1. Thomas Edison Birthplace Museum

    1. Thomas Edison Birthplace Museum

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    Milan, OH

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    Thomas Edison Birthplace Museum

    4.8 (15 reviews)
    Closed 1:00 pm - 5:00 PM
    Updated over 3 months ago

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    Collectibles housed in the office next door

    Our party of three visited Milan while on a trip to Cedar Point and we pleasantly pleased with our afternoon in this quaint town. While we didn't plan on taking the 45 minute tour of Edison's Birthplace, we decided to peak in during our neighborhood stroll . . . our idea of fun. Personally, I'm a lover of house tours so when we were told it was closed for a private tour I was slightly disappointed we hadn't planned one. However, the ladies (docents if you please) were unimaginably kind and ushered us into a small room in the office which was full of antiques. One of them played a gramophone for me and I wanted to cry because, well, gramophones. I assume the staff realized we were genuinely into this kind of stuff so they offered us a tour on the grounds that we'd have to be quick about it and end it early if the private party showed up. We ended up paying $9 an adult (these places don't manage themselves) and got a full tour! I've been on countless house tours and this tour is at the top of my list for intimate space and high quality - the care given to artifacts, the detail presented in the oral histories, and the general state of the home was fantastic. While Edison's relationships with presidents, robber barons, and the likes was discussed, my only wish would be that these relationships are discussed more candidly. Same thing with some of the inventions and patents, but this is a house tour, not a tell all or history lesson. As such, I thoroughly enjoyed getting a look at some everyday artifacts in the house and hearing how it operated for the family under different ownership. My favorite items were the sample in the bedroom and the lap desk in the front room - you'll have to go yourself to hear the stories behind them! Overall, cool experience that even my history hating sister enjoyed. PSA. The home and office are not wheelchair accessible and the Milan Museum is few blocks away!

    Troy B.

    I really enjoyed my visit to the Edison birthplace. This is a two part-tour, one is the birthplace/home of young Thomas Edison, and the second part is a tour of the office, which includes gadgets, and gizmos, and personal effects of Edison, as well as some of his sound and film equipment. The office also has a gift shop. The home where Edison was born is very cool, and you can see a lot of the family furniture, as well as pot, pans, toys, paintings, the family bible, etc. Both tour-guides were extremely informative, and I learned quite a few new things. I highly recommend visiting. The tour is a mere $7 donation and lasts a little over an hour, and is within walking distance of the Milan Historical Museum, which is also a must do, and while here, don't forget to check out the town square, and maybe even eat lunch there. Wonderful!

    Mary S.

    I have been buying Edison bulbs before home depot started carrying them...In fact I would spend $17 per bulb...Thanks to trendy coffee shops and sustainable restaurants they are not such a high commodity anymore. I wanted to visit the Birthplace of Thomas because innovators like him helped build America's unparalleled scientific and technological dominance. No, I will not bore you like my 10th grade History teacher did......(yawn) Don't book a trip to come here, but if you are in the vicinity don't be a Sob......check it out, after all he did invent the electric pen which is now used for tattoo's (he brought you suicide girls) Our tour guide was awesome, I think he graduated in Edison's class but other then that he educated me in a fun way (yes I skipped 10th grade classes a lot) Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something. Thomas A. Edison

    Kayla M.

    The house was small but it is kept up. The tour guide was very nice and she was able to answer any of the questions that the group had. We did get to listen to two of Edison's record players.

    Robert K.

    I had no idea this place existed until I came to the area and searched for things to do. I am glad I went to the museum. You get an hour tour that is very thorough and covers Edison's inventions and how his family lived when he was younger.

    The house

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    12 years ago

    Great experience. Wonderful to learn about one of nation's amazing inventors. :-) so much information. Knowledgeable tour guides.

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    21 years ago

    It is a fine museum complex with a total of six museums not just one. Very cute little complex in an Adorable little Norman Rockwell town!

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    Review Highlights - Thomas Edison Birthplace Museum

    It's in a nice small town and the town square is worth a visit too.

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    Milan Historical Museum

    Milan Historical Museum

    5.0(2 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    Wonderful little gem…read more Our tour consisted of a docent giving us backstory as he led us into three different buildings on the site; he was friendly. The first building focused on different eras of history of the area, including some fossils and ship/canal history, and a room dedicated to Edison's inventions. The second was a glass museum, the upstairs of which held a non-glass collection, including metal banks, and some wall art. The third was a collection of art/decorative pieces and furniture from a wealthy local. We were then able to check out the blacksmith shop/small collection of farm machinery. The doll exhibit was not open on the day we visited, but there was enough to see without it. The gift shop was extensive. Overall, a great educational place to cool off on a hot day!

