Upcoming Museum Closures

​Tinker Swiss Cottage may also close during the winter months due to weather conditions.
We apologize for any inconvenience. 

#You Belong in a Museum

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In 2019, 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:

October: 2nd, 9th
November: 5th, 6th, 12th, 13th
December: 4th, 11th
 
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

Second Annual Trunk or Treat
October 13            1:00-3:00PM

Calling all monsters, princesses, and super heroes!

Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum is excited to partner with Anderson Toyota to  bring you our second annual Trunk or Treat event!

Enjoy a FREE afternoon of trunk or treating in the historic Tinker Gardens, along with crafts in the Barn and free first floor tours of the Cottage!

The Cottage will be decorated as a Victorian funeral, and we will be holding a raffle drawing for a free family membership to the museum! You won't want to miss out on this spook-tacular event! ​

Paranormal Tour
October 25th     7:00PM

Join us for our final Parnormal Tour of the Fall Season! We are so excited to bring back our friends from the Midwest Ghost Investigators to share some of their amazing evidence from their previous investigations!

After the lecture, enjoy a tour of the historic Tinker Swiss Cottage with the chance to have your own paranormal encounter. You are welcome and encouraged to bring your own equipment (cameras, camcorders, audio recorders, emf). Each event begins in the Barn.

Rockford Haunted Historic Locations Tour
October 26th   7:00PM

Haunted Rockford is honored to be a part of this special event!  We will be visiting three historical locations in Rockford.  All of these sites have reported ghostly encounters and paranormal happenings.  The history of these fascinating locations will be shared by the staff members and Kathi Kresol. Psychic Sara Bowker will join us to share her impressions of who might linger in the halls.  We will also have experienced paranormal investigators along who will share their equipment to help capture evidence. 

The exciting evening begins at Veterans Memorial Hall.  After we investigate this very haunted location guests will be sorted into smaller groups and given directions for the rest of the tour.  The guests will travel on their own to each location.  The history of the houses and the ghostly encounters will be shared at each location.  Then guests will join in a  mini-investigation led by the different paranormal investigative teams.  Guests may bring their own equipment or share the investigators'. 

This event will include members of the Society for Anomalous Studies and Ghost Head Soup.

The price of this event is $40.00 and must be paid in advance.  To register for this event on www.hauntedrockford.com, you must pay via PayPal at the time of registration.  Registration orders made online and not paid via PayPal at the time of registration will be canceled.
Online Registration Ends 10/25/2019 at 10:00 PM
To make other arrangements, please call Kathi at 815-871-4239.

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! 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!

Paranormal Tour
October 11             7:00PM

Tinker Swiss Cottage is excited to bring in The Dan Norvell Project for the first time ever to share stories and evidence from their many paranormal investigations of the Rockford region! 

After the lecture, enjoy a tour of the historic Tinker Swiss Cottage with the chance to have your own paranormal encounter. You are welcome and encouraged to bring your own equipment (cameras, camcorders, audio recorders, emf). Each event begins in the Barn.

True Tales of Things That Go Bump in the Night
October 18th       7:00PM

Celebrate Halloween with Tinker Swiss Cottage and Haunted Rockford!  Local authors Terri Reid and Kathi Kresol will be joining us for this special evening of spine-tingling and bone-chilling stories!

Terri Reid, best-selling author of the Mary O’Reilly paranormal series and Kathi Kresol, founder of Haunted Rockford Paranormal Events will share their favorite tales of their own paranormal encounters and other local legends.  After the presentation, Samantha Hochmann, Executive Director of Tinker Swiss Cottage, will share the history of this unique home and a tour will be included in the admission price.

The price for this event is be $20.00 and must be paid in advance on the website at www.hauntedrockford.com or by calling Kathi at 815-871-4239.

Both Terri and Kathi will have copies of their books for sale.

Please visit Terri's website: Terri Reid: www.terrireid.com.

"My Life Among Serial Killer Culture: Psychos, Murder, and Filmmaking" - A Lecture by John Borowski
November 9th             2:00PM

Tinker Swiss Cottage is excited to bring back Award Winning Filmmaker and Author, John Borowski!
 
Borowski has created this brand new lecture as a multimedia and hands on presentation experience as he relates his strange experiences with infamous cases and the killers themselves. Included is the history of some of the world’s most heinous serial killers and how Borowski became interested in making films about their lives.
 
This lecture will take place on Saturday November 9th in the lower level of the Tinker Barn from 2-4pm. Tickets are available through our gift shop and website.

Victorian Light Party
Murder Mystery
​November 15th   6:00PM

Rose is hosting her first Victorian Light party! The first house in town to have electricity, all of Rockford's elite are in attendance. Known for her flair for over-the-top events, everyone has decided to attend, either out of respect for the hostess, curiosity of electricity, or for the chance to socialize with the upper echelon of Rockford society. 

Unfortunately for the happy party goers, no one knows that there is a killer in their midst who plans to strike tonight!
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

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