John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Ca d'Zan, and Circus Museums [FL]

Description

Located on a 66-acre estate on Sarasota Bay, the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art was established in 1927 as the legacy of John Ringling (1866–1936) and his wife, Mable (1875–1929). Recognized as the official State Art Museum of Florida, the Museum of Art offers 21 galleries of European paintings as well as Cypriot antiquities, Asian art, American paintings, and contemporary art. The Ulla R. and Arthur F. Searing Wing hosts a variety of traveling exhibitions throughout the year. The estate features the spectacular Cà d'Zan ("House of John"), a waterfront mansion that was restored in 2002. The Circus Museums, including the Tibbals Learning Center, display the world's largest miniature circus, costumes, wagons, performance equipment, and other artifacts chronicling the history of the Circus. The estate also features Mable Ringling's Rose Garden, completed in 1913, and beautifully landscaped grounds overlooking Sarasota Bay.

The museums offer exhibits and tours; the Ca d'Zan offers tours; the museum complex as a whole offers performances, lectures, film screenings, educational programs, research library access, educational and recreational events.

Lompoc Valley Historical Society and Fabing-McKay Spanne House

Description

The Society was founded September 5, 1964, as an outgrowth of the Lompoc Pioneer Society. The mission of the society is to provide a repository for historical artifacts and documents pertinent to the history of the Lompoc Valley. The Society also owns and maintains the 1875 Fabing-McKay Spanne House.

The house offers tours; the society offers research library access.

Theatre Historical Society of America and American Movie Palace Museum

Description

THSA is the only organization in the U.S. which exclusively records and preserves the rich architectural, cultural and social history of America's theatres. Through its collections and publications, THSA makes available information on more than 15,000 theatres, primarily in the United States, and encourages further research in these areas. The Society also operates the American Theatre Architecture Archives and the American Movie Palace Museum. The Archives contain an extensive collection of photographs, slides, negatives, books, blueprints, clippings, videos, printed programs, and other material on historic theatres, primarily in the U.S. The Museum features exhibits of photographs, artworks, antiques, artifacts, and other memorabilia relating primarily to the "golden age of the movie palace."

The society offers annual tours; the archives offer research access; and the museum offers exhibits and tours.

Amish Country Homestead

Description

The Homestead is the home of the fictional Old Order Amish family of Daniel and Lizzie Fisher. Inside the Homestead, visitors learn of Amish traditions and practices, including Sunday church services held in the home. They tour the nine rooms on the first and second floors and learn up close how the Fisher family lives from day to day.

The homestead offers the "experiential theater" film Jacob's Choice and tours.

Edison Birthplace Museum [OH]

Description

Thomas Alva Edison, inventor of the phonograph, the incandescent light bulb, and many other devices that make modern life fuller and simpler, was born in Milan, OH, in 1847. The Edison Birthplace Museum features a collection of rare Edisonia, including examples of many of Edison's early inventions, documents, and family mementos.

The museum offers exhibits and tours.

Lawrence Heritage State Park

Description

A restored boarding house with two floors of interactive exhibits tells the tale of Lawrence, one of the nation's first planned industrial cities. Along with stories of Lawrence's mill workers and industry, the workers' role in the 1912 Bread and Roses Strike is relived with images and sounds. Visitors can walk along the esplanade of a 19th-century canal and through a park created within the walls of an industrial-era building.

The park offers exhibits, tours, a short film, and educational and recreational programs.

Cracker Country [FL]

Description

Cracker Country, a rural Florida outdoor living history museum was established so that future generations might better understand and appreciate Florida's rural heritage. From the rustic cypress log corn crib to the grand old two-story Carlton house, Cracker Country features 13 original buildings dating from 1870—1912. These buildings were moved to their present location from throughout the state, then restored and furnished with antiques of the period.

The site offers exhibits, tours, and demonstrations.