the pennsylvania lumber museum

smells great in there; good video; nice gift shop; interesting history of lumber industry - walking tour with artifacts

.....Stopped by from Ontario Canada October 8th 2014. Not much to see. 7 or 8 buildings scattered throughout the wooded site. Sawmill, blacksmith, engine barn, water tank etc. Your on your own. No one onsite to explain the workings of the equipment or the mill, and none of the equipment was operational. My wife and I did the walk in 25 minutes for $6 each. Near the end of the display directions to leave the site were poorly marked. We had to climb up a grass trail embankment to get back to the parking lot. ....For the cost of admission, there is more to see and do at a fall fair that has operational farm/and small engine equipment displayed......I wouldn't do this visit again.

The museaum offers competitions, history, and food - July 4th weekend - every year. Afterwards head into Galeton, find a place to park, and head to the water, put a blanket down, and wait for the out-of-this world fireworks show - the mountains makes for a natural ampitheater and the booms from the fireworks will excite you. The PA Lumber Museum is something that must be experienced - so the best time to go is while many people are taking part in the Greased Pole, Ax Throwing competitions and watching people on the Logs try to throw their opponents, but you can also tour the facility and pick up freebees. Ice Cream, Pie, Chili, and popcorn, the food is great. See you there on the 4th!

Nice people but things are in disarray, not organized, video is ok but could be better. Wait until they get this place back in order before visiting.

You really get the feel for the lumber industry when you drive through the scenic location of this wonderful museum. True, the woods were all cut here (once or twice), but my how the trees have grown back!We visited on an early September morning when it proved to be a moving day. The facilities crew was moving items from the temporary trailers into the new, modern addition. They preserved the old main building , but added on a front that must have increased floor space by 70%.The gift shop is now greatly expanded, the now have a nice, spacious room for temporary and changing exhibits.There is a large meeting room now for seminars, conferences, etc., and there is a professional kitchen that will allow for catering for events.After our work there, we took a tour of the grounds and the outer buildings.They have some marvelously restored locomotives and heavy equipment that was used back in the day in loading and transporting these heavy logs. There is a very interesting exhibit on the tanning process and industry that was so big up here. In the production of leather, the local trees, mainly the abundant hemlock were used for their tannin. Take aways: After your tour, have a picnic up at one of the nice covered picnic pavilions up by the forest.While you are here, visit and camp at one of the nearby State Parks. Right across the highway (PA Route 6) is Denton Hill State Park. Nearby is Lyman Run State Park (7.5 miles away).Another option nearby Cherry Springs State Park .Due to its exceptionally dark skies, is one of the best places on the eastern seaboard for stargazing and the science of astronomy.

We enjoyed this place. I love trains and history, so this was a great place to visit. Spent about an hour going around. The only downfall was that we were not able to enter the large visitors center, the kitchen, laundry room, and the bunkhouse. They are currently moving and setting these sites up and they will not be open until October 2015. BUT it was worth it. Lots of neat pictures, train cars, tools, etc. Thumbs up.

Newly built Visitor Center is still being worked on and presently not open. Sign points to contractor trailer for tickets. Walk to buildings is not far of a walk and you can explore ones that are open to walk through. Newly renovated buildings to house Engine, Sawmill, etc. Very interesting displays. Some buildings are not open. There is an old house to walk in behind the Lumberman Statue across the parking lot , along with a building with locomotive to walk through and explore. More to come when Main Building is finished. Lot of History there with a hard life of these men.

8/25/2013It would have been nice to know in advance that 80% of the museum is being remodeled. The only parts open were the outbuildings. Those buildings were interesting, but without the museum itself, a disappointment. We did get tickets for free entry in 2015 however, which would be nice if we come back ... unlikely, but possible.

This place is great... Neat old buildings full of character and history and beautiful old trains with an interesting gift shop staffed by friendly people. Also anyone who thinks they have it rough should come on up and see the way of life for these people. Those are the people that built our nation with a four letter word called WORK. To really see this look at the pictures... There is not an overweight individual anywhere! I left with a real appreciation for these people who worked in not only here but places like these. This place is really worth $6 to see.

Historically interesting and lots of hands on for kids. Special events are held annually. Check website for more info

The museum is easily accessible located right alongside US Rte.6. The museum tells a story of the early loggers who with primitive working tools turned logs into useable wood products for the building industry. In addition to the main visitor center, there are approximately 9-10 outbuilding, a couple of the buildings hold/protect old steam locomotives. One of the interesting buildings (to me) was the large building where the logs were pulled out of the pond and run through a large circular saw to make various width and length lumber. A good historical stop you don't want to miss. Incidentally, the museum is to underago a major renovation soon doubling the size of the visitor center with many new features and amenities.

I visited the Grand Canyon of PA about 15 years ago, so I knew that the original pine forests had been decimated, but this museum gives a much fuller picture of the time. After the pine forests were cut down, they started cutting hickory to use the bark in the tanning industry. Some of the men lived in shacks made of the bark. Some of the towns that grew up around the logging areas were a strip of mud with a railroad running through the middle. They would disappear after the trees were gone. The tools the men used to cut the trees and to run them down the river or to haul them from the woods to the train are represented here.They have Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) uniforms, badges and a cabin built in the 1930's. The young men who joined were issued a dress uniform and a work uniform as well as shoes. They also attended classes in addition to working. It's not Smithsonian quality, but I'm sure they have a small budget. It's still very impressive. I like the way they used plywood cutouts to represent the men. I would have liked to see more about the living conditions of the families and their nutrition. The CCC worker statue is wonderful. The view of the mountains from the parking lot is fantastic. I can only imagine what it must me like in the fall. It would be a great place to hold a wedding or a family reunion. The large deck leading to the sawmill looks like it's being expanded.

I had stopped by this little Museum on the way to see relatives a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I stopped by again on this trip with my parents and was a little disappointed. They seemed to enjoy getting out of the car for a while and walking around the exhibits. The parts I was disappointed in were that this time some of the buildings were closed and there was no one in some of the open ones to explain anything. The first time I was there it seemed like there were people in the various buildings to explain how things worked and answer questions and the tour was very informative. There are some picnic tables available and it is a scenic place to have a picnic.

If you're into historical Americana, this is definitely the place for you. If you're not a museum type, then I would suggest taking a pass on this attraction. And if you have children, I would suspect that they'll be entertained by the outside exhibits for maybe ten minutes, and then...The staff was friendly, helpful, and, in general, outstanding -- great people. But, unless you're into Pennsylvania history, lumber history, or environmentalism, it's hard to make "lumber history" exciting. But the staff did their best, and they even offered up some local restaurant suggestions -- great info to have when needing advice about a new area - the Pennsylvania Wilds.Having said all the above, it's a wonderful place if you're into this sort of stuff. We saw an introductory 12 minute movie, spent 20 minutes inside the museum (you could spend five hours inside, reading everything...), then spent 20 minutes touring the outside exhibits. Please note that they close early -- I think 4:30 PM -- which is way too early in the summertime in my opinion. All in all, a decent way to spend a few hours.

I grew up about 30 minutes from the Lumber Museum, so it was always a nice weekend trip. The location is certainly remote (like everything else in north central PA), but it's so beautiful there. It's right in the heart of the mountains and on the brightest days, the green of the hills and the blue sky is simply stunning.The museum is great, run by a small staff of very friendly people. I love the outdoor exhibits and how they feel like an old lumber town. I've never been able to visit for the Bark Peeler's Convention, but I've heard that it's an amazing event. Be sure to visit all of the buildings - they have some wonderful items on display.