the historic carousel and museum

bluesky200907

The Vault 244 has the best food in Albany ! You wouldn't be disappointed ! .. I've tried most of the local restraurants , but I always wanna go back to Vault .

436darlenes

This was our 2nd visit to the Carousel in Albany and worth the couple of hours that we spent visiting with the artists and admiring the beautiful animals and the amazing craftsmanship of the carvers, painters, and planners. It is a wonderful place to take family and friends. We look forward to our next visit.

tripnice

so nice heart feel so cool by walking lake area by budget inn albany it so proud my self and all other walkers

920karenf

You don't want to visit Albany and not visit the Carousel Museum. A great place to take friends and family. Very friendly and family oriented.

Sissy1869

Beautiful craft by a variety of artists. Great for all ages from the very young to the young at heart.

busanio

The beautiful artistry of the carousel animals being constructed, and those that are finished and on display, is simply amazing. It almost seems a shame that someday the animals will have riders, surely damaging the gorgeous hand carved art. Have also toured the carousel structure being restored and find the whole process fascinating. One of the must-see attractions in Albany. Free and easy to find parking. Highly recommended.

7JustMe7

We never get tired of checking out the carousel & museum. We take all of our visitors there & our return visitors always want to go again. Sometimes you get to see people carving on the animals & there are always finished animals to see & photograph. Even our littlest visitors have had fun at the museum. Don't miss it if you are in Albany, Or.

Jan1007

This is very interesting and the volunteers who are carving and working on the animals are more than happy to converse with you, if you have questions. This is the workshop for the carousal and most interesting. It is a free attraction, and if you plan about 1- 1 ½ hours, that should be plenty of time. The animals are really amazing.

305chelsc

Wasn't sure what this was going to be like and was wonderfully surprised. The completed animals on display are absolutely beautiful. All of them are carved by hand-- and most of them by people who have never carved wood in this scale before. All of the carvers are lovely people who are happy to talk to you about the carousel project. The whole project started with one woman and $150.00, and now involves many of the downtown Albany shops/restaurants, numerous volunteers, and numerous sponsors. Make sure you talk to the bright, talkative lady in the shop-- she is very friendly and knows ALOT about the museum pieces and the carousel pieces, and can tell you many of the stories behind what's going on. This is a special place.

AdMan_KU

This should be a "must stop" for travelers coming to Albany. It's fascinating what the volunteer staff has accomplished so far in creating all the varied "wild life" for the new planned carousel. Very helpful and informative staff willing to spend time answering questions and providing information. Good place to watch carvers and volunteers at work. Great place!

183billg

We were not aware of the museum until we arrived in Albany as we were simply looking at the Victorian Houses. What a joy!! It is worth going out of your way to see this.

OnTheGo26

We heard about this museum/workshop/community effort from a family member who lives nearby. The museum/workshop is open 6 days per week and is a volunteer community project whose goal is to create and install a handmade carousel in Albany. The whimsical animals are being carved by volunteers and you are welcome to walk around the workshop to see what is in progress - you can take photos and touch each animal - which take about a year to complete. Many of the local businesses 'sponsor' a completed animals and display them in their windows. I was never a huge carousel fan, but this is not to be missed!

valmailorraine

The Albany carousel is being rebuilt with a great deal of talent and bucketfulls of love. What a superb place to visit as you are made to feel so welcome and you get quite emotional just being privileged to view the animals being carved and painted. Everyone is committed to the project and I would be highly delighted to own one of the sketches and paintings of the animals that are all around the walls. Each animal seems to develop its own character and we desperately want to return to ride the carousel when it is completed. It is a great place to visit from one to 101 as everyone will end up delighted and leave with a wonderful feelgood factor. It will be a fantastic asset to a lovely town and I think local business should get behind them one hundred percent.One of the many highlights Oregon gives a visitor.

4Bug-a-Boos

Such a neat place to visit. You actually get to see volunteers carving & painting the carousel creatures. I say creatures because there are so many different types of animals they are building not just horses. We saw dogs, birds, cats, elephants, and even a dragon, just to name a few. Beautiful and Amazing. You can walk through and see animal in all different stages of the carving process. It really is quite interesting. Everyone was very friendly and so great about answering any questions had. There is a small museum and gift shop on sight. A great visit, highly recommend.

VICTeri97204

It is amazing to see these volunteers build a carousel from scratch! The wood carved animals and characters are reflective of the design requests of the sponsor of each one. There are a variety of horses, sea creatures and more. It is fun to get close and watch the wood carving in action. They also have finished characters that are painted and finish coated. The entire process is very interesting and "it takes a village" to get this done. They are planning to build a new two story building to house the finished carousel for all to enjoy. They will have some creatures stationed around the building that do not move for those that just want to sit and enjoy. I can't wait to take my grand kids to see this in process and finished. Beautiful work!!! Check out their gift shop and consider a donation to support their project.