wisconsin historical museum

PamHJ

The museum has a nice collection of artifacts that span pre-history to the more recent past in Wisconsin. The First Nations displays were especially interesting to me, with some beautiful examples of bead work. There was also an interesting display of what happened during the cycle of a year (planting, harvest, etc.). The museum is better for adults, than children, however, so I would recommend against taking small children. My only complaint is that many of the descriptive tags had unusually small print, with poor contrast between the text and the background, making it a chore to read many of the descriptions.

kmalmberg1

The museum has a wonderful selection of changing programs. In January I went to the Winter Wonderland which showed pictures, clothing and artifacts of a Wisconsin Winter. It was well done and informative.

U3890RPjosephc

The Wisconsin Historical Museum is a museum located on the Capitol Square in Madison, Wisconsin. The museum, which features information about the history of Wisconsin, is operated by the Wisconsin Historical SocietyVery interesting exhibits, old Wisconsin is great.

jba

Enjoyed the museum. It was more interesting for adults than our 11year old son. Enjoyed the Indian artifacts and mock huts and houses. Didn't make it to the top floor. They take donations which is nice and instead of a set fee. Good for 1-2 hours max.

Marla48786

The museum was awesome! So close and handy to the capital, went there after seeing the beautiful capital building. Well worth the reasonable donation with 4 floors of well designed, fun, family friendly exhibits. Such a great way to give us all another good taste of the past and help to learn our history! Very fun and worth the time!

Ellenm725

This is the kind of museum you probably might want to see more than once. There are 4 floors with well-designed exhibits on just about every aspect of Wisconsin history...cultural, industrial, geographic...there are short films in areas where visitors can enjoy added presentations and when we came with 2 young children, the staff pointed out a do-it-yourself craft table, although the children found plenty of interesting exhibits and at the end, there was a desk where they could write down their favorite one or list an idea which they thought should be added. Having an entire floor devoted to Wisconsin made products, including a Harley, an automobile and a huge display case of items is great. Nearby parking, easy to find.

RuthCooper

We really enjoyed this museum, more than we had expected. The size is not overwhelming and it is easy to take in all levels of the museum exhibits in a couple of hours. We spent about 2 hours seeing all levels. Museum admission is by donation. Great gift shop too. Very close to the capitol building so find parking a take in both on the same day! Check for opening times. Sunday & Monday the museum is closed.

PeteZebra

If you have an hour to spare this museum is worth a visit. There are a few floors chock full of exhibits about both the people and the industries of the state. Lots of interesting things to check out, don't miss the car exhibit.

stephers26

Considering it was in the State Capitol, we assumed it would be bigger and better. But it still was nice to get out of the heat (and then rain while we were inside.) Luckily my hubby loves history and tends to read everything at each exhibit so we did spend nearly two hours here. I myself enjoyed the Aztalan exhibit as we camp near the real site and never knew much about it. I also liked the Wisconsin products section. My daughter and I loved learning about the nationalities that made up Wisconsin. But it did feel very disjointed at times. Milwaukee museum is better and even the Kenosha one is better. The staff was not helpful at all- the kid at the desk barely looked up as we walked in- I had to address him to ask about getting in. But still not a bad way to get in some air conditioning. They also had a great gift shop.

Slapstick_Dolly

I was really looking forward to this visit and for some reason it just fell flat. I was not that impressed with the exhibits and towards the end I was hurrying to be done with it. I cannot pin point exactly what was missing but I was bored and I usually love historical museums.There is no "fee", but they do suggest a donation of $4.00.

LeahsAuntie

I had brought a friend from Holland to this museum to learn a little more of Wisconsin's history. I fell way short of my expectations. It wasn't worth my donation that I put in either. There wasn't much history on how Wisconsin became a state. It mainly was about the Native Americans and how they lived. Then it jumped into late 1800's early 1900's. After that, it was sporadic. There could be SOOO much more put into this museum. So much was missing. I had more questions after the museum than before. I sadly will not be revisiting this museum.

EaglesFan27

I really enjoyed this museum. It is free, but they recommend donations which I gladly gave. The museum has a whole level devoted to native Americans and a whole level devoted to the past 200 years which I really enjoyed. I learned things such as industry and politics that I have never heard about before. It was very informative and I highly recommend this museum.

areview28

I have mixed feelings about the Wisconsin Historical Museum. The three floors of the museum cover the ancient Indian inhabits and the history of Wisconsin. There are lots of interesting historical artifacts; it just doesn't tell a coherent story. Try the museum if you want to know more about the history of Wisconsin, but don't expect a well-curated set of displays. Admission is by donation.

WisconsinSal

The Wisconsin Historical Museum is worthwhile for any age. There are three floors of exhibits, including rotating exhibits on the first floor. Even if you have been there before, you will always see something that you missed.I think that they have done a wonderful job of creating exhibits that help you understand more about the unique history of Wisconsin. From the fur trading to the rich political activities; from the contributions of various ethnic immigrants to the many items invented here, it's all very interesting.You are asked to make a small contribution upon entering and you can take your time doing your self-tour. Afterward, you can stroll over to the Capitol or maybe down State Street to find a nice place to eat lunch.I really love this place!

jaywalker17

An average museum, at best. Collections focus on Native Americans, Wisconsin History and Wisconsin Industry. Nice, but not as good as Milwaukee Public Museum. Considering it was in the State Capitol, we assumed it would be bigger and better.Parking was terrible. All the public parking uses quarters, and at $1.50 per hour, you have to plug in a lot of quartersNot a place we would visit again.