Tinkertown Museum

What is this place, even?
It was hilarious, and one of the highlights of our entire trip. It costs $ 3.50 to get in, is weird and quirky and just fun. The gift shop is amazing and totally well-​priced.
I don’t even know what to say about this place. It was just a magically weird stopover on the way to Santa Fe and gosh, what a treat.
So very weird and entertaining. Give yourself about 45 minutes if you plan on spending time in the gift shop, if not, 20 minutes will do.

Tinkertown, this guy just spent his life doing what he wanted to do and the is the coolest part of the attraction.
It only costs $ 3.50 to get in and you wander around inside and outside checking all the eclectic displays he made. Some of the stuff he collected and some of it he carved and made himself. I don’t think seeing all the stuff is what interested me, but just thinking how long it took him to do this, his creativity and you don’t do this unless you love to do it… and he did. Lots of proverbs written on the walls about enjoying life and in one area a boat that was donated to him from a guy who sold his belongings and bought this boat and sailed around the world for 10 years, all cronicled with pictures he took along the way. Ross Ward the man who built all this the man who the museum is dedicated to lived life the way it’s suppose to be lived and when you see his museum you can’t help but to be inspired and contemplate life.
I could have went though the exhibit in a matter of minutes but the impression it left on me will last a lifetime !!! To me this exhibit is not about the exhibit itself but about life.

I was looking for quirky and offbeat. Hellz yeah!!! There are no descriptions that can do Tinkertown justice. Lose yourself in its sheer awesomeness. It’ll be $ 3.50 that you cannot possibly regret spending — even if you have difficulty processing what you just saw.

Go here… it’s a short drive off Route 14. A family operated tinker and toy «museum». You could go thru 5 times and see something different every time. Lots of curcus exhibitions. Go, little places like thus a part of a vanishing Americana.

I’ve been here a number of times over the years, and I still drag friends visiting from out of town. This place is quirky, sweet, and nestled right in the foothills on your way up the mountain. There’s nothing else like it.

This place is just so unique, the artist tells you this story on what used to be beautiful but it’s no longer there, the circus display is a perfect example it just makes me melancholy. All the details are what makes this place amazing we always find something different, my son loves the quarter machines specially Otto. Everyone should visit this place at least once.

Gorgeous town scenes with so much detail! There is a lot to look at here on the whole property. The aisles are a bit crowded and it didn’t give me the chance to really examine the scenes, but I enjoyed the little time I visited there.

Grab a pocket full of quarters and head up the mountain! What an excellent way to spend an hour or two. Super affordable and super fun. Whether you take your kids, your SO, or just a couple of friends you’re sure to enjoy. Don’t rush though, there’s a lot to see… from the hand made dioramas to the fortune teller and the ship that sailed around the world. Even the gift ship is interesting. Don’t forget to walk around outside and see the the eclectics surrounding the museum as well.
Every time I have visited the folks are friendly and I’ve never run into too large of a crowd. I think because of the intimate setting visitors become more docile and friendly. No one is in a hurry, except for the youngest guests, to get to the exit. And I think the youngest just get excited to see what’s next. Sometimes you need to remind them to slow down. Do as I do and leave feeling a little younger, more appreciative of the «little» things in life.

MOST EXCELLENT place for kids of all ages. Do not rush thorough the dioramas and displays — the details in the scenes are amazing and usually hilarious. Watch for the buttons under the scenes. When you press them the scenes come alive: chefs chase chickens, Mary Poppins arrives, God and the Devil tug-​o-​war over a soul at Boot Hill. Look for the little treasures pressed into the mortar, or stuck into grottoes. There is more outside, including a stellar collection of gold rush era implements and ghost town artifacts. Don’t miss the Theodora R. :)

This place represents to me everything that is good in the world. You owe it to yourself to visit it at least once. I try to go as often as I can and it never gets old. It’s a great treat for your inner child…

You won’t find a cooler museum than this one, and if you do please let me know! This was awesome, i really loved the humor and all the things to look at. While this isn’t on route 66 it should be a part of every route 66 roadtrip! Old time charm for and old time price!

