This is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it museum on the way to House on the Rock. It is totally worth…read moreyour time to stop. Fantastic collection of local, regional, and global crystals, fossils, gems, and rocks. The owner will give you some history on the collection and then you can just wander and gape at all the cool stuff. There's an entire room of fluorescing rocks. There are massive geodes. There are even more massive fluorite specimens. There are even fossilized lightening strikes! That's right, lightening strikes. There's also a stable so you can go for a ride and visit the museum in one stop.

While it may look unassuming, this is an amazing little museum. The specimens are truly remarkable…read moreand the owner is a kind old man who's happy to share his passion with you. It does cost $7 to get in, but that's a small price to pay for the intimate experience. There is also a small gift shop that's perfect for mineral or fossil nerds (plus it's very reasonably priced. If you're stopping by House on the Rock, Taliesin, or Cave of the Mounds, you need to stop by here! It's criminally underrated! Definitely going to stop by here again.

My cousin really wanted to come here and I didn't even know what it was. We drove here from St…read more Louis to come see this attraction. I came in blind, not knowing what it was. It was super impressed. It literally kept going on and on and on. so many fun interesting things. We stopped and got a hotdog at the cafeteria, which was nice because we were getting a little hungry and thirsty on this long walk. I would recommend bringing dollar bills so you can buy coins and put them into the different coin operated machines that they have. They have a lot of those around the entire facility and it's one of the only interactive options. Obviously everything looked really cool. I think that the only thing that would make it better would be to have a more interactive aspect to some of the parts, but I'm not sure how they would do that and I don't think they're gonna change anything. It's still well worth a visit.

This place is immense! We walked over 3 miles to see all the collections amazed by former owner…read moreAlex Jordan. It can be overwhelming if you have sensory issues, so keep that in mind. Lots of lights and lots sounds, not to mention the number of things to look at. Plan for walking up and down hills and walkways/stairs. Some areas are too narrow for mobility aids and might be a tight fit if you are plus sized, like I am. That said, it was worth every step to see it all. The automated music machines, infinity room, and the carousels were my favorite parts. I'm sure there's plenty I didn't notice, so I would return to take in more of it. Be prepared for irregular temperatures throughout the experience, as you move between indoors and outdoors and gated locations versus not. There are many restrooms along the way, as well as a cafe halfway through where you can rest and recharge. We didn't stop there, but it smelled great as we walked through. Get your tokens at the front desk to save a little money. You'll need them for the automated music machines. I bought 15, but I could have used 5-10 more. Luckily, you still get to watch and listen when others use their tokens.

Such a great time! The grandkids loved it almost as much as we did. The owners are such great…read morehosts, and you truly will be amazed by all the fun details! So much to see. Don't forget the train ride!

Such a great place for kids (young and old)! I'd recommend planning to spend about an hour there…read more There's lots of buttons to push for the kids and TONS of details to keep the adults busy.

The museum is awesome!! So much to see and learn. The wildlife is incredible to see. We saw a very…read moremajestic bald eagle up close. We experienced the steam engines running and visited with the curator for a bit to learn even more. The movies were very well done. The fact that your tickets are good for two days allows you to take your time. Worth every penny and your time!!! A must see!!

Took a quick day cruise out to Dubuque Iowa. Yeah I know Iowa right. Fun little town located on the…read moremississippi river. Spent about 2 hours at the Mississippi River museum.Looking at the animals , checking out the museum,river and the exhibits outside. There was multiple movies and exhibits about early travel on the mississippi river and also real boat engines of steamboats and other river vessels. We spent about two hours there , exploring the inside and the outside of the museum. Very enjoyable and inexpensive experience for people of all ages.

Cute historic site! Pretty grounds with very well kept wood buildings. Tourist site with a garden…read more Review: 5+

One of the first historical sites preserved. Neat history and hidden gem for Wisconsin.read more

Do you love the art of the circus and want to expierence the most unique museum ever? Well Circus…read moreWorld is for you. This place is Ringling Bros original winter quarters. There are a few different things to see here and I highly recommend spending the day exploring it all. First the main room when you enter will have history on the Ringling Brothers along with a few novelty items. Then next to it are all the animal houses that have wagons, dioramas, and so much more in each of them. They have things from Ringling, but also history on other circus's. Now you cross a bridge to the other side where they have the Hippodrome. In here they have a few small shows in here. They also have actual circus train cars that were used by Ringling. During the summer months they have a circus tent where they do a circus show that's free with the price of admission to the museum. Now the best part is the wagon area. It's a giant building that holds about 50 wagons from every circus around. The history of these wagons is amazing. Overall if you want a day of exploring circus history and want to see the live circus, visit this amazing place.

I came to this place on a family vacation and was pleasantly surprised! While we only had about 2…read morehours before close, we made the most of it. The museum had a lot of history which included posters and pictures with artifacts; My children enjoyed looking at the wagons and black and white panoramic pictures. We came on a weekday so unfortunately we were not able to enjoy the face paintings and pony rides that were offered. We saw the last circus show of the day and it was very good. The acrobatics,jugglers, and father daughter duo unicyclists were so entertaining to my kids. I personally enjoyed the equestrian team and appreciated how they would get the crowd hyped up before a performance. It was raining pretty hard so they had a shuttle from the circus tent back to the building which was much appreciated with three kids and a stroller. There is a gift shop upon leaving with circus themed items and plushies. I do plan to revisit in the near future to enjoy more of the grounds and more interactive experiences. If you plan on coming to Wisconsin Dells make a stop here as well. You won't regret it.

