Tinkertown Museum

Tinkertown Museum – A Whimsical Detour

We made a quick little detour to the charming, eccentric Tinkertown Museum, tucked away in a small town—but packed with surprises. This quirky roadside treasure was the life’s work of Ross Ward, who began it as a hobby and watched it grow into something far beyond that.

The museum is an explosion of creativity. The outer walls are built from over 50,000 bottles embedded right into the structure. Inside, Ross created an entire 1880s replica town with 26 buildings and over 300 hand-carved figures, all animated and brought to life with motion and whimsy. He also created a 3 Ring Circus.

The floors were covered with horseshoes, and license plates were nailed just about everywhere—the walls, ceiling, even furniture. It became a bit of a scavenger hunt! Janet found an Ohio license plate and had to stand on it. We spotted:

1. Planter’s Peanut Man
2. Barbie and Friends
3. Disney Princesses
4. Mary Poppins
5. Etc.

Janet stood in front of the pants of the world’s tallest man, and we admired a showcase of dolls from India.

One section told the adventurous story of Ross’s brother, who spent 10 years sailing around the world on the Theodora Voyage yacht. His journey included falling overboard twice, breaking ribs, and emergency surgery. Parts of the yacht, his travel diary, a timeline, and his maps are on display.

They even have out quarters as change to make sure guests could try the many vintage coin-operated machines scattered throughout. Some offered fortunes, others told you what your career should be, and one even let you shake hands with Uncle Sam, who’d then tell you your greatest strengths.

Some of our favorite oddities:

1. A vintage decorated washing machine labeled “4 the YF” with a license plate stuck above it
2. A vintage car covered in coins, medals, and Route 66 memorabilia
3. Real rattlesnake eggs in the gift shop (wink wink)
4. A marble-carved turtle for Grandma’s nativity scene

To top it off, Janet got serenaded by an older gentleman performing an original song he had written himself.

Tinkertown didn’t just feel like a museum—it felt like a living scrapbook of one man’s imagination. Every corner had something unexpected, something personal, and something worth pausing for.