A very random excursion that is sort of in the middle of nowhere. If you have time to kill and you…read morehave young kids interested in castles, this is a unique, short field trip. Admissions is $5 per person. It is free for children five and younger. There is a free and small parking lot. For approximately 45 minutes, we learned about the history of the castle and how a man persistently and willingly built everything by hand. The stairs are narrow and steep. Each room is uniquely designed. There is an impressive medieval collection of swords, shields, weapons, and armors. Furthermore, there are several picture-worthy spots such as the front of the castle, flower garden, and the room with the swords.

This is such a random castle lol.. but its definitely a place to check out if you're bored and want…read moreto kill an hour. Definitely a place to take kids to since they love this kind of stuff - the story of this castle is quite unique. Apparently you can rent this space for events.. which I think would be fun to do.. maybe a little corporate event? Although... maybe just in early spring time and during autumn since the inside can get HOT during the summer (no AC). Anywho.. quite random, but neat at the same time.

There's a pretty good chance that if you ever drive east on U.S. 40 that you've driven by the…read moreHuddleston Farmhouse Inn Museum in Cambridge City. I believe it's actually right on the Cambridge City/Mount Auburn line. Set up on a hill, this 1841 farmhouse was the home of Quakers John and Susannah Huddleston and their 11 children. The home also offered two "traveler's kitchens" offering a place to cook and sleep for those who traveled. In other words, this lovely porch was always busy. The lower level of the farmhouse is accessible and National Road Heritage Site exhibits offer a glimpse into travel on what is known as National Road in some cities, East Washington Street in Indy, U.S. 40 in some places, and in some smaller towns simply Main Street. This farmhouse now is host to Indiana Landmarks' Eastern Regional Office and the office of the Indiana National Road Association. The farmhouse, barn, and exhibits are available for touring by appointment. You can also rent the main level of the house, the barn, and the grounds for a variety of events. It's all quite spacious and could easily host weddings. The organization largely uses volunteers and if you volunteer at least 30 hours annually you get an Indiana Landmarks membership, free admission to Huddleston House events, and the Indiana Landmarks bi-monthly magazine. The floor level of the barn is mostly accessible, though certainly upper areas are not. While I often mark off businesses that are not accessible, when it comes to historical sites I'm certainly respectful of the inherent limitations. The home is a three-level home that was made using 125,000 bricks. The entire farm is 78 acres and includes the main house, spring kitchen, smoke house, and two barns. Research indicates there was originally another building on the grounds. Indiana Landmarks purchased the property in 1966 with funding supplied by Eli Lilly (the person, not the company). The house, barn, and other outer buildings have been restored. In addition to being able to rent it, the farm hosts a variety of period-appropriate events. I drove by this farm almost every weekend for quite some time on my way to seminary before finally stopping to check it out. It's a beautiful farm and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

I'd give it a thousand stars if I could…read more Absolutely INCREDIBLE!!!!! I had such an amazing time. So much evidence for the Creation Account. I always believed it but now things that I wondered about are answered. So many things to disprove evolution at every turn. The 4d presentations are a little cheesy but good for kids, but the planetarium was phenomenal. I found myself gasping in awe several times during the Created Cosmos presentation. It was a very humbling experience to realize that out of all of the trillions of planets and stars, God chose this crazy, messed up world and sent his Son to die for us. He didn't start over somewhere else. He chose US! They have an entire section dedicated to a baby's journey in the womb which was awesome. There were some panels and screens discussing abortion and references to sexual activity in that section so maybe that one's not for curious kiddos. There was a hall full of butterflies and beetles on display, dinosaur bones, and a hall with panels with some fascinating Bible facts. It was a truly wonderful experience. I could not recommend it higher.

So much new stuff since first visit years ago. Visitor center staff was so nice helping w/ our…read morelarge group tickets. The mini zoo has some great rare animals joy at many regular zoos. The grounds w/ the pond, gardens, bridges etc are really nice. We ate outside at their picnic area which was convenient. The museum is very modern w/ great info, exhibits, and overwhelming supports for the creation. There's multiple video halls for watching short movies & a cool 4-D theater about the 7 days.

Stumbled on this when in town to visit the county historical museum. Google or Apple or someone…read moreknows I am a history buff, and this popped up. Fit it in when I could. Pull up to the building on the hill. Nice parking area. But it turns out that is the smaller, annex building, really. Head down to the row of shops across the street, and you will enter a world full of Model Ts. Beautifully restored and displayed, with good explanations of their backgrounds, and often a copy of the group's magazine in front with an article about that particular car. Superb staff, friendly and knowledgeable. Tons to see. When you finish here, there are more cars (and a plane) across the street. They have events, and it's really worth a visit if you are anywhere nearby, are at all a car buff or history buff. Or just curious. A few cars for kids to sit in, etc., and they'll have fun too.