    This place is FANTASTIC . . . !!! Who knew that in the small…read moreVillage of Milan, Ohio (Birthplace of Thomas Alva Edison and home to the Hoover Potato Digger), that there would be such a cool little museum. Kudos to the caretaker lady that was there weeding the sidewalks, and even though they were not open on the day of my visit, she said I could look around and even let me go into some of the buildings. And speaking of buildings, there were probably at least seven different buildings as part of this complex, and for a mere donation of $7, you can tour them during business hours. I hope to come back and spend more time here, as there is so much to see, and it is within walking distance of the Edison Birthplace, so I highly recommend both places, as well as the Milan Town Square. Tons of history here, that I had no idea about . . . AMAZING.

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    Milan Historical Museum
    Milan Historical Museum
    Milan Historical Museum

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    Merry-Go-Round Museum - Merry-Go-Round Museum

    Merry-Go-Round Museum

    4.8(34 reviews)
    12.0 mi

    This museum is worth the stop! It has many unique carved…read morepieces on display and on their carousel! A lot of history of carousels as well as Cedar Point. At the end of the self tour, you get to ride the center piece carousel!

    I found the Merry-Go-Round Museum online while looking up things to do in the area. Honestly I…read morewasn't sure what to expect but once I saw the great Yelp reviews, we decided to stop in. It ended up being one of our favorite experiences in Sandusky! It's small but mighty with tons of intricately carved merry-go-round animals, some of which were crafted in the early 1900s. I learned quite a bit and the displays were so fun to look at. Your admission ticket includes 1 ride on the carousel which is in the center of the small museum (you can pay for additional rides). They made an announcement that they were starting it up so we took our spots - Nate got on a seahorse and I sat in a chariot. When I tell you that thing goes fast, I mean it. I think the operator said it gets up to 7 mph! I actually started to get a bit dizzy, but it was so fun and brought me so much joy. I couldn't stop smiling the entire time. They have an on site woodworker/carver which was so cool. The building that houses the museum is an old post office and it's definitely seen better days (it's 100+ years old), so I hope they can continue to house this museum there!

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    Merry-Go-Round Museum - Merry-Go-Round Museum

    Merry-Go-Round Museum

    Merry-Go-Round Museum - Examples of carousel carvings

    Examples of carousel carvings

    Merry-Go-Round Museum - Merry-Go-Round Museum

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    Merry-Go-Round Museum

    Liberty Aviation Museum

    Liberty Aviation Museum

    4.7(17 reviews)
    19.7 mi

    The staff was so helpful. It was our first visit there. We actually got lost and couldn't find a…read morefew things. Someone helped us. The B-25 was such a beautiful plane and the PT rebuilding was amazing to see. I will go back

    After a late lunch at the Tin Goose diner, came over to this very nice aviation+ museum. First,…read more you can tell by the ladies working the front desk - admission, you're in a great place, when you comment you don't have your readers with you and it'll be difficult to read the information at the exhibits. Without missing a beat, Valerie offers her pair. Her only request is that I return them when I leave. . So very kind of her. We pay the admission, and begin the tour. There was a lot to see and I would definitely give yourself at least 90 minutes to see both areas. There is a hangar also to see the bigger planes. There were many nice tributes, and we got a kick out of the Hogan's Heroes memorabilia. The vintage cars were a bonus. I can't wait to tell my dad he needs to take a drive here just for the classic cars! I think one of the first cars he drove was the '57 bel aire convertible. The yellow one here is in pristine condition. Also loved the vintage Bob's Big Boy side of window drive up sign. Classic! The attention to detail and restoration is truly a labor of love for many of the items here. In the hangar, there were quite a few volunteers. They were busy getting things ready for Father's Day weekend! The ford two motor plane will be taking passengers for a nostalgic ride. This museum is an amazing tribute to the put in bay, Lake Erie aviators. There is also war memorabilia! The investment that continues in this amazing museum and the diner attached is remarkable. I'll be telling my aviation, car enthusiast friends and people looking for something neat to do to come by, enjoy and donate to help these pieces of history to continue to be available for generations to come! Great way to spend a few hours! Highly recommend this Gem! PS, I did return the glasses after I left. I also bought a cute onesie for my granddaughter !

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    Liberty Aviation Museum
    Liberty Aviation Museum
    Liberty Aviation Museum

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    Thomas Edison Birthplace Museum - museums - Updated September 2026

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