Tour Our Museum

Enjoy a fun and relaxed atmosphere while you tour the Merry-Go-Round Museum and learn about the history and art of the carousel. The “oom pa pa” of the band organ, and the “painted ponies” on display will thrill and enchant you.
Have your smiles ready as you relive your childhood excitement when you climb aboard the working “fully restored” Allan Herschell Carousel with the band organ playing. Watch carvers bring neglected carousel pieces back to their full beauty.

The Merry-Go-Round Museum maintains an active program of restoring antique carousel figures and related items. Items are often brought to the museum for restoration.

An integral segment of the tour is a visit with one of our carvers. These artisans have expertise in creating and restoring carousel animals, as well as other types of folk art. The carvers enjoy sharing their knowledge with guests of the museum. Guests also tell us how much they appreciate learning the nuances of the carvers’ art.

The Museum restoration program participates in preservation. Although there are approximately 200 original wooden carousels in operation in the United States today, many other historic carousels have been destroyed or lost. Many animals are now in private collections. The museum restoration crew will do preservation work for private collectors to help them preserve their art.

All work done in the museum’s restoration shop uses the same historically accurate techniques used originally to create these fabulous works of art. All funds raised through this program are reinvested into the program.