I absolutely loved my trip to the Seiberling at Christmas! I found it to be one of my favorite…read moreChristmas experiences so far. Every square inch is decorated. There are 3 floors to this historic mansion to explore for only $10. The architecture is amazing. I got a lot of pictures here. It was worth the hour drive to Kokomo from Indy. Staff and volunteers were friendly and helpful as well.

Kokomo, Indiana's Seiberling Mansion is a rather sublime sight to see during the holiday season…read more Serving as home for the Howard County Historical Society, the Seiberling Mansion was completed in 1891 and owned by Monroe Seiberling. Seiberling was an industrialist and entrepreneur who arrived in Kokomo alongside the late 19th century gas boom. He became wealthy, built several factories in the area, and followed all this up by building a rather remarkable mansion. Subsequent owners included Orange Darby, Rev. William Parr (namesake for Parr Methodist Church), real estate developer Franklin Miller, and George Kingston. Kingston was an inventor who invented the carburetor used in Henry Ford's Model T. When Kingston passed away in 1946, Indiana University bought the home and used it as the home of IU-Kokomo until 1964. For several years, the mansion remained empty. Finally, Howard County began looking for a way to move the county museum out of the courthouse. This ended up being a perfect arrangement and IU signed a long-term agreement to turn over the property for use as a museum. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1972, the Seiberling Mansion has both a Queen Anne and Romanesque Revival style. The house has three stories - eight rooms on the first floor, seven on the second floor, and a grand ballroom on the third floor. Parking is free. The parking lot entrance is behind the museum off West Walnut street. The front door is the main entrance, though the accessible entrance is at the rear of the house. It's important to note that only the first floor is actually accessible (there's no elevator), though there is a virtual video available on the first floor for the second and third floors. There are public restrooms on the first and second floors, though it should also be noted these are not wheelchair accessible. The museum is open Tuesday-Sunday from 1-4pm. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for K-12, and free for under age 5. The museum is a Blue Star Museum - this means active military and family members get in free from Memorial Day to Labor Day. They do have periods when they close - so checking their website is always a good idea just to be sure. The Seiberling Mansion can be rented for a maximum of 25 people. Rental rates on the website. The adjacent Elliott House is also available. While I always lament not having full access to places, with historic locations it's understandable and expected that access isn't going to be perfect. This is beautiful to see, though I'm not sure I can give it a full thumbs up for those with mobility issues since entry is $10 and you really only get to access one of three floors. That said, the virtual tour is pretty cool and the building itself is wonderful.

I stumbled across the Elwood Haynes Museum while traveling on my recent Tenderness Tour in the…read moreKokomo area. While I'd heard about the museum before, I knew very little about it and I can honestly say that visiting it wasn't on my itinerary for my Kokomo visit until we happened to drive by it while searching for our evening dining location. The Elwood Haynes Museum is located in the mansion owned by Elwood Haynes, a Kokomo-based inventor credited with multiple firsts including being the first to produce cars commercially back in 1894. He lived in Kokomo until his death in 1925. Haynes also invented stainless steel. Seriously. Being that the Elwood Haynes Museum was actually a residence, you might guess that wheelchair access is kind of an issue. It definitely is kind of an issue, though kudos must be given for efforts to make the mansion as accessible as possible. You go up a rather narrow, somewhat steep driveway and park in the back of the house. If you have a high vehicle or an RV type vehicle, the odds you're going to achieve this are slim to none. There's only a few parking spots, a likely indicator that visits to the museum tend to be in smaller groups. The guide who was present for our visit acknowledged that the vast majority of visitors are out of towners rather than locals, though they do host local student groups. They've concocted a rather large, wooden ramp designed to provide wheelchair access. It likely meets ADA requirements in terms of grade, though be aware the wood itself feels a little flimsy. For those with limited range of motion or upper body strength, it may be advised to have a companion or assistant with you. You then enter via a side door that leads to your standard residential hallway. As this was a turn of the 19th century house, you can easily guess that hallways are rather narrow. I had zero issues moving into each room on the first floor - a bathroom on the first floor is largely wheelchair friendly with appropriate rails. The second floor would not be accessible to a wheelchair user, while the third floor, a small area, is not open to the public. They also have a basement area that is not open to the public. There's also an attached carriage house that had three of Haynes's vehicles within it along with a safe that had been created from the materials he invented. The Elwood Haynes Museum really is rather fascinating, though it's a rather quick view with a maximum of 1-2 hours needed to enjoy the entire museum. Admission is free, though donations are welcomed and somewhat encouraged in a low pressure sort of way. The exhibit, in addition to the vehicles, includes a wealth of photos, documents, inventions and other items related to Haynes, a figure who contributed greatly to modern motoring yet remains relatively unknown when compared to many others. The volunteer who was present was friendly and knowledgeable about Haynes's history and worked at a comfortable pace in explaining the museum. This was definitely an unexpected gem during my time in Kokomo.

