Melba, Idaho: Cleo's Ferry Museum
Despite its name, this is an outdoor display. Cleo's Ferry Museum (formerly Pappy Swayne's Museum) includes a selection of mildly strange sculptures, one memorable totem pole, and Pappy's rather elaborate grave.
- Address:
- 2048 Hwy 45 S., Melba, ID
- Directions:
- About 15 miles south of Nampa on Hwy 45, just south of Ferry Road. Turn left (east) at Dan's Ferry Service before crossing the river.
- Hours:
- Summer daily 8-8, winter 9-5. Gated after hours. (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
- Phone:
- 208-495-2507
- Admission:
- Donation
- RA Rates:
- Worth a Detour
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Visitor Tips and News About Cleo's Ferry Museum
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Go! It's really cool, allow several hours, there is a lot of imaginative things to see. Folk art and some beautiful bronzes. Then eat at Cooks Two Hole Bar and Grill, great burgers and onion rings.
[Lucille, 05/06/2020]
Cleo's garden contains an astounding number of sculptures, trolls, and artifacts along a religious, mostly Catholic-themed walk of about a half-mile. This is part outsider art museum, part nature trail, part iconoclastic pet project, and a whole kitsch-filled faith adventure. There are lots of live peacocks around. There's even a grotto!
[peaceandchaos, 11/22/2017]Pappy Swayne's Museum is a rather eclectic assortment of sculptures, rock houses, religious and philosophical sayings, gardens, animals and antiques, nature walk and burial ground. After Swayne died in 1976, his widow began adding bronze pieces by artist Gary Price. Set alongside the Snake River the museum offers a whimsical view of almost everything in life. Peacocks strut through the property. A great place to take kids.
[Mike Maher, 06/16/2012]Nearby Offbeat Places



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Don't overlook the totem pole out front with what we assume is a life-size carving of bow-tied Pappy Swayne.