This is something that we are desperately missing in Ottawa. Although a tad expensive to get in, 21…read morebucks-ish per adult, 14 for a 4 year old..... I get it, the prices need to be on the higher side so they can make sure the animals are being well taken care of. We went on a very quiet Saturday, so it felt like we had the place to ourselves. Staff were so friendly. This place would be great for a rainy day, but it was hard to stay couped up indoors when it was such a nice day outside. We were able to leave and have lunch else where (there was no cafeteria that I noticed on site), and we were able to come back after and hang out a bit more. The kids were not too impressed with the fish, but they LOVED the water table activity center. I'd recommend a visit at least once.

amazing experience! highly recommend for families! The staff is very knowledgeable and the animals…read moreare well taken care of. Otter and beaver education and training times are worth a visit.

I had a wonderful time here with a friend recently. Even adults an enjoy the experience! Here are…read moresome highlights: 1. The otters! They were so active and playful, I could have watched them for hours. 2. Daily critter encounters - not sure what it's called exactly, but they have multiple opportunities throughout the day to hear a presentation and see an animal up close. On our visit we got to see the Kestrel. The presentation was quite interested. The small theater area is quite nice. 3. The Wild Walk is so nice and accessible! The interactive opportunities along the walk are great as well. 4. Lots and Lots of things to look at and explore inside and outside. Many trails. Tons of artifacts. The Troll exhibit was so cool. You really could spend an entire day here and still not do everything. 5. Lastly - THE GIFT SHOP. Seriously? I'm in love. So many wonderful, beautiful things. I had to keep myself from spending money this trip, but OH! Be still my nerdy nature-loving heart! Definitely make this a part of your next ADK adventure.

I visited this unique museum and interactive exhibit on a rainy day in the Adirondacks because I…read morewanted something with a solid indoor option. Ironically, the weather ended up being beautiful, so I spent a lot of time exploring the outdoor area instead and had an absolute blast. I went with one other adult and no children, and I can confidently say this is a place people of any age would enjoy. The exhibits are genuinely engaging and hands on without feeling childish. There were some incredibly unique features, including an outdoor treehouse style structure, bones and skulls you could actually hold and examine yourself, and even a small exhibit showing decomposing animals being broken down by beetles. That was something I had never seen in a museum before and found surprisingly fascinating. Overall, this was not a filler stop at all. It ended up being one of the highlights of the trip and was far more fun and interesting than I expected. Whether you have kids or not, this place is absolutely worth a visit.

Frederic Remington (1861-1909) was born nearby in Canton NY and his family moved here to Ogdensburg…read morewhen he was eleven. At an early age, he had a talent for art. He attended the art school at Yale University and eventually went out west to Montana at age nineteen, returning to Ogdensburg and eventually his first publishing in 1886 at the age of twenty-five. He is perhaps best known for the sculpture "The Broncho Buster" which has a copy here on display. As well, a number of his other paintings of the west. The images have captions and there are art tours/discussions on a regular basis. I have encountered his works at the Great Plains Art Museum in Lincoln NE, the Denver Art Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. You will know it when you see it. [Round number review 22600 overall - 1577 of 2024 - 493 in New York]

The online museum shop does not respond to emails or phone calls…read more I wanted to purchase a small Cowboy reproduction sculpture that weighs 10 pounds and would be shipped by UPS. According to the UPS web site the shipping cost would be $25.66 to $40. The museum shop checkout shipping cost was $225. I tried to email and phone them about this cost but the shop never responded. Gary C.

It's normally hard to find something for our autistic 8 year old grandson to enjoy, but this museum…read morehas so many things he loves it's easy to get him to go there , drop the electronics that he's addicted to , and just have fun. We love the renovations and new exhibits, thank you to all the contributors that made it possible!

We love it here! Fantastic programs and great exhibits. The family membership is definitely worth…read moreit if you live nearby... you will want to visit more than once!

Tons of interesting displays on the topics of Astronomy, Geology, Fossils, Biology and Archaeology…read more Fun activities for parents' "future archaeologists" digging up bones and operating remote control dinosaurs. I loved the amazing collection of metals and minerals. Bring your camera for photo ops posing your children with their head inside a life-size dinosaur's mouth! Fun for the whole family! Business hours are Saturday 1 to 4 PM.

