Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum and Gardens

A wonderful house to visit. As much a museum as a home tour with knowledgeable guides

The cottage exudes an enchanting ambiance, making it a captivating destination for those who appreciate history, art, and architecture. If you possess an affinity for these domains, your visit is bound to be a deeply rewarding experience!

My husband and I did the 3pm tour on Sunday and it was amazing! We started in the barn which is also a cute gift shop. The rest room was clean and the whole place smelled like fresh lumber. We were the only ones on the tour which gave it an extra spooky vibe which we loved. The tour guide was super knowledgeable and friendly. He pointed out neat things and explained local history. I love learning about eccentric people that just did their own thing- probably neurodivergent but nobody had the language back then. If you’re in Rockford, definitely check this place out!

The Tinker Swiss Cottage is an amazing Victorian home and museum. The library in particular is extraordinary. The history and preservation are great, but they also do a lot of paranormal events. Even for skeptics, the stories are fascinating.

1 of the best days I've ever had in Rockford. Great History. Amazing Mirrors!! You should go to this.

The Tinker place is absolutely gorgeous! The time and money (gold and diamond dusting anyone?!) they put into building this place is impressive. You don't see craftsmanship like that anymore in our boring house building day and age. Plus our Tour guide was amazing! So happy and pleased with how friendly and knowledgeable she was.

Definitely a must stop! Plan on about an hour and 1/2 here.

What a hidden gem in Rockford! Stephanie was an absolutely wonderful guide through our homeschool group tour. Although I’m not a native to Rockford, this museum boasts of rich and often forgotten history of our area.

Very interesting historic home and area to visit especially if you like the super natural . Lots of ghost stories about the home and even just walking around the property you just get this feeling . 👻

Closed for the day but we parked and grabbed a few pics real quick. Would definitely be interested in the tour sometime.

A beautiful historic home. We learned a lot on the comprehensive tour with a knowledgeable guide!

Hidden gem. Wonderfully restored historic home. Fascinating tour.

Very interesting home. Docent was very knowledgeable

The Tour was A wonderful experience. Knowing that over 97 percent of the furnishings are original to the cottage made it feel as though the occupants simply left the home never to return. The history of the Tinker & Manny families reads like a romance novel. It would make a great movie.
My guide Mary was extremely knowledgeable of the home and the family.

Kudos to Stephanie who welcomed me in the barn. She was extremely cordial.
This is a must see when visiting Rockford.

The detail in this house is astonishing. And that is an understatement. It’s worth the visit.

My autistic son has felt his world grow. This is not just nice words..... my son has always been into ghost adventures. He recently graduated at 21. Every mild stone was taken from him including the grad. Ceremony. After being throw into adult world .... this was his first real haunted experience. Your employees made him feel like he was the only one in the world that could done some of the equipment. After he said he would rather die because life was hard for him and he felt so alone.... I saw a spark. Thank you.

Delightful tour with our excellent docent, Mary. Such enthusiasm and knowledge! So glad I revisited (1st time was 50+ years ago)

This is definitely worth the roughly 90 mins. This is no “cottage” but really a sizable 3-story house with quite amazing details for its time, including a small circular wooden staircase to an incredible 2-story library. The tour guide was so knowledgeable. It’s great to support a group so dedicated to keeping history alive.

Beautiful ground, take my daily walk there often.

Curator led our small group because another employee couldn't be there. She did a wonderful job. She had a small child on her hip, and that little pumpkin did just fine. It was a win win day for everyone!

This is definitely a hidden gem in Rockford. The octagon shaped room is worth the trip on its own and the other artistry throughout the house has a very European feel. The tour guide spent a long time in each room and gave us ample details about the family. Visit soon!