The mature trees surrounding Tinkertown Museum do a good job hiding it from the traffic on NM Hwy 536. You don’t see the buildings at 121 Sandia Crest Rd until you turn into the parking lot and drive down the short hill.
But when you see the glass bottle walls, the eclectic art surrounding the parking lot, and the wagon being pulled by flying horses, you know you have arrived.
We visited the Tinkertown Museum on a Saturday afternoon in mid-June 2022. The wildfires had put a stop to our original hiking plans, and Tinkertown was on our list of places to visit. We were happy to learn they were open.
New Mexico Hwy 536 was closed on the north end due to the fires, so we took the longer route, on I-25, approaching Sandia Park from the south. Even though it was longer, it was faster than driving past the Sandia Cave through the Cibola National Forest.
The Tinktertown experience begins in the parking lot. There you will find the most unexpected items in the stone and glass bottle walls. Look for the red wagon, railroad spikes, and a vulture!
Get Your Tickets Here
There are signs and yellow arrows in the parking lot and the area surrounding the museum. All point toward the museum entrance. As you follow the arrows, be sure to watch for vultures! There are several outside the museum, keeping their eyes on you. If you look closely, you may see another bird far from home.
After passing through the archway, we walked through the inner courtyard toward the ticketing area. Sitting on a pink tractor seat stool behind a tall school-style desk was Carla Ward. Carla runs the museum with the help of family and close friends.
Carla’s husband, Ross, was a painter, sculptor, and carver. In 1983, after 20 years of carving unique characters and collecting odd and curious items, the Wards opened Tinkertown Museum. Carla told us this was not Ross’s original plan when he began carving the citizens of Tinkertown.
As one of the signs in the museum states,
Tinkertown was begun as a hobby in 1962. It was not intended as a public display until your interest helped build our museum.
The Old West – Tinkertown Style
The first large exhibit is an active western town filled with fun characters doing everything from shoeing horses in the blacksmith’s stables to serving drinks in the saloon. Several buttons in the front of the display can be pressed to bring special characters to life.
A family with small children was at the display when we arrived. They were looking through the glass, squealing with excitement as they pushed the buttons and watched to see which little characters started to move.
Most citizens are people you would expect to see in a western town. There are cowboys, blacksmiths, barbers, and saloon patrons. Be sure to look closely and see if you can find a few characters you wouldn’t expect to see in the old west.
According to their website, Tinkertown is always a work in progress. Looking closely at this exhibit and others throughout the museum, you can see the layers upon layers of collectibles and hand-made carvings that have been added to the museum since the doors opened nearly 40 years ago.
Under The Big Top
The next large exhibit is Fearless Fred’s Famous Flying Circus. Again, the display case is filled with every character you could imagine seeing under the big top and along the midway. The circus exhibit also features circus-related items Ross Ward collected over the years.
Follow The Arrows
There are arrows on the walls that guide you through the museum and make it easy to travel from one display to the next. The 22 rooms and passageways are filled with unique collections of wood-carved figures, glass bottles, your grandparent’s toys, and fun signboards.
One of the smaller rooms contains a table, strips of paper, and pencils. The sign in that room encourages the visitor to write a message on the strip of paper and slip it into the open end of a bottle encased in the wall.
Many of the bottles were filled with these messages. It was easy to see that this activity was a favorite of the children visitingTinkertown.
The Voyage of the Theodora R
Following the arrows, we stepped outside and walked along a wooden bridge to the sailboat ‘docked’ in the woods.
The Theodora R was constructed in Maldon, England in 1936. It was docked in Florida when Fritz Damler bought it in 1981. Shortly after that, he set off on a 10-year voyage around the world.
In addition to a boathouse, the display contains a large map showing the route and pictures Captain Damler took in the many ports he visited.
According to Captain Damler, Ross and Carla Ward approached him about moving it to Tinker Town when he was unable to sell it after it was damaged in port and was no longer ‘seaworthy.’
The display is very popular with visitors, who express surprise seeing a sailboat in the Cibola National Forest.
Ross Ward’s Special Car
In the courtyard area of Tinkertown Museum, there is a car covered in pennies, stickers, and drawings. The inside and the roof are filled with unique collectibles. While we were looking at it, Carla Ward walked over and told us how this ‘Art Car’ project started.
Her husband, Ross, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease at age 57. As it progressed, he started having trouble driving and remembering directions. To discourage Ross from taking his favorite vehicle on the road, Carla suggested he turn it into a piece of art for the museum. Ross liked the idea, and transforming the car became his new project. He never drove again.
My father had Alzheimer’s, and I shared with Carla how hard it was for him to give up his car keys.
A Family-Friendly ‘Must-See’
If you are planning a trip to the Albuquerque, New Mexico area, be sure to stop by Tinkertown Museum. Plan on spending about two hours there to fully experience and enjoy the whimsical and one-of-a-kind displays.
We have posted several videos of the animation displays on our YouTube Channel. Click here for a sampling.
Peggy Staver, the author of this blog, is a freelance copywriter specializing in outdoor recreation and hospitality. You can contact her at PSCopywriting.com. The majority of photos are taken by Photography by Andreas.
If you would like to subscribe to our blog, please complete the form below.