Closed when I was here early in the morning during the offseason, so I was only able to see the…read moreoutside but yes, it is a lighthouse that is since decommissioned and is no longer an active navigational aid. But it's been converted into a museum. Built in 1858 at a cost of $8,000, the Old Michigan City Light replaced an 1837 brick & stone light built at the edge of Lake Michigan. It was the second light at the site, and the predecessor to the Michigan City East Light. It was remodeled in 1904. Seven lighthouse keepers and fourteen assistant keepers served here from 1837 to 1940. [Review 20615 overall - 146 in Indiana - 1596 of 2023.]

This was a super cool museum. There was lots of cool artifacts. There is a small gift shop with t…read moreshirts ornaments and books. Got lots of pics. Sorry yelp limited how many I could post!

I have to admit that I fell into my superhero fascination much later in life and I came in through…read morethe movies more than the comic books. As a kid, I was completely taken with Batman - the 1966 version. I could watch and talk that Batman for hours. The rest was interesting to me - but I didn't really get a lot of comics as a kid. I did get The Three Stooges comic books - but not much more. As an adult, my appreciation has spread to Daredevil, Black Adam, and the first two Deadpool movies among others. When I walked into the Hall of Heroes in Elkhart, Indiana, I was blown away. The first element of this five-star experience is the off-street parking. That sounds innocuous, but I am a Chicago guy and parking is always a consideration. The next delightful surprise was the price. It was 10 bucks. I had a HoH coupon for a buck off that I had picked up at another museum, the gentleman applied it to my ticket and my buddy's ticket. This gentleman - Allen Stewart - was quick to give us the rundown on the place. He was thorough, before setting us free in the small - but perfectly packed and maintained - museum. The building is divided by Marvel, D.C., and Independents with no one get preferential treatment. This is how a museum should be - just present what you have and let the visitor enjoy. As we worked our way up one aisle and down the next, we saw every kind of action figure you can imagine and some you couldn't. (Who knew they made Hong Kong Fuey action figures?) I got to pose on the bike that Nic Cage rode in "The Ghost Rider," I also got to lay on the Shelby from "Iron Man." (Stewart diligently took pix until I was totally satisfied. I can be kind of a diva.) We also got up close and personal with Batman and Superman and Wonder Woman. There were so many ancillary super-hero themed novelties from Crazy Foam to metal lunch boxes and so many other things I had completely forgotten about. Suddenly my childhood was displayed in pristine display cases. Hall of Heroes covers generations of comic books and comic book iconography that your grandparents will love it as much as your children. If the little ones get bored - there are free arcade games on hand to keep them satisfied. There are bins of reasonably priced comic books and a small shelf for the obligatory souvenirs. Walking back out into the misty autumn Indiana day, my buddy and I discussed how much Stewart knew and his love for the industry. He made the visit exciting. He isn't a ticket-taker. He is the gateway into the superhero universe.

If you're a comic fan this place is fun. If not, the best thing about it is the arcades, which is…read morecool to see. SO it's okay overall. Just a decent historical covering of comics and tons of memorabilia. I wish the back issues were cheaper and they were better organized as I feel whenever things get too tight to peruse it's too filed up, and perhaps a cheapo cutout section might be cool.

A very nice, pretty small museum. Bell grew up in Mentone, and when he died, he donated his…read morememorabilia there. Photographs, models, etc. It doesn't really cover the whole history of Bell Helicopters, just from his birth to his death. They do have a Huey, and two Bell 47s, one of which is restored as his personal helicopter, very plush and shiny. They are only open on Sundays, but the rest of the time you can call and make an appointment for a tour. I had seen the sign from the highway many times, I never had a chance to stop in, but this time I did, so I did. Things are nicely arranged. The staff are very friendly and knowledgeable. There's a short movie about his life, and then you can walk around and look at the displays. There's a small gift shop. The local history museum is attached, and the Bell museum used to be in that building. There's also a memorial marker to him around the corner. We'll worth checking out if you are into aviation history and are anywhere nearby.

Beautiful restoration with amazing original period furnishings. Lovely garden and extremely…read morewell-done railway car exhibit on lower level. Enthusiastic and friendly staff, plenty on street free parking.

