Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum — Attraction in City of North Tonawanda

Worst experience i ever had when taking my grandchildren to an event was the lunch with santa at this museum.The staff was horribly rude and ignorant to myself as well as my four grandchildren. I was shorted a lunch ticket which i had paid for previously. When bringing it to the attention of a staff member, rather than simply apologize and bring me the ticket she said" well...did you pay for it?" in a snotty manner. As if i was trying to scam a lousy piece of pizza, a fruit cup and juice box.Please! !! Then when it was time to decorate cupcakes a staff member handed my three year old granddaughter a plastic butter knive with frosting on it. My granddaughter quickly licked the knive to taste the frosting.Typical three year old move if you ask me. The staff member looked at my grandchild with complete disgust, and said.." ugh...now you licked it it's no good now!" She then proceeded to complain and carry on to other co-workers about it.What was the big deal?? Just get another plastic knive for the next child, were my thoughts. It gets much worse.Shortly after the children. Were playing. At various playareas within the room. I had went to gather some of my grandchildren and left my 10 year old grandson at the table. When i returned he looked upset.He told me that the two staff members told him get everything. Off the table now or it's being thrown away...including the cell phones.Naturally my grandson grabbed the cell phones. Before he was able to gather anything else the staff pulled the table cloth off along with everything on it and threw it away. That included the fruit cup i had paid for. My younger grandchildren wete full from the pizza and asked if they could take those fruit cups homevfor snack. Well needless to say that idea went in the trash! At that point i returned to the table with the other kids and asked the three year oldvto sitcon a chair whilevi got a diaper out to go change her sister. Whenvshe grabbed the chair to climb up a staff member snatched the chairvfrom her and tgen proceeded to flip the table on its side to break it down...when doing so the leg ofvthe table hit my grandchild.He didn't even acknowledge doing so until i said something to him. Once i told him that he had hit my grandchild and that we simply needed a moment to get a diaper and we would have been out of his way, he was very cocky in his response. He answered " yep. .. I saw it hit her...sorry." if i had not said anything he would not have even said that. I was very upsets at that point. So i went to the directorof the event and explained what happened. Her response. Was" he apologized right? And shrugged her shoulders and walked away. I felt as if we were bullied out of the room. It is hard to believe these people work wuth the public...let alone children.NEVER will I or anyone. I know ever step foot in thete again.I certainly would not recommend it to...

On Thursday, July 24, 2025, my wife and I visited the Niagara Falls region. Knowing we’d be in the area, I planned a surprise for her, something to transport her back to childhood, to a time of innocence and simple delight. She had no idea where we were headed (I even had her cover her eyes as I entered the GPS coordinates), and the suspense only grew as we pulled out of the Goat Island parking lot. As we neared our destination, I finally turned onto the museum’s street and announced, “Surprise #1.” Her eyes lit up at the sight of the brightly painted building bearing the words: “Allan Herschell Company Co. Inc. Carrousels. Merry-Go-Rounds.” We parked and stepped inside what can best be described as part museum, part workshop, part preservation facility, and all magic. There we met Ms. Dru Lis: docent, historian, carrousel operator, and gracious host rolled into one. After paying a very reasonable admission fee and picking up our map, we set off to explore the museum’s many nooks and crannies at our own pace. As we absorbed Allan Herschell’s legacy and the carrousel industry’s deep roots in North Tonawanda, the sound of cheerful calliope music beckoned. Following its melody, I discovered Dru masterfully operating the 1916 carrousel, running the Wurlitzer, collecting tokens, and keeping it all moving with safety, grace and ease. I was tempted to hop on immediately, but this day was planned for my wife, and she was still happily immersed in the exhibits. While searching for her, I passed a treasure trove of player piano scrolls, carrousel orchestra rolls, and other historical gems, all carefully archived. Once reunited, we made our way to the aptly named Round Room, where Dru awaited us once again. We handed over our tokens, climbed aboard the beautifully restored carrousel, and let the music carry us back in time. Around and around we went, my wife on the lead horse and I sitting in the chariot, smiling, laughing, and completely swept up in the joy of it all. This museum is a rare gem. Whether you drive, bike, walk, or crawl, go. If you allow it, this place will return to you a fleeting, magical moment of your youth. And before you leave, do yourself a favor, ask Dru about Red Eye Gravy and how it ties into the legacy of the Herschell Carrousel. You...

We visited the Herschell Carousel Museum on Thursday with our Daylighters Ladies Group. Drew led us on an informative and animated tour of the factory. You could tell she was passionate about sharing her knowledge of the factory with us! We started our tour in the carving room, where beautifully carved carousel animals were created. Currently, there are some local artists who use the shop to create their own animals. You can see the work in progress. The Band Organ display was a special delight! Drew let us listen to its lively tune and watch the moving parts Wurlitzer still has a large inventory of music for player pianos and band organs.There is even a machine that punches out the holes for the rolls of music. Next, was the paint shop where the animals received their elaborate and brilliant exteriors. Drew demonstrated the pedal driven player piano. It looked like fun but it sure looked like a workout! In Kiddieland, we saw the smaller more portable carousel that was perfect for children. But now it was our turn to ride the Herschell Carousel! A ticket to ride the carousel is included in the price of the tour. We all picked our horses and away we went! It was lovely, going up and down and around. We are all kids at heart even though many of us are in our senior years! After, thanking Drew for being such a wonderful tour guide, we headed to the gift shop where many of us bought pins, tshirts, and other memorablia of our visit. We highly recommend getting a group of 10 or more and arranging for a tour of the Herschell Carousel Museum! Kudos to the staff and director of the museum for having the vision to preserve such a...