Danville, Kentucky – The Great American Dollhouse Museum
The Great American Dollhouse Museum is absolutely my favorite visitor’s attraction within my own state. This fantastic museum is over 6000 square feet in breadth, and features over 200 miniature structures, each and every one of which is spectacular in its own right.
(All photos by Rhonda and Rose Marie Guy)
I have visited this incredible museum on a number of occasions, and it has new exhibits every time I get the chance to visit. For the dollhouse collector, it is absolute nirvana . . . there are antique, custom-built, English Triang, and world-famous Lawbre dollhouses, as well as extraordinary “room boxes”, vignettes, and themed displays. They are all very attractively organized. While I hope that this travel log does its job in showing you how interesting this museum really is, I cannot emphasize strongly enough that the spectacular nature of each of these houses can best be appreciated when viewed in person. There is so much to see, both in quantity and scope, that no photo can do true justice to the reality. If you love dollhouses & miniatures, you simply must schedule a trip here to see all of this for yourself. The photo below shows a display of Victorian houses on a green, with plenty of active occupants enjoying their little “town”.
For the history buff, there are several fantastic themed displays that begin with scenes from the early days of the settlement of our country. I particularly love the Native American artifacts display shown below.
(I also have a collection of wonderful miniature Native American “artifacts” which are featured in my Coppertop Cabin, and these can be seen at: Coppertop Cabin Dollhouse ).
Following along the history line is the beautiful Mexican display (shown below). The close geographical proximity between America and Mexico has always contributed to strong interaction between the two countries, so I think this display is a wonderful and natural inclusion.
(As all of you who have previously visited my site know, I also love Mexican folk art and have created pieces in this genre for my own collection. To visit my Mexican hacienda dollhouse, visit: Casa Maria , and to visit my Mexican cantina, visit: Cantina El Toro . I love this genre so much that I would love, one day, to create an entire Mexican village. As you can well imagine, however, a very large display area would be needed and I do not yet have that amenity.)
In addition to the wonderful themed displays, there are also some tantalizing little rooms that can be viewed through “peephole” style windows. I particularly love this old-time dentist’s office, although I am VERY glad I didn’t have to visit one of these in real life. I find visits to modern day dentists unnerving – it is much too easy for me to imagine the pain that would have been experienced in this office!
In addition to the wonderful historically-themed displays, there are several pieces, in varying genres, of particular note that I would like to mention. The last time I visited, there were several quarter scale (1:48) room boxes that were the most exquisite I have ever seen. I do not have photos of those – you need to make a visit, so you can see them! I was pea green with envy, and have wanted to get back to see them again every since I first laid eyes on them. Also of extreme interest (and again, I am SO jealous!) are the many fabulous room boxes that are creations by world-famous Brooke Tucker. I am utterly amazed that so many of these pieces made it to Kentucky – they are incredibly hard to obtain, as Brooke has been retired for some time now AND those pieces are . . . to put it delicately . . . very pricey. The examples below only partially convey the amazing artistry of each of her renderings.
For those of you who are more invested in the traditional dollhouse, you will not be disappointed: I was absolutely mesmerized by the vast collection of beautiful furnishings and accessories in each and every structure. As a miniaturist, myself, I can tell you that it takes a lot of interesting, tiny items to make a miniature home look lived-in. This museum features fantastic traditional dollhouses from the “old days” as well as all the way up to modern times. I love this brightly colored, retro-style bedroom, which says “70’s” to me:
Many of the most opulent furnishings are located in the Victorian houses, and of course, this is also where you will find most of the real antique miniatures. I could spend hours looking at these amazing pieces!
I have saved my personal favorite section for last. I fell in love with the “fantasy” section of this museum the moment I walked into it. I think that the haunted mansion shown below is just wonderful:
(As you may recall, my brother and I did a haunted mansion collaboration a while back . . . if you would like to see it, please visit: Middleton Manor Dollhouse and also Middleton Manor Storyline).
Another favorite piece within the fantasy section at this museum is the fairy cottage by Melissa Chaple. I think it is just beautiful!
One other feature of the Great American Dollhouse Museum that you will definitely want to visit is the impressive gift shop. I have purchased several of my favorite miniatures there, and I know that whenever I visit again, I had better have some spending money because I will definitely want some goodies! The owner, Lori Kagan-Moore is a very congenial lady and enjoys interacting with her visitors. I am so proud that we have become friends through our mutual love of dollhouses & miniatures.
In order to assist you in planning your visit, I have listed contact information below:
Address: 344 Swope Drive, Danville, KY 40422
Phone Number: (859) 236-1883
Email Address: info@thedollhousemuseum.com
* Please note that the museum is closed on Sundays and Mondays. Also, if there is inclement weather, it would be advisable to check their website for possible additional closures and museum hours.
Website: The Great American Dollhouse Museum
NOTE: After joining me in a visit to the Great American Dollhouse Museum, my brother (Chester Guy) compiled a wonderful travel log about the museum which may be seen on his website at: Great American Dollhouse Museum at Western-Traveler.org
I think it is interesting that while we visited the same museum, at the same time, we each took something different from our visit. I really enjoyed his travel log, as it gave me a different view of the museum and our time spent there.
Last modified on: February 12th 2013.