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Gladbrook, Iowa: Matchstick Marvels Museum

RoadsideAmerica.com Team Field Report

Address:
319 2nd St., Gladbrook, IA
Directions:
From Hwy 96/W. 8th St. in town, turn north onto Gould St. Drive north six blocks. You'll see the museum on the left, on the northwest corner of Gould and 2nd Sts.
Hours:
April-Nov. daily 1-5, off-season by appt. (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
Phone:
641-473-2410
Admission:
Adults $5.00
RA Rates:
Major Fun
Save to My Sights

Matchstick Marvels Museum.

Matchstick Marvels Museum

Pat Acton builds impressively-detailed, giant models of buildings, spaceships, whatever, out of hundreds of thousands of wooden matchsticks.

Roadsideamerica.com Report... [01/10/2016]

Visitor Tips and News About Matchstick Marvels Museum

Reports and tips from RoadsideAmerica.com visitors and Roadside America mobile tipsters. Some tips may not be verified. Submit your own tip.

Matchstick dinosaur.

Matchstick Marvels

At Matchstick Marvels, ask for them to turn off the lights so you can see the glow in the matchstick U.S. Capitol!

[Bianca Giron, 11/18/2019]

Notre Dame Cathedral in matchsticks.

Matchstick Marvels Museum

The fire that gutted Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on April 15, 2019 has led to unintended consequences half a world away, boosting interest in a museum in the farm town of Gladbrook, Iowa. According to local news reports, "tons of people" have called the Matchstick Marvels Museum wanting to see its Notre Dame Cathedral replica. The obsessively detailed mega-miniature was built by local resident Pat Acton, and completed in time for Easter 2012. It took him 20 months to glue together nearly 300,000 wood matchsticks into what may be the best version of Notre Dame that tourists can see until the real one reopens in 2025.

[RoadsideAmerica.com Team, 04/21/2019]

Matchstick battleship.

Matchstick Marvels Museum

Truly a marvel! Nearly any hobbyist will adore this place. Prepare to spend at least a half hour to an hour (or more) peering in fascination at these sculptures. The sheer number of hours spent creating these well-scaled masterpieces and the number of matchsticks used (millions!) is mind boggling. If you have an appreciation for engineering, architecture, or math...go! If you ever played with Lincoln Logs or Legos...go!

[Zoe Roberts, 07/13/2014]

Matchstick Marvel.

Matchstick Marvels Museum

Fantastic! Currently there is Minas Tirith from the Lord of the Rings, about 10 feet tall and meticulously detailed. You can even trace the path to each level. The artist displays big pieces here for a while before selling. Last year (2010) it was Hogwarts.

[Deb, 08/12/2011]

Nearby Offbeat Places

World's 2nd Largest Collection of Salt and Pepper ShakersWorld's 2nd Largest Collection of Salt and Pepper Shakers, Traer, IA - 13 mi.
Butter Cow StatueButter Cow Statue, Toledo, IA - 15 mi.
Spritzing Elephants and CrocodileSpritzing Elephants and Crocodile, Marshalltown, IA - 15 mi.
In the region:
Largest Dutch Windmill In the U.S., Pella, IA - 55 mi.

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