Sometimes big joy comes in tiny packages... Tinkertown really is the perfect quirky roadside stop near Albuquerque, and it's great for children and adults alike. There's something magical about a place built from pure imagination, one small detail at a time. It's a bit overwhelming, but in the most positive way possible! You'll marvel at the walls made of glass bottles, random trinkets, and all the miniatures on display. Bring some coins to operate the animated displays! And do spend some time in the gift shop! Free parking. read more

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We first discovered Tinkertown, back in 2019, as a random 'hidden gem' road trip pit stop- revisiting NM years later, bringing our 3yr old to vacation with family, we knew we had to bring her here- Anticipating her enjoyment, we were thrilled with her magical joy discovering the displays whimsy & silliness- the moving parts, the hidden characters, the humorous scenes- she had a blast Last visit, we weren't able to visit the boat portion, it was a very interesting exhibit feature-learning about the founder's around the world journey was so captivating- very glad we were able to walk through there is so much art creativity and passion within the museum; definitely a must-visit, multiple visit recommended ::NOTE:: price has changed to $6 per person (cards accepted) & they no longer give out a handful of quarters-you're encouraged to bring your own quarters to truly see all the museum moving pieces- read more

If you're in Albuquerque you should take the time to see this museum! I think it's closed now (November) until Spring. There is so much to see! So many details in these carvings. You can spend hours here... I think we did! So many exhibits and moving parts. They give you some quarters, but be sure to take more! They have outdoor exhibits as well and a neat gift shop. It's definitely worth a stop! So much history here... too much to write here but a great stop. Pictures can tell a better story. read more

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Very nice and lots to see! Take your time and admire the time and effort that went into each piece of art and the life of the circus. Not to mention the adventure on a sailboat!! Don't forget to take some quarters to enjoy some of the sideshow fun! read more

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Very unique and interesting place to visit and along the road to the crest for a great drive!

One of the truly unique attractions on the Turquoise Trail. I have been here multiple times with my children and we always find something new. There is so much for your eyes to explore, you just can't take it all in the first time. The staff is exceedingly kind and welcoming. Tinkertown was started by Ross Ward who spent his life carving small wooden figurines and bringing worlds to life around them. A circus painter by trade, his art and creativity knew no bounds and he continued working until his passing. He left behind his wonderful imagination and art for us to enjoy. There are collections of all sorts and a sailing boat that has its final dock here in the mountains. Some lovely horses to say hello to with just the sweetest dispositions. Don't forget to take some photos in the wooden cutouts! read more

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Well if you have kids with you I would certainly say that this place is a must, if you don't it's a maybe depending on your mood and interest in the eclectic. Your $6/adult admission gets you a 1hr tour of the most interesting tour of items. Cute animatronic scenes, just don't think $150 Disney Animatronic, think $6 Animatronic and you too will understand the 5 star rating! read more

Tinkertown Museum - Sailing ship in Mountains of Albuquerque? Sure in the TinkerTown Museum anything can make sense. - Museums Near Me - Sandia Park, New Mexico

This is such a cool place for adults and kids alike..Amazing everything the was built into this place... If you are in the area, stop by for sure read more

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Excellent and cool place to visit great people here very nice highly recommend this place

Such a great place! You could go over and over and see something new each time. The staff are so welcoming and friendly, and the gift shop is crazy fun. Definitely stop by. All ages will enjoy it. read more

I love Tinkertown, because it is an immense piece of outsider art that gives you insight into the creativity of one guy who carved an immense number of things from wood and collected other things. However, I'm giving it one star because ONE porta-john, in the parking lot, for all the visitors is absolutely, disgustingly inadequate, and bespeaks a real contempt for the tourists who keep the place open. Hit a restroom before you show up. read more

Hidden jem.if you have kids they will be entertained.area is shaded so little comfort for the desert read more

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This place is quirky and so unique. You wander through never knowing what might be around the corner. All the miniature scenes are so intricate and draw you in to looking for more and more detail. The artist who created them clearly put a whole lot of time into it all. It's a fun, very inexpensive place for children and adults. Feel like you're disappearing into a fantasy world for awhile. read more

Unique, fascinating, and fun for the whole family. I highly recommend a stop if you are in the area.

