I really didn't expect to enjoy it this much but it was really nice! We went for the music festival which was lovely, just sad to see how few people were there. Our kids (6 & 8) really enjoyed it, also more than expected. There are so many houses and businesses to see. So many interesting artifacts to help understand how vastly different life used to be. Great way to teach gratitude.

The docent at the Conklin House was terrific, just very knowledgeable and friendly. Everyone else was also very friendly and the musicians were very talented. We should've alloted like 3-4 hours to really take it all in, but since we only had half that, we look forward to going back soon!

My only wishes/suggestions are this:

• a period dress shop, even without an actual dressmaker, this would definitely be a money maker, ESPECIALLY if they had little girls' dresses & bonnets, small jewelry selection
• a bakery with pies, breads, scones, muffins and typical sweets of the era plus coffee & tea
• a bigger selection of hats, including kids hats, even if they weren't all made by the hatter
• an all-year holiday shop with vintage-style Halloween, Christmas, Channuka, and Easter decorations, quilts, plates, serving dishes, small home goods
• a curiosity shop with vintage-style goods, both made by local craftspeople and from around the world, with a vintage toy selection
• a men's shop with coats, trousers, shirts, boys' outfits (PEOPLE LOVE COSPLAY)
• while there were some veggies for sale, a real farmstand would be great
• an art gallery to display paintings, photographs, crafts, magazines, illustrated books, newspapers, maps, etc from this period
• a bank to see the money of the period, a display to educate about the disparity between the poor, middle class, and the wealthy, information about what goods cost at the time
• a display discussing the population history of Long Island: slavery, freed people, immigration, women's rights at the time would be really helpful
• is there a jail? a printing press? a bookbinder?
• GLASSBLOWING!
• lastly, MORE MUSIC! Maybe these things are offered and we just didn't get to see them. Maybe the place is usually better attended. I just feel like it's a hidden gem, but it could also be a lot more fun and the increased revenue supplied through more retail could allow them to reduce the admission which wasn't cheap: $54 for 2 adults plus 2 kids. People love to eat, drink, shop, play games, cosplay. A monthly adults-only event where more actors are employed to make it a really immersive experience, doing improvisational comedy while mingling with the patrons for a barn dance or saloon night with live music & drinks would be great! Contra dance lessons, axe-throwing or just a chance to chop wood to let off some steam would be cool. Even regular needlepoint, hand-sewing, knitting, and crochet classes would be awesome! I bet the people working there have even better ideas, but I'm wondering if the ownership by Nassau County limits OBVR's potential. If there's ever an opportunity to work on some of these ideas, please contact me! Many thanks to everyone who works there!