For history buffs, or car buffs, or fans of invention, this is a "must stop" place to visit while…read morein Kokomo. The home of Elwood Haynes is partly a time capsule showing the Haynes residence and all those wonderful antiques you might expect. The other part of the building is the museum tribute to Mr Haynes and some of the other famous inventors/inventions of Kokomo. I hadn't done any research before going, so I was surprised to learn how many incredible inventions were created/discovered by Haynes. What is most commonly related to is that Haynes designed, funded the building of, and drove the first commercially built auto in the country! Local inventors (The Apperson Brothers) owned a shop and were paid by Haynes to build the frame and moving parts of the first auto after Haynes had bought a one horsepower engine that ran on gasoline. At that time, gasoline was considered a waste product from natural gas production and it was another of Haynes' inventions that made gasoline more usable as a fuel. On July 4, 1994, Haynes successfully drove his vehicle for an hour, covering about six miles. But that was just some of what this man accomplished. He discovered a means for making brass at the age of 15. He also invented the small thermostat that is used to regulate home temperature. He also created numerous alloys, including stainless steel and Stellite (used in blading small turbines and numerous other tools/equipment that should not rust.) The museum shows photos throughout the building from Haynes' life. Upstairs, the rooms are not maintained as living spaces, but rather, as tributes to the other inventors and "firsts" that Kokomo is known for. You will see exhibits about the Appersons, the first pneumatic rubber tire, first carburetor, lots of Delco radio inventions, and even some canning innovations. And of course, there are lots of exhibits about alloys and their uses. The staff is friendly and goes the extra mile to make sure you have all the information you desire. Note: Although the garage is off limits, you can still see three of the first cars produced in Kokomo through the windows. Review #2486

Truly this little museum was well-done and felt way more personal than the big national museums…read more The guys who work here were all very knowledgable and happy to share all kinds of tidbits about the displays with us. The park outside was cool and we enjoyed the special planes and aircraft in their collection here. This museum is also a Harvest Host.Grissom Air Museum in Peru, IN. We stayed in the parking lot which had 2 entrances, so an easy pull-through with our travel trailer and was mostly flat. A large 5th wheel also stayed the night and there was plenty of room for both of us. It is easy off-on IN Highway 31. There is some highway noise, but it died down in the evening and we slept well. It felt safe, maybe the proximity to the Air Base helped with that feeling. And we loved having the views of the aircraft displays out of our camper windows. We did patronize the Grissom Air Museum. Truly the little museum was well-done and felt way more personal than a big national museum. The guys who work here were all very knowlegable and happy to share all kinds of tidbits about the displays with us. The walk-through park outside was cool and we enjoyed the special planes and aircraft in their collection here.

It has a diverse collection of aircraft and a great value for the price! Definitely recommend…read morevisiting if you're in the area

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.

If it weren't for James Dean, there would not be anything left in Fairmount, Indiana. We rolled…read moreinto town at 9am and saw the large "open" sign on the front porch of an old mansion. There is no charge for admission and this place is stuffed with James Dean memorabilia, down to pages from his grammar school notebook. A 20-minute video showing clips from Dean's early television work is shown in an alcove of the gallery. The back of the gallery contains more general mid-century paperback books and ephemera for sale, along with shirts made by one of the owners. The owners live in the upstairs of the house and have a fascinating personal history that they will share with you, along with tips on everything you can possibly do in Fairmount. The warmth and enthusiasm of the owners is endearing. We didn't even buy anything and they could not have been nicer. We returned the following morning and purchased their memoir, which is being made into a documentary film. The James Dean Gallery is open seven days a week, unlike the James Dean Museum, which was closed the day we were in town (at the height of tourist season).