Such a fun, entertaining and whimsical place to visit. Lots of cool things to see! We don't live very far from here and it was our first trip to the museum. Anytime we have friends visit, we will definitely take them here! read more

Love this little museum! I go each year with my kiddos just for fun and to support our locals. The kids love it each time we go. They find something new to love about this place each time. This year we found out the huge ship belongs to the brother of the lady who owns the museum. The ship was our favorite part of the museum. what an awesome adventure! read more

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My favorite place in New Mexico, one of my favorite places in the world. I could visit every single day and I'd still find little details I hadn't noticed. read more

Enjoyed taking my grandson. Friendly people and lots of interesting things to see. ......

What an incredible, quirky place! We almost passed by after a hike up Sandia Peak, but we're so glad we stopped in to check it out. We were warmly greeted by Carla, the wife of Tinkertown's creator. She explained how the museum came to be, then sent us off to explore and enjoy. There is truly too much to see in one visit. The scenes are so jam-packed with carved miniatures, with amazing attention to detail. There are also sly little bits of visual humor tucked everywhere, and it was always a joy to spot one. We chatted some more with Carla after our tour, and she was so gracious and personable. A lot of talent and imagination went into creating this place, and you can tell a lot of love goes into maintaining it. read more

Love this place and there is something for everyone as well. I have been going for years

It was the best all my life I will I was like one and I went there my whole life is so good the bathrooms the floors are clean no cockroaches no bedbugs and nothing unless you're outside there might be bugs so it was good. read more

First day opening since the Covid shutdown and we were there. Greeted by the owner when we pulled in you immediately got the feeling that this a fun place. A unique museum of miniature wood carvings, circus memorabilia, and antiques by the thousands. Lots of animation and imagination all in rooms with glass bottle walls. Something fun around every corner. Very interesting for all ages. Loved it! read more

This is the coolest museum I think I've ever been to! This is an example of what bored guy can do while you've been watching TV. This guy, Ross Ward has had way too much spare time on his hands, but kept them busy! Idle hands are the Devil's workshop. He's kept his time filled whittlin' and building! It's truly inspirational. He's built the whole museum out of beer bottles, cement, and stuff he's found lying around the area. He's got an automatic accordion machine! It's the best quarter I ever spent to make this calliope come to life, with an actual squeezebox that jams out the tunes, adorned with lots of small characters of accordion players. The staff was extremely friendly, and made sure we had plenty of quarters for all the little attractions and vending machines. Be sure to get your fortune told by the Fortune Teller for just a quarter. You could honestly spend hours and hours getting lost in this place, and never see it all. The attention to detail and the level of craftsmanship and sense of humor is astounding. I'm truly inspired to try and build something like what he's got in my backyard. The boat out back seems to be out of place, on the side of a mountain. But it's sailed the seven seas, and the owner of the place seems to have seen some wild and crazy stuff. I wish there was a bit more stuff from his travels on the boards. The gift shop at the end is ridiculously cheap, as was the admission. They had a cool smattering of ABQ and NM goods, as well as the whole Breaking Bad memorabilia. They had handcrafted goods, like little shrines and NM Indian stuff. read more

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Been here probably half a dozen times and I live it every time. It's calming in its own way and every time I see something I missed the last time. This time it was the fortune telling machine, which was fun with me and hubby. I always get a little something from the gift shop, not sure why, but it feels like part of the ritual of going at this point. :) read more

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Loved this place! Went with the kiddos and the hubs on my recent trip down to Santa Fe, it was a nice scenic drive. They were only taking timed tour slots so we basically had the place to ourselves. Felt really safe during covid, we just purchased our tix online in advance and showed my phone at the entrance. We were there about an hour and there is so much to look at. Intricate, moving dioramas carved from wood... a die cast tribute to old nostalgic Americana. We received kind greetings at the door and as you walk through have your quarters ready to toss into all the old automatons machines and press ALL the buttons! The tour leads you right into the gift shop, where we purchased some trinkets and souvenirs. Kind salutations and requests to return soon as we left. See you again soon Tinkertown! read more

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What a wonderful place for everyone who loves recycled art, hand crafted dioramas, wise sayings, dolls, and more! Children can participate in scavenger hunts, which our two charges enjoyed doing. Bring lots of quarters for interactive displays, including Otto piano player. You only need a nickel to test your strength. The Western town was so extensive and entertaining that we could have stayed for hours enjoying it. The miniature circus display was mind boggling - so much detail. We enjoyed reading/following the 10 year voyage of the Theodor, housed separately, before the doll house. Outside, you don't have to pay the admission fee (which is very reasonable!) to see the corral & horses. The kids liked posing in the cutouts, together & apart. We ran out of time - not things to see and do. We will definitely return. read more

