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| Amos W. Woodward Millhouse |
The first thing you will notice as you drive towards the museum is the beautiful pond surrounded with weeping willows and wildflowers. It's a great start and setting to one of my favorite places to visit and spend the day.
The Midway village museum began in 1972 by the donation of land by the Severin Family and the union of other organizations in order to preserve the history of Rockford. In 1986, The Exhibition building was built to link two existing buildings together to make room for more displays. Later in 1988, the museum added The Aviation Gallery, The Carlson Education Gallery and The Doll museum that sits across the parking lot.
The museum will show you how Rockford has evolved throughout the years and how it has contributed to history. They have displays that include, The Greater Rockford airplane, Rockford Peaches, Queen city of the prairies & Sock Monkey. A new exhibit is about immigration to Rockford and how that changed the city. This display is still in the works, but in one area they have a vintage phone booth that allows you to hear the interesting stories from the immigrants.
The museum will show you how Rockford has evolved throughout the years and how it has contributed to history. They have displays that include, The Greater Rockford airplane, Rockford Peaches, Queen city of the prairies & Sock Monkey. A new exhibit is about immigration to Rockford and how that changed the city. This display is still in the works, but in one area they have a vintage phone booth that allows you to hear the interesting stories from the immigrants.
The outdoor Midway village has 26 buildings that include a Barber shop, Schoolhouse, Rockford Hospital, Firehouse, Bank and many other interesting buildings. Many of the buildings are open to public for viewing with a guided tour and are all decorated as accurately as possible.
The village is my favorite part of the museum to visit with my kids. I
love that they can walk around the buildings to appreciate the architecture, see the beautifully decorated homes, and in some buildings given the opportunity to have a hands on learning Rockford history. There are so many details in each of the buildings that I am still surprised each time I go on a tour.
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| Rockford Hospital |
The museum hosts many interesting & as accurate as possible events that are interactive for the visitors. They have a Titanic Dinner, Victorian Tea, All Hallows Eve, the very popular WWII days and more. They have summer day camps for children, volunteering for gardening, sewing, hosting, preparing for large events, etc.. Some buildings can be rented for special occasions and would make a great setting for photos. Photos are another reason why I love this place, so many pretty things to photograph. I enjoy taking photos of anything that catches my eye. I took all of the photos in this post.
As would any place you will visit, it has its good and its bad.
Bad- Tours are a hit & miss. It depends on the knowledge of the guide. I've had one that was too short with a shy guide and we saw only 4 buildings, one guide told us all about her family and nothing else. I wish they would split it up the town in two halves. You can tour the first part and then the second or just decide for yourself which part of the town you would like to tour. My other problem is that they didn't make room to accommodate the growing attendance to one of their popular events. I was told to put my name on a list & wait....Finally, Mosquitoes! The pond = bugs. Bring spray
Good- Learning the history of Rockford in the tours or at the special events is made to be fun for families. The beautiful scenery is everywhere you look. The people that work at the museum are very friendly & helpful. The price is reasonable and it nice to bring a basket for the picnic area. They have a small gift shop with books, postcards, treats and reproductions of vintage toys for kids. A must for anyone who loves the vintage world.
General Admission
Adults: $7Children 3 to 17: $5
Museum Members are always free.
Museum Center, Mill House, Old Dolls’ House and Museum Store
January – April
September – December
Tuesday – Friday 10 am – 4 pm
Saturday 10:30 am – 4 pm
Closed Sunday and Monday
May – August
Tuesday – Friday 10 am – 4 pm
Saturday and Sunday 10:30 am – 4 pm
Closed Monday
Village Hours
Thursday – Sunday
11 am – 4 pm (May)
Tuesday – Sunday
11 am – 4 pm (June thru August)
Closed Monday
Village open by appointment only September through April.
The last tour of the day begins at 3 pm.