Philadelphia's Boy Robot - The Franklin Institute Automaton

Unerring is my hand, tho small,
may I not add with truth?
I do my best to please you all.
Encourage, then, my youth.

The above poem, though lovely in its own right, is made extraordinary by its author: a clockwork robot from 1810!

A Castle Full of Treasure: The Mercer Museum - Doylestown, Pa

   If you drive through Doylestown in Bucks County, you'll doubtless observe its many downtown shops and restaurants lining its well-kept streets.  As you leave the downtown area, the street widens as the shops give way to suburban homes with gardens, shrubbery, and front porches.  The skyline as you approach Pine Street, however, is abruptly disturbed by something dark and foreboding - a 6 story tall concrete castle.

Eddie's Toy Museum and Store - Sciota, Pa

Eddie's Toy Museum & Store

   Edwin Stanat is a man who likes to collect stuff... a lot of stuff... make that an unbelievable amount of stuff.  When Eddie, as he prefers to be called, finally collected over 10,000 toys, memorabilia, and commemorative items he set out to build a museum to house his personal collection.  In 1999 he purchased a building with over 5,000 square feet of open space, and began to design and construct a winding pathway of display cases which take visitors through his collections, which are arranged by theme and type.  Since construction of the museum was completed, an additional 11,000 items were added, bringing the collection to a staggering 21,000+ items!

The Coca Cola Stairway

The Coca-Cola stairway is the first stop on the tour.  As you wind through the passageways you'll see the world's largest collection of Dale Earnhardt memorabilia, as well as an enormous collection of all things motor-sports.  There are collections of cereal boxes and other classic consumer packaging, as well as advertisements, taxidermy animals, and of course, toys, toys, and more toys.