Whenever I get to a hotel on vacation, I love to look for brochures for the area of things I want to see. As soon as I found the brochure for Tinkertown my next question was how far away it is and can we go.
Lucky for me the answer was «not far and yes we can go». It was a 25 minute ride from Albuquerque and well worth the trip.
40 years in the making and I loved the sign that read «while you were watching TV I was fiddling». Old time machines like Esmeralda that read our fortunes, Uncle Sam where I found out I was a socialite and hubby a tax cheat (pretty funny considering he is a tax guy), lots of oddities and small built towns with moving parts. Lots to look at and really a fun place to visit.
Bring quarters with you, gift shop was great for finding a shirt for hubby at only $ 12.95 and a golf shirt at that. Staff friendly and young and old alike love this place.

Stop here!
Bring quarters.
Gifts shop is almost as great as the museum.
Then if you are headed to to Santa Fe do as the wonderfully friendly Tinkertown lady suggested and stop for a meal in Madrid at The Hollar.
Great day!

A junque collector’s paradise! No point in repeating what everyone else says, but rest assured if you are in the area you must stop and spend some time looking at the thousands of oddities and just entertaining «stuff» here… it really is well worth it.

Don’t miss out! GO TO THERE! It’s truly an amazing experience, all the different whimsical and fun exhibits works together wonderfully (don’t miss out on the boat) with all the quotes that guides you through the museum, and when you’ll leave you will have changed just a little — to the better.

I talk about this museum more than anyone probably should. I am obsessed with it. If you haven’t ventured out to see this great little gem tucked away in the beautiful Sandia Mountains I recommend you do so!
Every time I walk into this quirky museum I wonder what in the world I am doing there. I get lost looking at little wooden figurines, old photos, and the odd layout; it will suck you in. I have a love for this museum unlike anything else in this city. I grew up running around the uneven wood floors, pressing the buttons, and watching this creative museum come to life. If your kids aren’t impressed by this you need to kill them and try again.

I think a proper introduction to this museum would be a re-​print of a sign posted inside the building: «This is what I did while you were watching TV»
While I always direct people to see the Sandia Mountains while visiting our high desert, I’m quick to tell them this museum MUST be part of the ride. The dioramas will delight the young and old alike. Entering the site is like entering the mind of the artist, wandering about the corners of his imagination and wishing you had so much as an ounce of his creativity. It’s art on a human scale, with perhaps a touch of political commentary and more than a dash of humor, which places this gem – in my opinion – among the annals of great folk art.
Absolutely not to be missed.

If you happen to be driving between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, head for the Turquoise Trail – the little scenic byway parallel to the swifter but blander interstate.
You will see many natural and unnatural wonders, but nothing could prepare you for the mesmerizing immersion into this imaginational treasure. I can’t even begin to describe the psychedelic overload, however I can tell you the hosts are super sweet folks.

Tinkertown was one of the highlights of our New Mexico trip.
It is a cross between «Playland Not at the Beach» in El Cerrito CA and the «Watts Towers» in Los Angeles.
It is filled with whimsical dioramas of the Old West, a Circus, Street scenes that include shops of all sorts (ie toy stores, hat stores, etc), food vendors, funny but bizarre things like Mary Poppins making a lading (see my pix), and much much more.
All of the exhibits are partially housed in structures made of concrete and bottles.
Fun, funky and a true labor of love by the late Ross Ward. It took him over 40 years. To quote from one of his many quotes,
«This is what we did while you were watching tv.»

The Tinkertown Museum is a monument to collecting, craftsmanship and imagination! Museums such as this one are born of an intense love of something, be it history, activity or the fear that if these treasures are not saved by you, then by who?
I’m a fan of the eclectic, the weird, the freakish. This is just my kind of museum. I felt a connection to the world that these items inhabited and it was a world unlike my own. Not overcrowded, there was a reverent hush in the air despite the jovial calliopiesque tunes tumbling from these irreverent creations.
Curiosity aroused, I left with more questions than answers. Highly Recommended!