I took my granddaughter to the Carnegie Museum in Crawfordsville because a guide told us they had…read moresome STEAM activities for kids. The building was originally the town's library that was funded by a grant from Andrew Carnegie. A modern library was built across the street and the Carnegie building became a museum. The museum is free, however they had a donation box. The layout is a little meandering, but one of the staff described the activities and exhibits. Downstairs there were several interesting activities for kids that involved simple physics and biology. She loved making music with balloons. There were other activities that she enjoyed such as making a political button. Through out the museum are local artifacts that are interesting (such as an early telephone operator's machine). There was interesting information about famous people that came from Montgomery County. Upstairs was a macabre exhibit about death rituals. There were some empty spaces in the museum and they seemed to be in transition. There is a small gift shop to help support the museum. Our visit was good. My granddaughter had some fun learning and engaging in the activities. I learned some things. The staff is friendly.

Like most small population counties, funding for saving historical items is a challenge. So, I…read moredon't hold them to the same standards for presentation and prominence as I would a larger metropolitan location. So, when I visited the Montgomery County museum, I kept in mind how it compared with other county museums like Owen County in Spencer, or Johnson County in Franklin. And so my rating, as an outsider, is for an A-OK rating. The entrance is on the ground level and as you wind your way through the exhibits, you may find a large emphasis on having the displays being kid friendly or at least, kid focused. There are some antiques and some memorials to relatively famous people from Montgomery County. Through a back stairwell, the museum has a more spacious area on the second floor. There is a room with larger display items like a telephone switchboard, a doctor's buggy, a sign from a local business, and a piano owned by a prominent local family, the Elstons. But beyond that, there is a lot of open space that seems underutilized. Maybe they have activities that require more open space, but for visitors at other times, it seems like it could be put to better use. There is a small gift shop on the lower floor and a parking lot alongside the building since street parking is pretty limited in the area. I'm guessing the appeal to locals would warrant a higher rating, but without anything to separate this collection from many others around the state, it only has limited appeal. Perhaps if there weren't several other museums/homes down the street, there would be more to display here of the county's history. Review #1389

On the east side of downtown Crawfordsville, you may notice a stretch of land on Wabash Street that…read moreis lined with large estates with beautiful old homes. A great deal of the property was once held by local business man, Isaac Elston. He and his wife raised nine children, many of whom lived along this stretch, including his daughter Joanna and her husband, Henry S Lane. Lane was a lawyer and prominent politician who was a key player in getting Abraham Lincoln nominated for President, and was actually elected Governor of Indiana with his Lieutenant Governor Oliver Morton. In those days, US Senators were appointed and since Lane knew he would become appointed Senator, led the gubernatorial ticket instead of the controversial Morton. Two days after taking office as Governor, Lane stepped down so that he could become Senator while allowing Morton to step into the Governor's position. Seems like wheeling and dealing have always been part of the American Way. Lane is known as one of the most popular founders of the Republican Party as the Whigs were losing power and elections to the Democratic Party. New life needed to be breathed into the party, so a fresh start was needed. Lane, along with others like Lincoln, was a great orator and he was able to bring people together to agree with his ideas. The Lane House/Place/Mansion/Museum (it goes by many names including Antebellum in the description) is a beautiful estate which faces Water Street, but has access from Pike Street which allows you to pull onto the driveway and walk around to the entrance. For $5, you can take a guided tour of the home and see the elaborate collections of historical and political memorabilia. It is open from March 1 to December 1, Tuesdays through Saturdays until 5 p.m. The tours are individually available so you don't have to wait until a set time to start. That allows time to ask lots of questions. So, the tour can last for well over an hour if you are curious like I was. (see website for specifics on prices and other issues.) The house started off modestly, but was added to over several phases as the family grew. The tour starts off with showing the formal entry and music parlor. The opulence is immediately apparent as you see the paintings of family members and a porcelain inlaid cabinet designed specifically for holding piano music. That room connects to the study which is filled with collections of political papers and photos that were collected by Lane. There are many historical items as well, including doctor's medical kits, and many other period items. From there, you enter the formal dining room loaded with more plates and serving specific bowls, plates, and utensils than most people could guess at. Everything had a purpose and though it may seem odd now, was expected of those wishing to maintain the highest social standing. Rounding out the rest of the first floor tour is a less formal room where the children would often play while the adults would meet in the previous rooms. Paintings of the children and a miniature tea set can be seen. Heading upstairs via a custom made stairway (Joanna was quite short in stature), the tour leads you through three bedrooms. There you will see the crib that Joanna and her eight siblings all slept in as infants. Beyond that room is the one selected by Joanna's niece Helen who became the home's owner after Joanna passed away. Helen blew through her inheritance fitting the house with more upgrades (?) and additions. The room is quite bold in appearance. The last room on the tour was the guest bedroom which includes a knocker on the door and a private balcony over looking the yard on the north side. In there, a bed of a man named Whitlock is currently being displayed. Wherever Whitlock went, he had his bed disassembled and put up where he stayed. Must have been a man of influence to make his hosts put up with that eccentricity! The house is filled with family items that boast around a 95% authenticity rating. That is one of the highest I've found in my travels. So, if you want to get a feeling for what a place looked like when the owners lived there, this should be at the top of your list! Review #1388

