Allen County Historical Society and Museum — Attraction in Lima

I was genuinely impressed. My girlfriend and I went in on a whim because we were in town for a wedding and it was amazing. Before we even got in we saw the old house on the property and the well-done children's garden. We walked in and realized the museum is free ($5 suggested donation). There is an area specifically designed for kids, but the rest of the museum is interesting enough the kids would enjoy it all. It really is a museum for all ages. There is an full sized train engine, military transport, carriage, and an iron lung you can stick your hands in. They have a full rock and mineral collection as well as a replica of a general store that you can walk through. They have old knives and swords and pistols and a model of George Washington's estate - Mt. Vernon. There is a cutting from what was once the largest apple tree in the US and some history on Johnny Appleseed who spend some time in the area. They also have models of some of the historical Lima houses. In general we had a great time walking around. It is not too big, but its way bigger than we thought...

A wonderful museum, lots of artifacts. This museum is worth another look. It has enough items to spend days on end walking around and still not seeing every thing. And don’t worry that the kids will be bored, there’s an enchanting children’s Garden outdoors. As well as a large area for children’s activities, including a recreation of a civil war era school and store. The kids can even grind real coffee beans. There’s antique toys their actually allowed to play with. Make sure you don’t miss the train displays and the amazing collection of things people have swallowed and had to have removed. It’s quite amazing. Have fun but make sure you check ahead for the hours of operation they are sadly a bit limited. Also visit the McDonald house next door, it’s also quite interesting. Enjoy these...

The Allen County Museum in Lima, Ohio is one of the Top 25 Museums in the United States and the only one in Ohio, one of the other top 25 museums is Henry Fords Museum.

The Museum has so much to offer, from a Shay Locomotive in the building to a Childrens Discovery Center.

A good tour through the museum will take over a hour, don't miss the John Dillenger display, a fine Gun collection and one of the best rock collections, students from Ohio State are required to identify different rocks in the collection as part of their studies.

Hours of operation are Tuesday through Friday 1-5 pm, Saturday and Sunday 1-4 pm. Closed on Monday and some holidays.

Oh, and be sure to visit the McDonnel and log hose next to the museum. There is a $3 charge to view the...