I haven't been here in years! We used to bring the kids here for the playground but the entire…read moremuseum is super cool. Lots of spaces to wander thru, lots of eye catching displays to keep you entertained and elevate use of your brain. The waterway is one of may favorite parts of the museum and glad it's still up and running 20+ years later. We actually went to watch the Mesmerica 360 show in the dome theater. That was rather mundane to me but that's not the fault of the museum. My biggest peeve of the visit was seeing the us flag was still being masted when it is in tatters. I posted in my 'check in' and I will post again here in my review that it's time to retire this flag and replace with a fresh replacement. Whomever is in charge of the grounds here should be embarrassed. Please do better.

Came on a weekday during Christmas break. Packed with kids, so maybe try an off time…read more Medium-sized children's/science museum, loads of activities and displays. Aimed at single-digits ages, and Kid K felt a little old I think. She found stuff to do, but a quieter day with not so many little kids would have been more fun for her. Still, she did some of the science things, and we went to the indoor zoo- very cool, very cute, very clean. They had a few scheduled special activities during the day but we missed them. There were a lot of staff around helping and keeping an eye on things, which is always good. Multiple discounts, so check for those. Prices are reasonable even without them. Parking was packed on a busy day, but we found a spot. It's in a big park so no other crowded places nearby. A great draw for the area.

This is a living museum. Hands on for sure. A gem of a home that has undergone a multimillion…read moredollar makeover to its original state. The building was once chopped up into several units after the original owners. Everything invites you to touch and feel unlike most Wright museums. The furniture is sparse and reproductions. The guide invites us to sit and feel the experience. We learned lots of insider info from our knowledgeable host. Go and see this living gem.

Springfield OH is home to Westcott House, architect Frank Lloyd Wright's first (and only) Prairie…read morestyle home in the state. The Westcott House had fallen into disrepair over the years, and was restored in 2005 by the local non profit Westcott House Foundation. The Foundation now owns the property and preserves it as a museum, which is open to the public for tours. Tour tickets can be purchased online. Our tour guide was fantastic. She had so much knowledge about the house, the architectural style and the Westcott family. The tour was scheduled for 90 minutes, but I think she could have shared info with us all day! The museum gift shop had some beautiful items. Parking is available on the street in front of the museum.

The Troy-Hayner Cultural Center is a wonderful example of a large Victorian home in Troy, OH. It…read morewas built by the Hayner family who made their money in distillation. Today it's a cultural center that give back to the Troy community. Tonight I attended a talk on the Miami and Erie Canal system that went through Miami County over 150 years ago. It was excellent.

While traveling from Dayton to Columbus, we made a stop in Troy, OH. It is a very nice town with…read moresome nice shops. My friends wanted to take me to the Troy Hayner Cultural Center. I'm glad they did. The center used to be the house of Mary Jane Harter Coleman Hayner. When she passed away, she left her home to the Troy Board of Education with instructions that the house be used as a library, museum and for educational and cultural purposes. The house itself is beautiful, and the rooms are preserved in good condition. The Hayner family ran a distillery, and there is a room displaying their whiskey bottles. The house also hosts art exhibits. When I was there, the house was hosting an exhibit of paintings by Nelly Toll, a Holocaust survivor. Hiding from the Nazis in Poland, Ms. Toll painted water colors of what she had hoped her life would be. In addition to the painting, there was a video with narration from Ms. Toll on her story, which was interesting and moving. The house also hosts cultural meetings and classes, and can be rented for parties and weddings. The grounds around the house are beautiful and would be a great place for a small wedding. Oh, it should be mentioned that admission to the Troy Hayner Cultural Center is free, and that you can take photos while you are there.

What a wonderful museum with so much to see! So many interesting facts and displays. If you like…read morebicycles you can't miss this!!!

Well this was an experience! I was impressed. Here you'll find everything you could hope to learn…read moreabout the history and development of the bicycle and its impact on culture. An amazing collection of 'wheels' plus posters, ads, artwork, books- even cycle-themed sheet music. There were several videos available to sit and view if you chose. Others were playing discreetly in various parts of the museum. We paid our very reasonable admission and asked do we just wander around? The lady kindly recommended the area to start in, and gave us a summary of the themes we'd find in the different rooms and floors. There was no mention or offer of a guided tour, but it was fine on our own as there were plenty of explanatory placards around the exhibits. Maybe guided tours have to be pre-arranged? There are so many signs all around telling you not to touch anything, it did add a bit of a damper. Of course you have to be gentle with antiques, but I think it would be challenging to bring children here for that reason. Of course we climbed the 'high wheel' for a photo op, not wanting to miss the only item you're invited to touch, surely a reproduction. We saw some of the real ones too from the old days, how people got on and off them is a mystery to me. There's an added bonus of a little section with memorabilia of one of Ohio's favorite sons, astronaut Neil Armstrong. I think my favorite part was the military bicycle room! Definitely worth a visit and glad we made it a highlight of our day trip.

This restored, historically and materially rich home is a real treat to tour. I strongly recommend…read moreeveryone visits this home turned museum at least once.

This is an absolute gem with so much to see it could really be multiple different museums…read more You enter the main building from the very spacious parking lot. You can get admission to just the site, add on admission to the Wright's home (offered on certain days for an additional charge) and also add on for the train or carousel rides. Overall, admission is very reasonable at $14 for adults and $10 per child. Worth it considering all that you can see and do at the site. There are a lot of historic buildings you can enter. Most have placards outside describing what their history is. Some of them had costumed interpreters in them and some with animatronics. (which my daughter declared as super creepy). In the main building, there are exhibits about the history of Dayton where you can learn things like that at one point, Dayton had the most patents of anywhere in the US and the cash register was invented here. It was cool learning about the area (even though we aren't from here). I imagine it would be even more impactful if you were local. There is also the Wright Brothers building with a ton of information about the Wright Brothers and more Wright artifacts than any other museum or location. Everything is very well maintained and all of the staff are friendly and just waiting to give you information about whatever area they are in. If you go to Dayton, make sure you visit here!

So, this place is awesome. It's like half railroad park, half Wright-brothers park, half historical…read moremuseum, and half outdoor garden-park. THAT'S FOUR HALVES!!!! I went here as part of a group, and they seem to get a lot of school field trips, but they're well organized, and it's a big place, so even with a ton of kids at the place, you don't feel like you're crowded. They have really great people working here, who are more than happy to answer your questions and explain things to you. I had like, fifteen minutes alone with the candle-maker lady and my son, and she entertained all of his questions and was really cool to talk with. They have a lot of Dayton-related history around NCR, and flight, and nuclear energy, and old automobiles. I bet it's a blast to work there. My favorite part though, was the outdoors area. It's just a really well maintained facility with lots of big old trees, and shade, and you can really just kick back and relax and chill out.

We were visited during the Champaign Co Home & Garden tour…read more Educational museum about the legendary Johnny Appleseed, his contributions, and his life work. Would be a great road trip out stop if in the area.

A great place to visit! They have something for everyone! From kids crafts and activities to…read moreknowledgeable guides, events and lectures for adults to educational programs for large groups and even specialty tours, there seems to always be an event going on here. When I was there, they were setting up their "A Johnny Appleseed Christmas" display, which includes gifts from the 1800s and period decorations around the Museum. The kids that were with us even got to help make some of the decorations, which they loved! I have to admit... I had fun making them, too!