Travel In Indiana To Ted’s Musical Marvels

Dr. Ted’s Musical Marvels is a mechanical music themed museum located near Dale, Indiana. The museum honors the history of mechanical music machines that automatically played music for people before the age of cds and digital music equipment. The various instruments in the museum are not only fun to hear, but they are also often quite interesting to look at.

The collection of instruments in the museum began in 1973 when Dr. Ted Walflart purchased a 1907 French fairground organ, which he restored. Over the decades the collection grew as Ted acquired instruments by traveling through Europe, visiting old amusement parks, and making transactions with other collectors. The collection includes a couple organs that were originally used to make music for Merry Go Round attractions.

Most of the musical instruments that can be seen and heard at Dr. Ted’s Musical Marvels date from the 1800s to the mid-1900s. A few of the instruments are reproductions of instruments from that period of mechanical music history. One of the reproductions in the collection is the Calliola, which was made specifically for Dr. Ted. This instrument is an air driven calliope.

Probably the most interesting piece in Dr. Ted’s collection is the Decap. The Decap is a dance organ that was Dr. Ted acquired from Sint-Niklaas, Belgium. The organ has over 500 pipes, 2 accordians, 2 saxophones, drums, cymbals, a high hat, and more. The variety of instruments that it uses makes it an alternative to a live orchestra.

The KT Special is another key item in the museum’s collection. The KT Special is a Nickleodeon. It was built by the Seeburg Co located in Chicago, Illinois, in 1925. It makes music using a variety of instruments inside the box. It is similar to the Decap, but it is more compact. It is also different from the Decap in that has lights that go on and off in time with the music.

In order to visit Dr. Ted’s Musical Marvesl you must call ahead and schedule a tour. The musuem typically only allows tours to be schedule for groups of 15 or more.

6. Museum of Miniature Houses in Carmel, Indiana

The Museum of Miniature Houses in Carmel, Indiana, is an attraction for all ages. The museums collections include miniature houses, scenes, art, and more. The miniatures contain details that make them interesting to admire from various angles and enjoy seeing again and again to discover new aspects to them.

The Permanent Exhibits at the Museum of Miniature Houses include a variety of dollhouses and miniature houses that include antique and modern items. One of the oldest items in the museum’s collection is a dollhouse built by Thomas Russell in 1861. The collection also includes more modern houses such as a contemporary California miniature house that is landscaped and has a swimming pool.

A series of scale period room boxes from the Vivian Barnes Collection are also part of the permanent exhibits on display. The permanent collection is not entirely constant, as the selection of miniature furnishings on display changes regularly to cycle through the museums collections.

The museum usually has at least some temporary special exhibits on display. The exact items on display varies from themed miniature collections of items to scale models to recently acquired collections being featured. Examples of the Museum of Miniature Houses special exhibits include Miniature American Tools and Implements, Russian Lacquer Boxes, and Amusement Park Ride models.

The Museum of Miniature Houses is open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 11am to 4pm and Sundays from 1pm to 4pm. It is closed on major holidays as well as much of January. Admission is $4 for adults and $2 for kids under age 10.

Memberships that allow free admission for a year as well as other benefits begin at $20 for individuals and $35 for families. As the museum is often changing what miniatures are on display and miniatures are fun to look at again and again to discover new things, those that live near Carmel or visit the area regularly might find the membership very worthwhile to get.

For more great articles about Indiana, visit Around Crown Point.

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