For those seeking an immersive and interesting way to learn the history of the Midwest that goes beyond reading a history book or viewing artifacts, living history and open-air museums help preserve cultural heritage by offering memorable and interactive educational experiences. Living history museums involve re-creating historical events, characters, and settings with costumed actors portraying historical figures or performing tasks that showcase what daily life was like during a specific time period, and they offer groups the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities. Open-air museums feature a collection of historic buildings, structures, and landscapes, often re-creating elements of living history as well.
Old World Wisconsin is a 600-acre living history attraction located in the heart of the state’s Kettle Moraine State Forest. The museum offers groups an immersive historical experience with hands-on activities depicting the daily lives of settlers in 19th-century Wisconsin. Visitors can explore the extensive heirloom gardens, ride vintage high-wheel tricycles, watch cooking demonstrations in historic homes, participate in a spelling bee at the one-room schoolhouse, and tour five authentic immigrant farmsteads with animal encounters. Its recently enhanced brewing experience includes an authentic post-Prohibition tavern and biergarten, and guests can journey from the 19th-century brewhouse to a 20th-century tavern and explore Wisconsin’s brewing culture across the centuries.
Old World Wisconsin offers two dining options—with a third, the Clausing Barn Cafe, scheduled to reopen in the fall. Crossroads Creamery offers soft-serve ice cream, snacks, and nonalcoholic beverages, and Caldwell Community Hall boasts menu highlights such as Wisconsin-made beer brats in pretzel buns, shredded barbecue chicken sandwiches, and more. Expanded tram transportation has made Old World Wisconsin more accessible, and groups receive 20% off general admission prices.
Living History Farms in Urbandale, Iowa, is a 500-acre, open-air museum that showcases the past 300 years of Iowa’s agricultural history. Popular exhibitions include the farm sites, livestock, blacksmith shop, and historic Flynn Mansion, built in 1870. “Historic Dinners” are offered by reservation from November through April, but on-site dining is unavailable during general admission season in May through October. Guests are welcome to bring picnic lunches, and the Machine Shed restaurant located next door is popular with guests. Groups of 12 or more receive a $1 discount on admission, as do seniors, military, and AAA members.
Credit: Colonial Michilimackinac
“Living History Farms is a museum where Midwestern rural traditions come to life,” says Elizabeth Sedrel, director of marketing and communications. “Historic interpreters demonstrate how people worked and lived on this land in the years 1700 (the Indigenous Ioway), 1850 (pioneers), and 1900 (a horse-powered farm). Businesses and homes in the 1876 town of Walnut Hill show the strong ties among farms, emerging towns, and cities in the 19th century.”
Those interested in Appalachian arts, culture, and crafts will enjoy Robbins Crossing Historical Village in Nelsonville, Ohio, which offers programming and events throughout the year. Located in the Hocking Hills, this living history museum features a re-created village that reenacts life in southeastern Ohio from 1830 to 1880 and is home to free-roaming cats, pigs, ducks, chickens, and turkeys. Visitors can participate in activities such as blacksmithing workshops, log cabin building techniques, and basket weaving classes, in addition to exploring the various structures, including a schoolhouse, blacksmith shop, gardens, and more. At the General Shop, refreshments are available for purchase along with handmade crafts from local artisans.
Visitors to Colonial Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City, Michigan, are transported back in time to 1775 when the American Revolution first began. This living history museum is a reconstructed 18th-century fortress and fur trading village that was re-created through historic maps and archaeological excavations. Favorite attractions include the cannon, mortar, and musket-firing demonstrations; “Slavery at the Straits” program; active archaeology program in the summer; and learning what a meal at the British outpost looked like in the 1770s. There is ample picnic space on the grounds, as well as in the large park next to the site where groups can bring their own lunches. Groups receive $1 off adult admission and 50 cents off children’s admission.
“Here you will encounter voyageurs, British soldiers, and French-Canadian merchants, and you’ll learn how the growing conflict of the American Revolution affected their lives at this distant British outpost,” explains Dominick Miller, chief of marketing for Mackinac State Historic Parks. “Groups will enjoy the 13 reconstructed buildings and more than 20 exhibits inside; live demonstrations of cannons, mortars, and muskets; food programs, walking tours; 5,500 square feet of gardens; active archaeology taking place each summer; and breathtaking views of the Straits of Mackinac and Mackinac Bridge.”
By Kamala Kirk
Main Image: Old World Wisconsin, Eagle, Wisconsin; Credit: Old World Wisconsin/Jen Droese
