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All the United States Kansas Leavenworth C.W. Parker Carousel Museum

C.W. Parker Carousel Museum

This quaint museum lets you take a ride on its antique carousels.

Leavenworth, Kansas

Added By
Bat Bennett
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Incredible artistry.   Bat and Brenda The Two Gypsies / Atlas Obscura User
Incredible artistry.   Bat and Brenda The Two Gypsies / Atlas Obscura User
The pins of a player piano program wheel   backroadsphotog / Atlas Obscura User
The picture says it all!   Bat and Brenda The Two Gypsies / Atlas Obscura User
A self propelled merry-go-round? The manufacturer didn’t want his kids getting lazy!   Bat and Brenda The Two Gypsies / Atlas Obscura User
The spinning bucket seat was more expensive than an animal because of the privacy it offered.   Bat and Brenda The Two Gypsies / Atlas Obscura User
The horses are meticulously repaired and maintained.   Bat and Brenda The Two Gypsies / Atlas Obscura User
Front of building   SemiruralYeti / Atlas Obscura User
  SemiruralYeti / Atlas Obscura User
The Main Carousel   tookej / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Sitting along the riverbank in Leavenworth, Kansas, is a small museum that will let you peep backwards at childhoods spent at county fairs and carnivals. Step inside, and you’ll find a charming display of old carousels waiting to be ridden.

The museum is named after Charles Wallace (C.W.) Parker, who built some of the very first "Carry-Us-Alls" in North America, was brilliant at his craft, and quite a marketer too. Once he got the hang of putting together beautiful and whimsical mechanical merry-go-rounds, he figured out how to manufacture them on a much larger scale.

Hiring teams of master carvers to create and paint his animals, Parker put together a fantastic combination of visual and audio art, then put his creations on a motorized wheel that still delights children and adults alike to this day.

Enter the museum that’s named after him, and you’ll spot various operational carousels—you can even take a ride on one that’s over 100 years old! There's one from 1913, one built by Parker's son, and even a carousel built sometime between the 1850s and 1860s. You’ll also be able to view Parker’s cylinder piano, a hand-cranked musical instrument that can play 10 different tunes.

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Museums Museums And Collections Carousels Horses

Know Before You Go

It's open Saturday, 1 pm – 5 pm, and Sunday, 1 pm – 5 pm. The museum is small, adorable, and can be visited in an hour's time.

There is no admission charge, but donations are graciously received. The staff are mostly septuagenarians and octogenarians, and they know all about these wonderful devices. They are friendly, and have a wealth of knowledge.

Community Contributors

Added By

Bat and Brenda The Two Gypsies

Edited By

annakovach, backroadsphotog, SemiruralYeti, tookej...

  • annakovach
  • backroadsphotog
  • SemiruralYeti
  • tookej
  • tnebesniak

Published

September 27, 2018

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Sources
  • http://carousels.org/psp/ParkerMuseum/ParkerPanorama.html
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C.W._Parker_Carousel_Museum
  • http://www.firstcitymuseums.org/carousel/history/
C.W. Parker Carousel Museum
320 S. Esplanade
Leavenworth, Kansas
United States
39.317234, -94.909538
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Buffalo Soldier Monument

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

miles away

Frontier Army Museum

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

miles away

O'Malley's Pub

Weston, Missouri

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Kansas

Kansas

United States

Places 126
Stories 12

Nearby Places

Buffalo Soldier Monument

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

miles away

Frontier Army Museum

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

miles away

O'Malley's Pub

Weston, Missouri

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Kansas

Kansas

United States

Places 126
Stories 12

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