If you want to know anything about James Dean, please stop at the James Dean Gallery! The owners…read moreare there to answer questions and are very helpful. They have a vintage shop in back of the Gallery that has shirts that a make on site. The people that own the Gallery are very friendly, and very easy to talk to. They make you feel very welcome.

Had no idea about the history of Circuses wintering in Peru. Outstanding collection of memorabilia…read moreand artifacts. It's great that some of the original buildings have survived. As a volunteer at a Museum where restoration is constantly occurring, I appreciate the work that these volunteers are doing. Of course there are pieces that are not yet restored, but they are always working on them and most importantly, they are saved. Doesn't matter if they get restored in 5 or 10 or 50 years. If it wasn't for the effort of the volunteers, these pieces would be lost to history forever. THANK YOU for that!!! For our visit, the regular tour guide was away, so we had her husband take us on the tour. He had mobility issues, but soldiered through to give us the full experience. We greatly appreciate your dedication to your visitors!! HINT: The office in front is not where you check in. Drive or walk down the gravel road just before the office - that's where the Gift Shop/Entrance is.

When you drive into Peru, (be it from Indy or Chicago or...Toledo?) don't think much about where…read moreyou're going or what in the world it could look like...because inevitably...you'll think big circus tent, lions, tigers, a man roaming the perimeter on a unicycle. In reality though...a man might be roaming the perimeter...so beware. It's more haunted circus than circus museum or Hall of Fame. BUT, Wait, Wait, Wait! You're getting the wrong idea...still go! Yes, doesn't a haunted circus call for more adventure and less asking yourself "why did I go to Peru?" once leaving than would a traditional Circus Hall of Fame. C'mon. It's like having the circus off-season in Florida in your Indiana back yard! Speaking of off-season...when I was there in August...a man from Texas was passing through (apparently "working the State Fair circuit" which is glorious to hear in person) and this Texan brought along Tigers and Elephants. Really. There they were...elephants in the Hoosier farmlands...roaming amongst antique circus wagons (as seen in Big Fish, which the owner won't let you forget). In a strange way...if someone asked where to go to get the real Indiana, the Indiana I would want people to know about: the Circus Museum & Hall of Fame is on the list. This comes from a kid who didn't like the circus and a man who doesn't like the circus (you know...taser-ing animals...caging animals...laughing at animals...) The folks that run the place aren't interested in you being there. Or it seems that way...so be prepared to twist their arm to figure out what's going on...but really, they don't have answers. What they do have though...is a key to their Gift Shop that's closed and grown-over. Ask them to open it and buy a tee shirt -- they're beautiful.

Mediocre food, service is the worst! Its a Thursday afternoon we got here around 1sh (serve until…read more2) waited 25 minutes for a BLT sandwich, chicken strips and a hamburger. The food was not brought out at the same time (I was served 5 minutes after my husband and son). The house is beautiful that's the only positive I can say about our experience today

I have eaten lunch here many times with my father over the years. So many great things on the…read moremenu. Butterscotch pie always a favorite. Had my father's funeral reception here. Buffet style and the food was delicious. Prices were great. Atmosphere always fantastic.

An absolute must for fans of Jimmy! Dorothy was an amazing tour guide. I cannot recommend it enough!read more

If you're a James Dean fan or if you don't know much about him but you're curious to learn more,…read moreyou need to make this excursion and visit this incredible museum. James died tragically young and he had a very short career, but his talent left a lasting impression and created a legacy that's unmatched. His talent in the arts and in racing were incredible, and if you want to learn about either/both, they have tons of info and real memorabilia from James' family's personal collection here that touch on those themes, as well as lots of info from his childhood into high school, and some from his personal life before his death. Our docent was passionate about Jimmy and spoke of him like he was an old friend, which gave the tour a nice touch. The admission fee of $5 was extremely reasonable, too.