Museums aren’t simply repositories of fine art and antiquities. They’re custodians of culture, and our state culture is quirky. View a massive collection of accordions, expand your knowledge of circus clowns, and learn about a very famous escape artist’s connection to Wisconsin to build niche trivia for your next dinner party.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
1. National Mustard Museum
7477 HUBBARD AVE., MIDDLETON | DAILY 10 A.M.-5 P.M.
It’s not often a condiment gets its own museum. Located in a west Madison burb, the museum has over 6,000 mustard bottles and related items on display and over 100 mustards available to sample in the tasting bar/gift shop.
2. History Museum at the Castle
330 E. COLLEGE AVE., APPLETON | WEDNESDAY-MONDAY 10 A.M.-4 P.M.
This venue in a former Masonic temple has displays related to Fox Valley history and an exhibit titled “AKA Houdini,” focused on the life of famous magician Ehrich Weiss, better known by his stage name, Harry Houdini, who spent four years of his childhood living in Appleton. The interactive displays allows you to try out some of Houdini’s famous illusions, including your own jail escape.
3. A World of Accordions Museum
1401 BELKNAP ST., SUPERIOR | SUNDAY + MONDAY 10 A.M.-6 P.M.; SATURDAY 3 P.M.-6 P.M.
Wisconsin’s official state dance is the polka, and perhaps no instrument is more foundational than the accordion. Here you’ll see a collection of over 2,500 squeeze boxes of different styles and shapes from around the world, plus an archival library, gift shop, repair and technician classes, and accordion-centric concerts.
4. International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center
102 4TH AVE., BARABOO | BY APPOINTMENT IN WINTER
This center claims to be “the funniest museum on earth,” though you might not agree if you have coulrophobia (the fear of clowns). Baraboo has a rich circus history (the Circus World Museum is less than a mile away), so it makes sense that a center celebrating the art of clowning would be found here. Photos, oversized shoes and rubber noses are on display as well as its hall of fame of noteworthy clowns.
5. Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass
165 N. PARK AVE., NENNAH | TUESDAY-SATURDAY 10 A.M.-4:30 P.M.; SUNDAY 1-4:30 P.M.
Though it features a variety of glasswork, the centerpiece of this museum is the largest collection of glass paperweights in the world, with over 5,000 antique and contemporary pieces spread across several galleries. Current exhibits include a display of recent acquisitions, a selection of staff picks, and a gallery of work by Wisconsin glass artist Wes Hunting. The museum also offers classes and camps exploring the art of glass.
6. Digital Compounds
UW-MADISON
You don’t need to leave the couch for this one. Created by UW-Madison, the Virtual Museum of Minerals and Molecules is a web-based compendium of “3D visualizations of molecules and minerals designed for instructional use.” But if you’re just a casual fan of molecules – anything from plastocyanin to atrazine – you’ll appreciate these high-tech versions of those chemistry class ball-and-stick models, too.