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Cute little stop. Not really for kids in my opinion. Kids got bored quickly looking very old stuff. Better for older adults or people who like that sort of attraction. Only one port-o-potty outside. Stuff in shop overpriced. Whole place could not have taken more than 10 minutes to get through. read more

Tinkertown Museum - Tinkertown sign - Museums Near Me - Sandia Park, New Mexico

This is a wonderful place to stop and say something very unique. Ms Ward's husband made a lot of this stuff before he passed away. Stop by and say Hi to the friendly staff. read more

On my way to Albuquerque I decided to stop by here after seeing information about this place in my Top 10 travel guide. I arrived at about 11am and was greeted by a mishmash of metal put together. There were a few other tourists there when I arrived. I did manage to find the entrance and paid my $6 to enter. The receptionist said that I would be needing some quarters for some of the exhibits. Upon entering I saw art creations from the 19th century to the early 20th century. It was like traveling back in time. Through the figurines, I was able to see what life was like back then. There were also old working machines that gave you a weird personality test. I got a card with my fortune from the fortune tellers vending machine. Said I was a destructive person, meaning I liked to complain a lot (Only if something upsets me, like my D&D group that split) and that life would get better for me soon even though I had been unhappy most of my life. We'll see... Some memorable exhibits were that of an old circus and it's performers and a boat that went around the world in the 1980's. The solo captain's journey was amazing. I definitely would not be here overnight, but the exhibits were interesting and if you are into weird old quirky stuff, this is the right place for you. It was quite the visual feast. read more

Tinkertown Museum - Entrance - Museums Near Me - Sandia Park, New Mexico

I follow a young man on YouTube (and other social media platforms) by the name of Justin Scarred. He had done a Route 66 series. One of his stops was Tinkertown. I lived in Albuquerque, but had never heard of Tinkertown, so nearly 30 years after I lived there, I found out about this hidden gem. Justin's video was lovingly filmed. I knew that I had to take a trip home. (But, also to visit my sister, I promise!) It is a short drive from Albuquerque. Sadly, since it was summer, much of the mountainside was dry, but there were enough trees to make the area still pretty. (I can imagine the spring and fall must be amazing.) Admission is shockingly cheap. I could have spent hours in there, but I knew my sister was a little uncomfortable. It was on the hot side, that day. The museum has small corridors, elevation changes, hidden nooks, side trails, and something in every direction you happen to look. I knew to bring quarters with me. There are several mechanical machines to try, along the way. I tried them all. The only one that didn't quite work was the fortune teller. (Her analog at Disneyland is also often shuttered, as well.) There are built in interactive buttons, in several of the displays. I loved the detail and sense of humor that went into creating these displays. I took so many pictures! There are some outdoor areas to explore, but I knew my sister was eager to leave. I perused the book store and made several purchases. I'm thinking about my next trip, already! read more

This place is amazing! It's hard to believe that one man carved and set up this whole place. I love how all of his life's work is forever on display, even after his passing. Go into the gift shop to pay for entry and be sure to remember to get a handful of quarters for inside. You can check out the gift shop in further detail after your self-guided tour, and you can also grab a cold drink or some candy there too. Bonus points for having La Croix!! Once you get inside, there's so much there you definitely can't see it all in one go. So many dioramas set up in stunning detail and complexity and a lot of neat machines (fortune tellers, personality test, measure your strength, etc.) that you need a quarter (or nickel!) to use. Don't miss out on the music one (has an accordion). It's creepy but cool! It's cheap, it's fast, and it's interesting. Check this place out if you ever have a chance! read more

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This place is GREAT! It's a big difficult to explain, but so much fun that 8 of us ended up spending about 2 hours wandering around and looking at all the signs and displays and taking lots of pictures. There's a lot of things on the old west, an Emmet Kelly display, some dioramas and lots and lots to make one smile and go "wow" and "really, how cool!" All 8 of us on vacation would highly recommend this place: it cost us seniors $3.25 each, a hell of a bargain for what we got!!!!! read more

This was a fantastic representation of a man's life's work. He was very creative and took things that may be considered junk and turned them into a fun exhibit. His carvings are endless along with all the small details of each display. I was sad to learn he was gone, but thankful his family chose to continue to share his vision. Thanks for a great tour. read more