What a hidden gem! Check their Facebook page for hours, it's only open limited days and hours. Free…read moreadmission. Totally unique vehicles you won't see anywhere else. Fully restored and presented with information. Don't miss the building next door with motorized bikes! And both buildings have a second level with more to see!

An unexpected gem. Large collection of very small cars, some built on motorcycle frames, popular…read morejust after WW II. Some may not have been very safe, but they made cars widely affordable. If you contact them, they'll probably open the museum for you as they did for us -- 6 people.

This museum was a little meh. Some of the trains were rather…read morebeat up, not restored, the inside areas were a little musty in my opinion. The area inside the station wasn't great. The train ride was a little bland - and the stop that the train made was too long. The inside of the train was a bit beat up/worn down. The person who provided info inside the railway museum sheds (not sure if there is a better word?) was nice and informative. For $24 or so it seems a steep price. Bathrooms on site, free parking on the grounds.

My family and i visited yesterday and it was the COOLEST experience. Everyone was incredibly kind…read moreand so informative!!! It was my son's third birthday and he's obsessed with trains. They even took the time to answer all my other kids questions!!! We got to see how the train gets turned around on the tracks and then ride in the caboose! The gift shop is super affordable and the staff is incredible. Probably about a two hour excursion so just know you won't probably spend the whole day there but it's so fun!! Lots to see and lots to learn!

Great museum. We'd…read morevisited here last, about 20 years ago. Memory fades and it was time to revisit on this trip. All exhibits are housed inside on 2.5 floors. There is also a gift shop and restrooms. I found no elevator. We paid (senior rate saves $1 each) and went into a seating room where there used to be a video projection (no longer working). The staff member there today, Les, led everyone into this room to be seated. Les spoke about the rich history of Galena and he was quite detailed. We found this worthwhile. After the speech, we looked around this room at mostly US Grant artifacts, then we headed to a very large back room that has many displays, dioramas etc. on Galena. Lead mining had a rich history here for a few decades, so there was a lot of mining history on display. When we were done downstairs, we walked upstairs where there is a smallish room on the 2nd floor and a much larger room on what I'd call floor 2.5. Floor 2.5 had mostly wartime history while floor 2 had a variety of history on display. Note that the stairs are fairly steep. The first set also has a 90 degree turn near the top. There is a low, wooden banister-style handrail on one side. To access floor 2.5, there are another 6 or 8 steps to get up to it and there's a metal handrail for them. All in all - it's a pretty well done history museum for a small community and it was worth the time. I'd recommend this useful to anyone who wonders, "why does this town exist, how was it formed and what does its evolution look like". We enjoy museums like this.

What a great little museum! We didn't know what to expect, but I can honestly say we were blown…read moreaway! The ladies that welcomed us were so friendly and knowledgeable about the museum! There was so much packed in! It wasn't only about Grant but about the whole settling of Galena and all the way back to the ice age! I have to say this is a gem of a place and definitely a must see! It's clean and reasonably priced! We will definitely come back when we come to visit again.

Why is this museum so exceptional?! Seriously, I am a museum junkie for sure, and this is one of…read morethe BEST learning spaces I have ever seen. Especially, considering the small size of the community, and the distinctly rural nature of its history, the stories shared are compelling, beautifully rendered, and artistically curated. I did not expect to spend so much time reading every sign and exploring every detail of the artifacts on display - well done to the team behind this space! Special recognition goes to the portion of the exhibit covering the Native residents of the area. An accurate depiction of removal and resettlement, an honest account of the human impact of settlement and colonization, as well as an up to date account of the current status of the first residents - this is the most complete and accurate account I have seen in a Wisconsin museum, and it is very appreciated. The telegraph exhibit comes alive when you approach - be warned, it scared me! LOL - but I bet kids love it.

Update: I need to be more patient! This new completed exhibit was worth the wait! They brought back…read morethe general Store exhibit and expanded on the old museum 10x it's shiny new and has a very engaging layout. Lots to read and look at very educational. Open Wednesday-Sunday $4.00 for adults $3.00 for seniors Old review: I had been to the original museum a few years before the renovation. The old location was crammed full of photos, artifacts and exhibits that although in a small space, it took quite a bit of time to get through and read and see everything. The old gift shop had a general store vibe and was a bit lackluster. The new renovation is beautiful! The exhibit seems much more spread out and small than the old one. The new gift shop is top notch! Lots of awesome books, gifts and cool trinkets. The guy said they are still working on a few installations that are not yet completed. I will be very interested to go back again when it is completed. The museum is technically free or pay what you will, I paid on my way in and wished I had paid after I walked through, I hope my generous donation goes towards the completion of the other exhibits! This place had a lot of potential.