Very cool old theater. New seats but not fancy. Cheap prices. Good picture and good sound. Not so…read moreloud it blows your ears out. Only one movie per week, always a new release. If you are staying at the Park Bridge Motel, show your room key and get in free on Wed night. Thor the Dark World was showing tonight. The new hunger games starts Friday. All movies are PG-13 at most.

Great family theater!!! Boy, this theater is from a golden age of entertainment... Large screen,…read morevintage seating... The picture screen is on a stage! Had to use the restroom & was very pleasantly surprised to see such a spacious, modern & CLEAN bathroom! My experience in small 'vintage/retro' theaters has been scary to say the least. We came on Wednesday (which is family day) & was ecstatic to find ALL tickets are $5~ WooHoo! Nothing like seeing a new movie with my family for UNDER $50.00! Yeah, having 8 children can get ya... luckily we only had 6 with, lol!

One of the coolest and most unique experiences! I am so thrilled to have experienced and seen this…read morepart of American history. Elizabeth was just amazing and did a great job encapsulating the history of the jail. Thank you for a wonderful visit, my grandpa and I will always cherish it!

Best $10.00 I have spent all year. The lady running it is very knowledgable. I certainly felt…read moresomething here. I will let her explain the history as to not spoil it, but it is the only functioning one in existence. There is a small little gift shop.

The Strawberry Festival has been going strong since 1976, and this year was no exception. I make…read morethe drive back to Crawfordsville every year if I can to the grounds of the Lane Place for the festivities, and this year did not disappoint. Walking through the booths of crafts, shirts, artwork, incense and candles, I was pleased to see most of the vendors were local to Montgomery County. I also was pleased to see so many artistic creations that were local, like the colored pencil drawings of the Lew Wallace Study and the Elston Home. I think festivals such as this should be about the local community, and so many bigger ones have so many out of town vendors that it loses the community vibe. This isn't the case here. The REAL reason I went was the food, which I think is secretly the real reason any of us attend in the first place. I look forward to the Strawberry Shortcake every year, and I walk around until I find the booth run by a church with the oldest women working Why? Because I know it'll be the BEST Strawberry Shortcake I'll eat all year. Was I right? Uh.. yes. It was awesome. I like that the Strawberry Festival is sectioned out into four areas: Booths, Food, Entertainment and Kids area. This helps keep the flow of traffic through the place moving, and keeps the kids (for the most part) out of the areas I want to visit. One thing worth mentioning: the larger festivals set a standard price for items, such as water and cans of soda. This isn't the case here. I saw water for 1 ticket at one booth and 2 tickets at the one right next to it. Same size and brand, but double the price. Decide what you want and shop around for the best deal.

I have done this festival for years and have enjoyed it as a craft vendor and enjoyed the staff and…read morethe public very much. About 10 years ago I could see the home made craft business was going down hill, so I got out of craft shows. This year and previous years we went this festival, I couldn't' believe how it has turned into a flea market show. Very few crafters. A lot of items from Mexico. The prices of the food were very expensive. $5.00 for a dish (1 scoop) of ice cream, strawberries, and a very, very small piece of cake with no favor. This place was always our favorite place to go to end the day at the festival. We wont be back. Very disappointing day.

We were pleasantly surprised to find the local food stand in Crawfordsville. While they do close…read moreover the winter (open until mid-November), it's a local gem for finding apples, pears, squash, cider and more. You turn down a short gravel drive (they have an apple sign by the road) and there is parking next to a small building. The first time I visited, I was quickly overwhelmed by the quantity and variety of apples that Cass-Hankins has. They are all beautiful and delicious! The cider is the best that I have tasted in a long time. They randomly have baked products and also supply honey, squashes, potatoes, onions, pears and more. The gentleman who owns/works the stand is very knowledgeable and cares about the produce they are supplying. He was able to tell us which variety of apples held well so we could stock up for winter. They do take card, but I would recommend taking cash in case you visit while they are not in the stand to take the credit card payment.

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Nice staff and good machines. Been there a few times and enjoyed it...not too much to do in this…read morearea so its a nice get away for a few hours