at least a few exhibits that warrant the detour: First and foremost are the fascinating, bizarre, and rather macabre animated taxidermy spectacles created by local shoe salesman James Grosjean in the late 1800s and early 1900s. One is a ferris wheel with rotating animals but the craziest is the Noah's Ark exhibit with a recorded biblical narrative and music, the latter probably from the 1970s. The attendant on duty will likely be glad to start these machines up for you, if they're currently in working order. Second, there's a decent section devoted to John Dillinger's confinement in the local jail and his jailbreak, which was accomplished by the murder of the sheriff. Third, there's a Lima history exhibit with model trains, much like the excellent "Cincinnati in Motion" exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center, except that this Lima exhibit is about a tenth of the size. N.B. Apparently due to the sour economy, the museum's hours are limited. On the Tuesday we were there, it did not open until 1pm.

Doesn't the name Minnetrista make you think that you'll be visiting a place with puppets? Like…read moremarionettes, right? Well, I hate to disappoint you, but there are no puppets or marionettes here. But there is an exhibit dedicated to Ball jars. Fun fact: Minnetrista was created by the Ball family, who created Ball canning jars, which you can learn about here. They are also the "Ball" behind Ball State University, which is located in Muncie. I had no idea! You will learn interesting facts like these, and others about this area of Indiana, at Minnetrista. The main museum itself is a bit small, and part of it is conference and meeting rooms. But the museum is just one part of Minnetrista. This is actually a 40-acre campus with gardens and paved trails. As you stroll along the grounds, you'll come across some houses. Some of the houses are part of Minnetrista, and you are welcome to pop inside and check out what's going on. What's going on in one of them is an exhibit dedicated to Bob Ross, the painter. At the Bob Ross Experience, you can step inside the historic home where The Joy of Painting was filmed, and see some of the actual filming equipment and art supplies that were used to create the television show. It's sort of surreal that Bob was painting his happy little trees right here in humble Muncie. Some of the houses that you encounter are not a part of Minnetrista, but belong to IU Health or other entities. It's not really clearly marked on the houses which is which. I'm sure if you consulted a map, it might tell you! I consulted no such map, and I was just walking around blindly. I visited during the late fall, when it was cold and the gardens were dormant, for the most part. But I bet this place is amazing in the spring and summer, when everything is in bloom.

Minnetrista is an event center and museum that was built in 1988 by the five Ball brothers. The…read moremodern center is part of a complex of museums and gardens on the former Ball property that sits across from the White River in Muncie. There is an admission fee to visit the galleries of $15/adult and $12/child, but the ticket grants admission to the other museums and garden as well. During our visit, we saw the Narwhal exhibit, which is a small exhibit dedicated to narwhals. A curator greeted us at the entrance and was available to answer questions. My granddaughter is a narwhal fan enjoyed the interactive displays. We also visited a special children's exhibit called Good Night Forest. Again a curator welcomed us and invited us to build a backpack and enjoy the nighttime activities set up for the kids. My granddaughter loved the firer fly dance, wandering through the dark forest listening for animals and the shadow puppet show. There were fun and educational activities suitable for all ages. We also visited a permanent exhibit describing the Ball Store History. I liked seeing all the vintage items and describing them to my granddaughter. We also toured a display for a local artist competition. The staff is super friendly and engaging. The center is immaculate and accessible. There is plenty of parking in their dedicated lot. Minnetrista is a great legacy from the Ball family to the community. Exhibits change and can be found on their website. I highly recommend a visit if you like art and history.

This restored, historically and materially rich home is a real treat to tour. I strongly recommend…read moreeveryone visits this home turned museum at least once.