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I've always driven by this place but never stopped by until now! The museum is so rustic and wholesome and I loved every minute of my experience there. The ladies working the gift shop were incredibly friendly and set the experience off on a great note. There are so many minuscule details in the dioramas that it is likely that you will not be able to see everything in one passing! I loved the machines that are spread throughout the museum, but be sure to bring quarters and nickels so you can use them! I also loved the walls which are made out of bottles, which is incredibly aesthetic. It is clear that a great amount of love went into building this place, and deserves to be appreciated for the work of art that it is! read more

Tinkertown Museum - Museums Near Me - Sandia Park, New Mexico

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This is the best roadside curio museum thatI have ever seen! Worth the drive from Santa Fe or Albuquerque. read more

Tinkertown Museum - Exterior of Tinkertown. So much more inside! - Museums Near Me - Sandia Park, New Mexico

Tinkertown was one of the highlights of our New Mexico trip. It is a cross between "Playland Not at the Beach" in El Cerrito CA and the "Watts Towers" in Los Angeles. It is filled with whimsical dioramas of the Old West, a Circus, Street scenes that include shops of all sorts (ie toy stores, hat stores, etc), food vendors, funny but bizarre things like Mary Poppins making a lading (see my pix), and much much more. All of the exhibits are partially housed in structures made of concrete and bottles. Fun, funky and a true labor of love by the late Ross Ward. It took him over 40 years. To quote from one of his many quotes, "This is what we did while you were watching tv." read more

Whenever I get to a hotel on vacation, I love to look for brochures for the area of things I want to see. As soon as I found the brochure for Tinkertown my next question was how far away it is and can we go. Lucky for me the answer was "not far and yes we can go". It was a 25 minute ride from Albuquerque and well worth the trip. 40 years in the making and I loved the sign that read "while you were watching TV I was fiddling". Old time machines like Esmeralda that read our fortunes, Uncle Sam where I found out I was a socialite and hubby a tax cheat (pretty funny considering he is a tax guy), lots of oddities and small built towns with moving parts. Lots to look at and really a fun place to visit. Bring quarters with you, gift shop was great for finding a shirt for hubby at only $12.95 and a golf shirt at that. Staff friendly and young and old alike love this place. read more

The Tinkertown Museum is a monument to collecting, craftsmanship and imagination! Museums such as this one are born of an intense love of something, be it history, activity or the fear that if these treasures are not saved by you, then by who? I'm a fan of the eclectic, the weird, the freakish. This is just my kind of museum. I felt a connection to the world that these items inhabited and it was a world unlike my own. Not overcrowded, there was a reverent hush in the air despite the jovial calliopiesque tunes tumbling from these irreverent creations. Curiosity aroused, I left with more questions than answers. Highly Recommended! read more

Tinkertown Museum - Tinker Town Photo Op - Museums Near Me - Sandia Park, New Mexico

What a wonderful kitchy place. This is a assemblage of the work and collections of Ross Ward. Somewhat rustic and extremely detailed sets of circus scenes, western scenes and collections of everything from license plates to dolls. All organized (?) In a ramshackle array of buildings that allow you to wander in, out and around the whole site. Do not look at a display and move on. First give the display and second then a third look, even then you will probably only take in 70 percent of the imagery. Then look above your head and behind you. There will be more to see. Take your time and soak up everything you can. Botticelli it ain't but it gives rustic art a strong voice. read more

When I was planning my month-long slow drive across the United States, I found Tinkertown in the book "Roadside America." Incidentally, the Roadside America site, roadsideamerica.com, is actually better than the book, since it provides interactive maps and more up-to-date information on the silly, ridiculous roadside attractions of the U.S. Along with the World's Largest Ball of Twine (in Kansas,) Tinkertown was the highlight of my entire month-long slow drive. Artist Ross Ward spent 40 years building mechanized dioramas and models. Eventually, his collection got to be large enough to open a museum outside of Albuquerque. Walking through Tinkertown, you stop to push buttons to activate the animation in the dioramas. Some of them are coin operated. My personal favorite was called "Boot Hill," where God and Satan fight over the soul of a dead gunslinger. Tinkertown is a truly eccentric, one-of-a-kind attraction. If you happen to find yourself driving across the desert in New Mexico, don't miss it. read more

Tinkertown Museum - Museums Near Me - Sandia Park, New Mexico

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