We stopped here on way back home. It is okay for stop through but not really destination…read morechildren's museum. It opened pretty late at 11am on Sunday but timing was perfect for us. It is next to church so don't get confused when you follow GPS directions. Sign of the building is behind the building which can be tricky to find. First floor is science exhibits and second floor is toddler floor. We spent almost an hour and it was worth it since we have ASTC membership for free admission.

We stopped off here as a break in a long roadtrip for our 2 year old. It's about 5 miles off of…read moreI-65, but well worth the stop! He had so much fun and rocketed from one station to the other. Everything is hands on, and there is such a diversity of activities, from looking at the live animals (snakes, bearded dragon, turtles), to playing in a small kitchen, drawing, building with Legos or large foam blocks, and climbing into then sliding down a tiny rocket. The staff were all so friendly, nice, and helpful, and they went out of our way to make our experiences great! I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone who is traveling on I-65 through Indiana and needs a break for a little one!

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

Had a great tour and learned about a great figure in American history. The staff has a done a…read morewonderful job persevering the grounds and it just gorgeous!

Such a great experience! Extremely informative! The museum has many cool artifacts from Lew…read moreWallace's life as well as props from Ben-Hur film adaptations. The study itself is stunning. Our tour guide Tom was extremely knowledgeable and explained the history of Wallace's life and all the objects in the study in a very engaging way! This is a can't miss spot in Crawfordsville!

This is such a beautiful museum, I always learn something new each time I visit…read more The staff are always open to questions and are always excited to talk about their favorite pieces. The community events they offer are such a treasure, and the rotating exhibits make every visit feel like the first time. I feel so lucky to live close by to have access to this amazing place. Don't forget to check out the staff's exhibit on the first level, everyone who works there is insanely talented!

Newfields is pretty neat. There's a nice little nature trail outside where you can take a brief…read morewalk and there's a small beer garden along the trail. The space is really nice. The staff is very friendly. Admission is $25. Some of the art I dug and some I didn't, but there was a dark room with a video board ceiling that showed a video of the moon and stars on the ceiling that is captivating. I could have sat there for 15 minutes and just gazed at the ceiling. It was beautiful and peaceful.

The KOA was nice but I would not suggest going into city. I pulled out out of the parking lot to…read morerun to hardware store noticed a cop tailgating someone down the road. Then I guess it was my turn to have a cop 8ft off my bumper for mile and a half. Being a former fed I know looking for mistakes through intimidation but it is not just done randomly. You definitely want to stay out of this city if you can.

Coming from the perspective of man that spent his childhood and quite a few years of his adult life…read morehere, this small town was and still is a great place to grow up and make good friends. Referred to as "the City" by locals surrounding Montgomery County, Crawfordsville is definitely the biggest town in the county. With a population of around 15,000 that should tell you that Cville really isnt that big at all. However, plenty of small businesses have popped up along with some major industry that gives the town life. I would still estimate that most of Crawfordsvilles residents commute to other cities like Lafayette or Indianapolis for work, which both are not that far. This is what makes this town so appealing because it has a great location. The perfect little sleeper town that allows for a great setting to raise a family without the hustle and bustle of the big city. For those of you looking to move here with intentions of starting a family, there are several elementary and middle schools for younger children along with three high schools in the county to choose from. College-wise, there isnt much to choose from; however, Crawfordsville is home to Wabash College, a very prestigious all male college that is nestled right in the center of town. There is also a branch of Ivy Tech Community College in town but the classes are limited offering a small selection. As far as entertainment goes, Cville really doesnt have a whole lot to offer other than a movie theatre, live theatre, and a bowling alley along with various restaurants and nightlife establishments. Trust me it does get boring here fast but during the summer there are plenty of activities to do in the local area. There is Milligan Park which has disc golf course, a pool and baseball diamonds for public use, Sugar Creek runs right along the edge of town, the municipal golf course, and several camp grounds. You just need to look a bit harder and become a little inventive when it comes to finding fun things to do but if not, then like I said before, Lafayette and Indy arent too far away. Crawfordsville is a good community that looks after their own. If you are looking to live in a place where you can meet nice and dependable people to surround you as neighbors then I would suggest this place. It is truly the Athens of Indiana.

My husband and I recently had the opportunity to attend a concert here. It was One Night of Queen…read morePerformed by Gary Mullen and The Works. We were hosted by Ally Financial and they had several tables down in what I would consider to be the "VIP" area. The show was really good, but what I liked best about the entire experience is that you could bring in your own food and beverages. No matter where you were seated on the lawn, you could bring in a cooler, pizza, take-out, deli sandwiches...whatever you like. Some folks had really nice set-ups, and others arrived with nothing more than a folded lawn chair under their arm. Children ran free and folks made their way up to the dance floor positioned directly in front of the stage. I look forward to returning again in the future. It was really nice. Beware of the dragonflies. They were the size of my hand!

This was our first time visiting Conner Prairie so we learned a lot. It was a field trip for INDLS…read more- Indiana Digital Learning School, aka K-12. My granddaughter and I both learned why an iron is called an iron, because it was a hunk of iron heated in a fire and then inserted into what looks like today's iron with a handle. I have visited many museums of this same time period, including Spring Mill State Park, but this time it really struck me how hard life was in the early 1800s just to survive. From growing your own food to making your own cloth, to making your own clothing, it was a full day of providing sustenance. My granddaughter loved Animal Encounters especially the lambs. The temperature hit 90 degrees by noon so we left early and didn't do the hot air balloon or the Apple House.

I had a great time exploring the State Museum today. The staff were so friendly and knowledgeable…read more The exhibits have plenty of interactives along with in depth history of Indiana. The cafe has delicious food!

I enjoyed this museum but I have a couple bones to pick…read more 1. It's a confusing setup and no one hands you a map or says start here. 2. There's an imax theater and it smells like popcorn. 3. The bone collection is legitimately world class and that environment cave thing is super cool. 4. There's two types of museums honest ones like the Underground Railroad in cinncinati and then dishonest ones like the Indiana state one. 400k klan members is mentioned but not the overall population and they gloss over post civil war stuff pretty egregiously. 5. The old cars are pretty awesome. They have some really cherry old cars and tractors super cool. So idk it's a mixed bag but those bones and recreations are worth seeing

The Haan Museum houses the largest collection of Indiana art in the world. Most of it is inside a…read morehistoric mansion that was originally built for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, but some art work is dotted around the garden outside. The museum features paintings, Indiana ceramics, sculptures and antique American furniture. Visitors can explore rotating exhibitions with a guided or self-guided tour Wednesdays through Saturdays. Outside, the sculpture garden provides a peaceful space for reflection and creativity. I took a guided tour, and it was about an hour. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the collection, and provided us with details about every single thing. Who knew that I'd find information about a bed frame interesting? After the tour, we were encouraged to spend some time checking out the garden, which has a lot of artwork and pretty plants and flowers everywhere. It was nice to sit on one of the benches and take in the beautiful scenery in the garden.

My husband and I went to the Haan Mansion Museum of Indiana Art on a day when the mansion was…read moreclosed. It was the only time that we could fit it into our schedule. Why bother visiting if the mansion is closed, you ask. There is a cute sculpture garden behind the mansion that is open even when the mansion is closed. There are close to 30 sculptures. It is really fun to take a walk through the garden and see the statues. It will give you something to talk about and plenty of photo opportunities. If the outside is this fun, I can't wait to see the inside!