A fun and interesting diversion, but I think unless you're really a car buff, the $7 admission is a…read morebit stiff. Fascinating to see actual 100-plus year old vehicles arranged in such a way that you learn about their development. Interesting how they were really toys for the very wealthy until about the early 20s when the assembly line started to bring the prices down. It's housed in two buildings, the second one really had much more to see than the first. The docent/tour guide was full of knowledge and enthusiasm and would probably talk for hours if you were willing to listen. A couple visitors who were there were major car buffs, looking closely under hoods and discussing valves and pistons at great length. The guide did a good job balancing between them and those of us who were really more interested in the historic aspect and a somewhat shorter tour. Along with the cars, tractors, trucks, you can see antique office equipment, tools, car accessories, vintage advertising and mannequins dressed in period costumes. Most of the vehicles have been restored with fresh Ford paint jobs, but a few are on display in all their ancient, rusty glory. Be prepared to spend the entire visit on your feet. As with most antiques, the general rule is 'look but don't touch' but they are not obsessed with this and didn't seem to mind some careful, respectful touching of the restored vehicles. Perfect activity for a Sunday afternoon.

What an AMAZING museum! Highly recommend going and be sure to set aside a good length of time,…read morebecause I wished I could have stayed longer - I was there for 2.5hrs and it was not enough. The exhibit was done very well: laid out in chronological order and provided great historical commentary. Would I go back? Yes!

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

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.

Don't overlook the Muncie Children's Museum--we played for over 3 hours and still weren't ready to…read moreleave! Think less traditional museum and more imaginative, hands-on pretend play. A massive upstairs train room A giant bird's nest to climb into A water table with three unique play features An entire pretend-play town with everything from a veterinary office to a marsh A dedicated toddler area An ant maze ...and so much more! Admission: $8 per person (ages 1-100) Hours: * Wednesday-Saturday: 10 AM-5 PM * Sunday: 1 PM-5 PM The museum participates in the Access for All program, offering reduced admission and discounted memberships for qualifying families enrolled in programs like SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, and HIP. Bonus savings: * Find a $1 off general admission coupon online (valid for up to 4 people; cannot be combined with other offers). * Kids who complete the coloring page available at admission can redeem it for a free sand jar from the gift shop. A few things to know: * The building is older, but they're continuing to add new exhibits and experiences. * Only parts of the museum are stroller and wheelchair accessible. Before or after your visit, walk just two blocks to The Caffinery--one of my favorite kid-friendly coffee shops, complete with a play area for little ones.

This place is fine. It isn't an Indianapolis, or an Ogden Utah Children's Museum but this one was…read morefine, especially for a small community and for the price of entry. If it's raining outside or your kids are bored, give it a go.

My favorite Richmond museum. They always have something interesting on display. Special exhibits…read moreare top notch, and support for the local art scene is amazing. Their permanent collection is bigger than they have room to keep up so they're always rotating their displays. Definitely worth multiple visits.

As someone who has only recently devoted time to appreciating art, I am truly glad that the…read moreRichmond Art Museum (RAM) exists. The more research I put into local artists, the more I find source material from the Richmond area. That includes numerous artists that are from the Golden Era of Indiana Artists as well as the book written by the RAM curator Shawn Dingwerth. This free museum is open on Tuesdays through Saturday from 10 to 5. Parking is free in the lot on the north side of the building and on the street. The museum is attached to the school, so it has made due with size constraints and old building problems, but will be undergoing some large construction/renovation in 2017 to ensure better lighting (the current UV emitted by old lights is damaging) and climate control so that when space becomes available, more paintings will be able to be displayed. On my visit, the staff was very helpful and I had the opportunity to talk with the curator which I found quite interesting since I had read his book about the Richmond Group (local artists from the late 1800's to early 1900's) the week before. There are several galleries that have a theme for each: Ceramics, Contemporary, "Golden Age Artists", Portraits, and an exhibition hall. The lobby holds some of the large sculptures and paintings as well. The museum has an extensive program to reach out to local children to give them the opportunity to see the art first hand and learn. Programs are tailored to the age levels and focus on introducing different styles and cultures with each visit. The works themselves are truly representative of the different styles of art and serve as a time capsule of local artists that may be under appreciated by the current generation. Along with the Swope Art Museum in Terre Haute and the Haan Mansion Museum in Lafayette, the RAM has preserved our State's cultural best. I look forward to returning to see the improvements and the new exhibits. Review #233

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.