Upcoming Museum Closures

Tinker Swiss Cottage will be closed on August 19, November 21-23 and on December 22-26 & December 29-January 1. 
We apologize for any inconvenience. 

#You Belong in a Museum

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In 2018, Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum and Gardens continues our You Belong in a Museum campaign!
 
Throughout the year, we will have lectures, workshops, open houses, family game days, members only night tours and free admission dates for you to explore what is it like to be a part of the Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum!

Join us for these upcoming free admission dates:

August: 22nd, 29th
​September: Every Tuesday
​October: 2nd, 9th, 16th
​November: 6th, 13th
​December: 5th, 12th
 
Don’t miss out! Keep your eyes peeled for announcements for these events and so much more on Facebook or Twitter using the hashtags #youbelonginamuseum and #ibelonginamuseum

Paranormal Investigation with
Ghost Head Soup - SOLD OUT!
September 1st, 2018     6:00 pm

​Did you ever want to see what a real paranormal investigation is all about? This is your chance to find out! 

This exciting event will let you be the paranormal investigator! Guests will be in small groups as you join the Tinker staff and the Ghost Head Soup team in the most active locations in the Cottage. You are welcome and encouraged to bring your own equipment (cameras, camcorders, audio recorders, emf). Each event begins in the Barn.

Tickets for this event will not be sold online and this event is limited to 10 guests. To reserve your tickets please call our office at 815-964-2424. 

Tinker's Shadow
​New Documentary of Tinker Swiss Cottage Now Available!

Looking for a fun way to take Tinker home with you? Director Michael Kleen has put together a wonderful new documentary on Tinker Swiss Cottage, titled Tinker's Shadow: The Hidden History of Tinker Swiss Cottage.

​The documentary is available to purchase through Amazon, or you can get your DVD copy in our gift shop later this year! Proceeds will go towards helping us to maintain the Cottage. 

​*Reminder: Please select "Tinker Swiss Cottage" as the benefactor when you shop at smile.amazon.com

Check out the trailer HERE!
​Watch the documentary HERE!

Speakeasy Murder Mystery
August 18th, 2018     6:00 pm

Dust off your flapper dress, zoot suits and Tommy guns and get  ready for your Roaring Twenties Murder Mystery Party! At the height of prohibition, morale was high, morals were at an all-time low, and most of the country was controlled by the Mafia. 

At this cozy little hot spot, hidden in the old Tinker mansion, you will find the best night scene around. Drink, dance, sing and mingle with other like-minded individuals but be careful, wherever there is liquor there is always the mafia…and the police. On a night like tonight, with tensions running high, you might get caught in the middle of a bloody dispute. Enjoy your night but keep your guard up, we’d hate to lose any of our clientele!

Annual Illinois
Paranormal Conference at
​Veteran's Memorial Hall
September 29th, 2018    11:00am-6:00pm

Haunted Rockford and Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum are excited to host our annual Illinois Paranormal Conference! This event will be held at Veteran's Memorial Hall, located at 211 North Main Street, Rockford, IL. 

The doors will open at 10:30 a.m. to allow guests to visit with the many vendors.

Headline Speaker for 2018 will be Historian and Folklorist Ursula Bielski. Ursula Bielski is a Chicago historian and folklorist specializing in cemetery history and the folklore of the preternatural. A respected paranormal researcher, she is the author of nine books on Chicago ghost lore and cemetery history and has been studying the settlement, folklore, and culture of Bachelors Grove for nearly three decades.

Also speaking at the Conference in 2018:
Film maker and serial killer researcher, John Borowski will be back by popular demand, with a new presentation: Dahmer and Me: Why I became interested in Serial Killers.

Renowned ghost investigator Dale Kaczmarek from Ghost Research Society is also returning to the Conference in 2018 and will share evidence from his most exciting recent investigations.

Also returning for the 2018 Conference will be Paranormal Investigator and author Sylvia Shults.

Other speakers include author and storyteller Amelia Cotter; Ami and Mark Orava from the Society for Anomalous Studies; Dean Thompson of the paranormal group Ghost Head Soup; and Dan Norvell, author and Paranormal Investigator.

The cost for this event is $20.00 in advance and $25.00 at the door! Get your tickets HERE! 

Interested in being a VENDOR? Visit Haunted Rockford's website for more information at www.hauntedrockford.com.
Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum            411 Kent St. Rockford, IL 61102              P: (815)964-2424              info@tinkercottage.com 
*All header images provided by © Rockford Park District - Photo by Jesse Fox

Contact Us

Have questions? Want to check in before you arrive? Ask us here!