Mercer Museum

Description:

• Mercer Museum displays thousands of early American tools, vehicles, cooking pieces, looms, and even weather vanes. Mercer had the collecting bug in a big way, and you can't help being impressed with the breadth of his collection and the castle that houses it. It rivals the Shelburne, Vermont, complex for Americana -- and that's 35 buildings on 100 acres! The open atrium rises five stories, suspending a Conestoga wagon, chairs, and sleighs as if they were Christmas-tree ornaments. A log cabin is open periodically for costumed Colonial life demonstrations. Kid-friendly fun includes a scavenger hunt and embossing station based on animal images in the collection. Animals on the Loose, a hands-on, participatory adventure, encourages children ages 3 to 8 to search for curious creatures, like a rabbit chocolate mold and owl-shaped andiron. A major expansion, adding 10,000 square feet for changing exhibitions (plus additional parking), will be completed by 2010.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010