Took the tram tour and it was really worth the money, guide very knowledgeable and we learned so much about the town and the history. Really enjoyed it!
Our guide, Seth, was knowledgeable and interesting. The story of this town is really fascinating, and he showed us inside of many homes and locations. It was fabulous.
we happened to arrive at the Atheneum just before 2pm--which was very convenient since they do only two walking tours a day: at 10:am and 2pm. This tour was very comprehensive and gave a good overview of the two intentional communities that founded New Harmony. Our only complaint was that there is a very interesting museum that contains many interesting original drawings/lithographs of Karl Bodmer that the tour spends a very limited time in, but cannot be visited at leisure at any other time. Too bad it is kept closed. Since this tour covers an extensive area of the town, one must be prepared to walk for a couple of hours--there are few places to sit down.
We took the 10 am walking tour. It was $18 but was well worth it. There is 2pm tour also. Wonderful tour of the town, and you get to go inside historic buildings not open to the public - The Granary, Community House #2, Lenz House, Maximilian - Bodmer Exhibit. The tour took 2 hours and our guide Marlene was excellent.
Terry our tour guide gave us a wonderful start on our tour of New Harmony. This is a fascinating town.
My wife and I decided to take an unplanned road trip on a whim. We ended up deciding to check out New Harmony, IN. The toll bridge from Illinois was closed so we took the I-64 bridge north of town. When we arrived at the west end of town we were surprised to see a large white tile and glass building. You are naturaly drawn to this out of place creation. We went inside and were greeted by a knowledgable fellow who gave me an overview of the muesuem and the town while my wife and son explored the building. There is a great scaled down model of the original settlement and displays of good information about the ideas held by the founders. We had the option to rent a golf cart for 15 bucks an hour but decided to drive our car. They have a big chalkboard at the entrance that you can write down your idea of utopia. Worth a visit for sure.
If you just walk inside the building and read, you'll probably be disappointed. When they tell you that the tour is 18$ (15 for seniors or AAA) you gasped. Take the tour. 2 hours of knowledge from SIU college kids that brings the history of Harmonists and Owenites and new harmony to life.
The magnitude & stark white appearance of this beautiful modern building was a lovely contrast against the large green lawn it stands on, & among the historical buildings in New Harmony. Volunteer staff was fantastic.
This should be your first stop when visiting New Harmony. The staff, can tell you anything you would like to know about the local sites & attractions. The one thing, I did not like was; the lack of locally produced art, in the gift shop.
We arrived just wanting to get a little information. After speaking with the staff we decided to take the tour. It was a walking tour of the older parts of town and included several buildings. It was very informative and we learned a lot about the history. One tip, make sure and take advantage of the available discounts. even though we are older we are still in college and were able to get tour tickets for $5 instead of the regular $18.