We were visiting the Michigan City area for a family vacation. We love exploring historic homes,…read moreespecially of the Gilded Era. We decided to do the guided house and garden tour for $20 per person. It was well worth it. Our docent professor Craig was the absolute best! He knew every detail about the history of the Barker family, their beautiful home and lavishly furnished home, as well as the history of the family business. One thing that impressed me most was that the heirs of the original Barker family have made it their life's mission to spend an unlimited amount to restore the ancestral family home back to its former glory! This is a Michigan City treasure and I highly recommend visiting- especially in the summer when the garden is in full bloom!!

The history museum consists of 2 levels of historical information, artifacts, and material from…read morewhen the first European settlers arrived in the South Bend area up until the present. When you come in, you go to the right and spend time going through a large room that takes about 45 minutes to cover. Then you go downstairs right below and there's a winding path that takes another 45 minutes. Right outside that winding path is a sizable children's play area where small kids can go "back in time". When returning to the main floor, there are a few exhibits as you head to the carriage house. You can add a guided tour of the Oliver Mansion. Yet, those tours are only at 1:00 and 2:00 as I type. So plan accordingly. We found the museum very enlightening. We were able to take the tour, which gave a great sense for the richest people in South Bend from over 100 years ago - but it's not a show-stopper by any means if you don't do it and just do the main museum. They've got a lot of period exhibits with great artifacts and signage.

As part of our visit to the Studebaker Museum, we also decided to visit the History Museum mainly…read moreto tour the Oliver Mansion that was adjacent. Fortunately we arrived at the right time as there are only two tours per day. We had ample time to tour the Studebaker Museum and then joined the mansion tour. The mansion has 38 rooms and was built in 1895-96 and was beautifully finished in almost every part. J. D. Oliver was president of the Oliver Chilled Plow Works and grew the company into one of the largest in the world in the late 1800's. The home was called, "Copshaholm" which was the name of the Scottish village the Olivers were from. Of interest to me was the degree of finish quality especially the woodwork. The home remained totally furnished which from my perspective was nice as many tours we've been on featured large, empty rooms. Despite the home being so old, there was a pretty good air handling system that even on this brutally hot day, we remained comfortable. After visiting the Studebaker and History Museums, we hit a favorite restaurant before driving home. All in all a very good day.

We have brought our small home daycare here many times. Love the fact it's clean, and has new items…read moreeach time we come and the children just love it, so many new experiences ! Thanks so much!!

Absolutely adorable. Such a hidden gem i couldn't get my 6 and 4 year old to leave! So much to…read moreexplore and so much imaginative play to be had! Really wonderful. We stopped on our way cross country and will stop again for sure!

Impressive collection for a small town! Jasper Johns, Basquiat, John Singer Sargent, Rauschenberg,…read moreGrant Wood, Warhol.Plus special exhibits/rooms on Women Artists (Joan Mitchell), The Hairy Who, a room of tree paintings interspersed with poems. Regional folk art including a room of pottery by the six Overbeck sisters. Amazing place! Friendly, helpful staff. HIGHLY recommend

What a wonderful surprise! If you are in the area, or even if you have to drive for a bit, this…read moremuseum is well-worth the time. There were so many fascinating pieces side-by-side that it took us nearly 40 minutes to work our way through the museum that is relatively small in comparison to what we are used to. I was very impressed with a display of local Indiana artists they had up too. I wish they allowed pictures inside so I could post them for you to see.

A excellent, large, well maintained train collection from actual cars and a station to china,…read morewatches, signs, all kinds of related memorabilia and a model railroad. Our tour guide was wonderful and very knowledgeable. It was an unexpected find on a country road and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The Whistle Stop restaurant was good too - nothing exotic, just good food.

The collection of actual train cars and equipment, as well as the memorabilia inside the restaurant…read moreand museum is definitely some of the best I've seen. And while some may think the $5 admission is steep for such a small museum, I'm sure it doesn't go very far to helping maintain such a collection. It is displayed beautifully, inside and out. The stop here is all about the trains. The food was decent, and the service was good and friendly, though they were "packed to the gills". (It was a Sunday afternoon when we went and possibly the only restaurant for several miles.) It is one of those out of the way places that is worth a stop for that iconic Americana experience.