Buckland Museum of Witchcraft & Magick — Attraction in Cleveland

As a recent transplant to the Cleveland area from out-of-state, I did a quick Google search to see where nearby I could go to further my studies of the occult. The Buckland museum was the first suggestion to arise. I was excited to learn that it was less than 20 minutes from our rental, and that admission was a mere 8 dollars if you book a tour online. I seized the opportunity on my next day off to see it for myself. My navigator failed to account for lane closures and detours, so I wound up being almost 10 minutes late for my scheduled tour. Since, however, I was the only one booked for the time slot, it was no cause for upset. I briefly browsed the storefront as I waited for Steve, the manager on duty, to finish up with two customers already present. Once they left, he promptly and politely introduced himself and gave me a brief rundown on the museums history and the background of its founder, Raymond Buckland. The tour itself was very casual. Steve pointed out each exhibit and gave a brief description of its contents, after which he left me to explore on my own, keeping himself available to answer questions as they arose while he was busy with other matters. We chatted casually about our respective interests on the subject, and I was happy to learn that events do take place, such as lectures, guest speakers, and demonstrations at the museum. I look forward to visiting again during such an event and will gladly being others. P.S. - a previous reviewer mentioned being taken aback by a sign reading "5 Star Reviews Fight Fascism." It should be mentioned for the sake of context that the sign displays a 1 star rating with a 2 sentence review by a holy troll who, in all likelihood,...

I've been attending this museum since its humble beginnings adjacent to a record store. I have been here so many times over the years, and there's always something new to see, something fascinating and special that one could never encounter anywhere else in the world.

Where else could one see a Tasseomancy (Tea Leaf Reading) exhibition one month, then another a Radionics display another (Radionics is Psychic technology) then attend a Seance, all while inspecting magical artifacts from one of America's most interesting religious figures - Ray Buckland! He practically founded witchcraft in the US! There are pieces of incredible outsider and visionary art for those looking for their art fix, too.

The shop is fantastic, too! No pop Instagram/TikTok witchcraft nonsense here. Probably the most serious selection of esoteric books for sale in the city of Cleveland available - and I've been to most of the shops here. There are all kinds of interesting artifacts and goodies stashed away to cause your $$ to evaporate into thin air, so be prepared, LoL!

The tour guide and owner is also just such a sincere, nice person. From the first day I walked through the door he made me feel like I was welcome and that he was excited to have me visit. The music being played is always far out and trance inducing!

I have lived all over the country and I've been to many Occult spaces and places. This is one of the best, hands down - it has that vibe you don't see so much anymore, kind of like Magical Childe in NYC did, for instance.

💯 Percent recommended. Don't visit Cleveland without...

I’d been reading write ups about this museum for ages! I was finally in the area and had to visit. I was actually enchanted far more than I expected. While we emerge into a post-COVID world, reservations are required for now. My group had 4 others and we were able to socially distance easily. Masks were required, and I really appreciated the forethought by the owner! The owner, Stephen (I believe) was so friendly and really personalised the experience for myself and other visitors. He acknowledged me by name when I arrived (from my reservation), and we spoke for a bit. Very nice guy who is incredibly knowledgeable about related topics.

At our entrance time we were led inside and given a quick intro talk. This included info about who Raymond Buckland was, his relationship to Gardnerian Wicca, and how the museum came to be. Then we were able to peruse at our convenience.

The museum is one large room with another smaller one, which seems to be a rotating exhibit. Imagine an old brick building from probably 1910 that hasn’t been totally gutted inside and as such retains its original charm- squeaky wood floors, trim work, etc. Then imagine the space packed with magickal items arranged beautifully! Lots of ritual items, beautiful photographs and fantastic retro occult publications.

I stayed for an hour- I can’t imagine how someone would spend only 15 minutes. There was so much to see, and Stephen was always on hand to chat about anything. Cannot recommend enough- support local, occult...