barron county historical society pioneer village museum

Visited last summer - day after the big car show. Even though not all the buildings had guides in them, it was impressive. Truly enjoyed the guides that were there. I have worked at the Heritage Center in New Richmond, WI and we have a similar set up on a much smaller scale. This was a joy to see. Driven by many times. Now we are spreading the word.The restaurant was not open the day we went. But we did stop for an ice cream.

My husband and I have been going to this museum every year for the last five years. It is well worth the admission price you pay at the gate. We live in Coon Rapids, MN and enjoy visiting the museum every time we come. There is always some thing new to see and the volunteers are very nice. The museum buildings are very clean and well kept up. We love the classic auto show that they have every August. My father was raised in Turtle Lake and I enjoy studying the history of the area. We plan on buying a season pass every year.

It's a very nostalgic place to go and I'm sure educational for the younger set. It's a pleasant setting. Well done.

When we lived in the area my family would go every year. I did the same with my own young children. A great (visual) way to introduce children to how things were "in the olden days."

This is a very well-kept museum . You can tell that the historical society & their volunteers are very proud of it. Very Informative.

We visited the Barron County Historical Museum on a warm Sunday in late June.This museum is one of those fantastic under-the-radar sites one has the pleasure to occasionally stumble upon. We arrived ten minutes earlier than the alleged opening time, but they were ready and waiting for us anyway- how many places can you say that about? Staff friendliness was universal throughout our visit.The museum features buildings and artifacts that invite one to imagine what life was like for our not-too-distant ancestors. The focus is a collection of older buildings (all moved from elsewhere) with period items, but what really makes this site a treasure is the staff, almost all of whom are volunteers- some with firsthand knowledge of the items displayed. For instance, the gentleman at the printer's shop had actually used some of the equipment.True to the period- none of the historic buildings are air-conditioned, so I can imagine it being quite the authentic summer-of-old experience on a hot day. There is at least one air conditioned building, housing primarily clothing exhibits, where one could take a break from the heat. Fortunately for us, it was a warm rather than hot day, so the lack of ubiquitous A/C was not an issue.There appears to be a food-service building that was closed to day of our visit. No matter; there's a little building (I think it masquerades as a tiny saloon) were one could buy pop, candy, chips, and popcorn for quite reasonable rates- like what you'd pay in a convenience store. The unexpected treat here is they have Sioux City beverages, instead of (or maybe in addition to) the standard Coke and Pepsi. The $6 adult admission is such a great deal anyway, it's hard to feel bad about paying a buck-fifty of sarsaparilla and seventy-five cents for popcorn.The only negative thing I can think of is that this place is rather out of the way; just west of Cameron, Wisconsin near US HWY 53. That's really reaching when it comes to finding something to gripe about. There are other museums with collections of old stuff, but few are so extensive and well arranged- however it's the friendly and knowledgeable (I'm not sure which of those should come first) volunteers that really make this site a treasure to visit.