McKinley Presidential Library and Museum

   We’ve visited many of the thirteen presidential libraries that are overseen by the federal government in the archives and records department. The McKinley Library is not one of those thirteen and doesn’t meet the same standards. Only one room is dedicated to McKinley. It contains many items owned by  McKinley but is lacking in information about his policies as president. Little information is given about his assassination.

  The museum is actually much more than a presidential library but McKinley was a local boy which must have been the reasoning behind the name. Besides the McKinley room there’s a small science center, a planetarium, a changing exhibits gallery, a nicely done city street, a working model train layout, and a large gallery about Stark County. Also on the grounds is a little park with a large monument on a hill where McKinley, his wife, and two daughters are buried.

  Most of the museum is accessible. A few of the buildings on the city street have rooms on the second floor –steps only. Access to the planetarium or to the elevator to the monument requires a special key which can be obtained at the admissions desk.

  There are a few spaces for buses and RVs at the rear of the museum. Museum
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Toledo Zoo

    
   This is a well done zoo with good exhibits, informative signs, and lots of room for the animals. Some of the buildings are WPA era (1930’s work projects) and are put to good use for the smaller animals-reptiles, bird, and fish. We only had two hours to wander around and didn’t get to see everything.

  Everything is fairly accessible and most of the animals are easily viewed. The ramp at the aquarium entrance is very steep. The main parking lots and the newest part of the zoo are separated from the rest of the zoo by a busy four lane highway.  A staircase or a long set of ramps crosses the highway. The ramps are ADA compliant but they are very long. Resting at the flat areas or help pushing will probably be necessary.There’s an additional lot at the old entrance but the zoo website doesn’t have any information about it.

  The parking lot is huge. RVs that take up more than one space are charged a $10.00 parking fee. Cars are $6.00.  Zoo
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RV-MH Hall of Fame

    Elkhart, Indiana is know as the “RV Capital of the World” so it’s a fitting place for David Woodworth’s collection of early RVs which includes many unique one of a kind models. Elkhart is also a good place to buy RV parts and furniture. Factory tours are available although many manufactures have gone out of business.

   The museum is accessible. Some of the unrestored RVs are opened to walk through if you are able.

   The parking lot is large enough for any size RV. Museum
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Wisconsin Historical Museum

  This is Wisconsin’s state museum. There are three floors of exhibits covering the human history of the state including Native Americans, fur traders,  immigrants, farmers, loggers, politicians, inventors, and union organizers.

  Everything is accessible.

There’s ample on-the-street metered parking within a few blocks but most spaces are limited to one or two hours.  Museum
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International Crane Foundation

    One benefit of reciprocal memberships is that we often visit places such as the Crane Foundation that we wouldn’t have noticed without the membership list. The foundation studies and breeds captive cranes and releases the young ones back into their native countries. All fifteen species are endangered to some extent, mostly due to lack of habitat.  The cranes are on display in roomy outdoor enclosures. There’s also a museum with short movies and trails through the restored wetlands and prairie.

  The gift shop, museum, and paved trails through the enclosures are handicapped accessible. The restoration overlook has a fixed set of binoculars that are too high to use from a seated position.  The nature trails are packed dirt and mowed grass with a few rocky sections. Taking these trails may be possible with an energetic helper.

  The parking area is small but can accommodate RVs parked lengthwise.  Foundation
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Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells

    Very quiet and lots of room-perfect for an overnight stop.

   The casino decor is a bit of Vegas-fake cliffs and waterfalls in the lobby.  It’s fairly accessible - low pile carpets,easy to move chairs, and most of the machines have easy to reach ticket and card slots. Casino
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Circus World

  The Ringling Brother’s Circus wintered in Baraboo,Wisconsin for 34 years before they moved to Florida in 1918. During the winter equipment was repaired, new pieces were constructed, and new acts were practiced. Circus World is on the site of the wintering grounds which includes four of the original buildings, a new museum, and two new warehouses filled with beautifully restored circus wagons. There is a lot to see so give yourself plenty of time especially if you visit during the summer when shows run throughout the day.

  The museum is accessible. The theater doors are heavy – seating for wheelchairs is in the back with chairs alongside for family members. The two warehouses are accessible but the wheelchair users may need some help pushing up the ramp. Three of the older buildings were opened the day that we visited – one has a fairly good ramp, one has an extremely steep ramp, and the other has a few steps and no ramp. The older buildings all house minor exhibits.

  Parking is limited. There’s a small gravel lot across the street where RVs can be parked lengthwise. The curb cuts are not good. There’s parking along the street on both sides with handicapped spaces on the same side as the museum. The ground next to the curb is a grassy hill so transferring to a wheelchair or deploying a lift would be difficult. Museum
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Wisconsin Concrete Park

      
   We almost missed this one!  I spotted all the concrete figures as we went speeding along and knew that it was too good to pass by – time to turn around! There are over 200 life size and larger concrete sculptures that were built by Fred Smith, a retired lumberjack. He worked on them for 16 years from 1948 until 1964.

  The sculptures are in a park like setting so getting around is a little hard. Most can be seen from the paved parking lot but getting closer involves pushing through the grass. A brochure with explanations about all of the figures can be found on the informative bulletin boards. The box holding the brochures is mounted a little too high to be easily reached. The gift shop has a ramp to the entrance.

   There’s a larger parking lot for RVs just past the first one which is pretty small. Concrete Park
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Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center

    Richard Bong was a local farm boy who became a flying ace in WWII shooting down over forty Japanese planes, more than any other pilot. He was deemed too valuable of an asset to risk in combat and was sent home to do public relations tours promoting the sale of war bonds. He also started working at Wright Field as a test pilot and in a strange twist of fate, was killed when his plane malfunctioned at takeoff.  The museum tells his story along with those of other local soldiers and civilians including the women who worked in the busy wartime ship and train yards.

   Everything is accessible starting with push button entrance doors. There are several short movies in different sections of the museum. All have movable chairs and low push buttons to start them.

  The parking lot is large enough for any size RV.  Museum
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Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center

    The center has displays about the Great Lakes and the busy port city of Duluth.  A popular activity is watching the huge 1,000 ‘ freighter ships pass through the canal. Most are “lakers”, hauling iron ore, coal, and stone between ports on four of the Great Lakes.

  Both floors of the museum are accessible. Entering on the second floor by using the exterior ramp is best because the ground level entrance way has a steep ramp down to the first level. An elevator is available to access both floors.

   A parking lot which allows RVs is located at Canal Park just a short distance from the museum. The entrance to the lot is narrow and an immediate turn is required so large RVs might not be able to use it.  Museum
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