The original farm house of the Wilder family, as in the family of Almanzo Wilder, husband to Laura…read moreIngalls Wilder, with some reconstructed outbuildings, all as described in Farmer Boy. There's a tour of the barn buildings and farm house, which ran us $25 for a family of of four but was well worth it and clocked in at about an hour. Arrive by 3:30 to make sure you get the full tour on a given day. It helps quite a bit to have read the book Farmer Boy (or other Little House books) before the tour, although not necessary to enjoy it as a slice of American life. This is essentially an idealization of the historical American farm (no manure smells or tetanus) and is private history, so it's not necessarily completely accurate or authentic, but the narrative they put together is quite decent. The guide (Kyle) was extremely knowledgeable although not afraid to say 'I don't know' to some questions, and was diligent about finding the answers to questions he didn't know about later. Extremely well-done tour guiding. I'm a little ambivalent about the political uses of the Little House books (the story's been co-opted a bit by Randian philosophers, in no small part because Rose Wilder Lane was one herself) but even with their gauzy views of pioneer history and selective editing of the Ingalls' real story, they remain classic reads and real musts for kids. There is a small museum which is a free entry, and a pretty decent gift shop featuring a library of the Little House books (and the somewhat more questionable "authorized by the estate" series, albeit out of print titles) and a number of related history books. The crafts are not tacky at all and are in keeping with the Americana theme. (One notable lacuna - the Eric Sloane books on heritage American farm tools, buildings, and methods, which are an obvious inspiration.) Both our enthusiastic ten-year-old and normally bored by such stuff seven year old enjoyed it very much, as both adults did. The one missing part is the demonstration garden and orchard are quite small, and there aren't many actual farm animals (just some sheep). That hardly seemed to matter to either of them in the end, though. This is a long way away from most things, but if you have a Laura Ingalls Wilder nut in the household or are interested at all in American social history, it's worth a side trip if you're in the area.

I came by during their Scotland festival and wasn't offered a tour, but I did have access to…read morehighland dancing, cows, and haggis in addition to a lovely couple of hot dog trucks and a small outdoor market. Apparently it was super crowded for them, but I thought it was the most pleasant and laid back Scots festival I've been to in the US (I was at one in Newfoundland that was a bit less hectic). The house and barns were staffed by workers in period costume (as well as cows). I was told about spinning and the reconstruction and weaving and cooking. The staff members were lovely and funny and nice. They also were very, very kind when I accidentally broke the house. The displays are excellent of their kind and grounded really strongly not only against Laura Ingalls Wilder's books but also against period reference books. I was really impressed, but I do think it's a lot of reading for small children. The volunteers were excellent about explaining things, though. The gift shop was lovely and stocked a great selection of books...I've read or own most of them, but it was nice to see them all in one place. The only drawback is the isolated location. I stopped on the way back from Montreal, going probably 2 hours out of the way (I know map quest says it's only an hour and half, but customs took a long time).

Great time and informative- we appreciated the effort from Alex and the enthusiasm for his work and…read moreprofessionalism-

A fascinating historical gem in Saranac Lake. The exhibit was curated to perfection. I learned so…read moremuch here and was thrilled to see they offered some historical copies for purchase in the gift shop. I would love to see this exhibit expanded.

A neat museum with several floors of exhibits featuring a self-guided audio tour. Really good day…read moretrip. There's also a Mennonite Museum and Railway Museum not too far away (those are not open year round though). Would definitely come back. Lots of maple treats to choose from before you go.

Really worth the time. John is terrific. Incredible artifact's. This gem in the middle of nowhere…read moreneeds a visit. You will be glad you did. Besides the maple syrup aspect The collection of chain saws dating back 200 years are there to view. Really great. After the museum grab an ice cream treat at Wishys day is the best ever.

Have been several times but finally decided to leave a review. During public holidays, sometimes…read morethere is no entry fees. The parking on site is limited ($12 etc). There is street parking around (paid). Once inside, there are 4 levels, level 1 has the cafeteria serving beverages and pizza/ sandwiches, Fairly pricey. This level also features the fossils. There's even a video on how became extinct. Plenty of sensory experiences, lots of information. You can easily spend several hours checking it out. The bathrooms were clean and despite it being extremely busy when I went I didn't feel claustrophobic. Also checked out their bug adventure. Lots of information on bugs, several mini exhibits. Overall, informative.

Great place with thoughtful displays for many audiences. Reverence for nature and environment…read more Awe-inspiring. Some taxidermy displays old to the point of some humour but that was also endearing and its own form of awe. Came on a free Thursday and it was full of many families, youth, all ages, cultures, so much enthusiasm and conversation and learning. Great stuff.