Vent Haven Museum

An amazing rotating collection that spans the history of ventriloquism. My first visit and I will be back again to see what has been added. A very nice building and knowledgeable docent/curator. The building only accommodates small groups in each room, but there are plenty of opportunities to take pictures and ask questions. I would have preferred that some of the commentaries were not so biased with personal philosophies. Other than that, it was an enjoyable afternoon viewing this vast collection.

What??? You don't know about this place? Okay, it's off the beaten path, but apparently it's the only museum for ventriloquists' dummies in the U.S. Over 900 dummies were collected by the now-passed owner. Now a curated selection is displayed and lovingly tended by a small and devoted following. Some people are creeped out by dummies, but we found it fascinating. Well worth it!

I'd heard about the Vent Haven ventriloquist museum for years and always thought it was just a museum with shelves of dusty "dolls" to view. Wrong! The Vent Haven is a very intimate space full of history, humor and full of color and characters. The curator and tour guide, Lisa, has tons of great insight and fantastic stories about the various dummies as well as the performers who controlled them (or is it the other way around...?). Tours are by reservation only, donations are appreciated (and worth it to support the museum) and at the end you can get some nice souvenirs like tee shirts, mugs and magnets. So stop letting people pull your strings and head over to Vent Haven!

Smokers and spitters, wigglers and winkers, nudgers and knee lifters, hair raisers and hand shakers: they've got 'em all in the 800+ collection of ventriloquist figures at the Vent Haven Museum.Located in an unsuspecting neighborhood in Fort Mitchell, right off of Dixie Highway, Vent Haven opened in 1973 after a long-time, colorful beginning. The museum's founder, William Shakespeare Berger, bought his first dummy in New York City in 1910. He wasn't a ventriloquist, just a lover of Vaudeville. This dummy, Tommy Baloney, sat in storage for 20 years until Berger pulled him out at a holiday party. Since 1930, dummies began to fill the Berger household, taking over the bedrooms, dining room, and eventually spilling out into the garage.Berger passed away in 1972 with a collection of over 500 dummies. His property was put into a charitable foundation and dedicated as a three-building museum the following year. The only ventriloquist museum in the world, this institution receives 1,200 guests a year.With wall-to-wall figures and thousands of photographs, there is a favorite for everyone at Vent Haven. From modern plush puppets to the oldest wooden dummy dating back to 1820, this museum really does have it all.The figures I enjoyed most were:- the early 1800s models with real glass eyes, human hair, and real teeth- a trunk of dummies that washed ashore after the performer died in a tragic ship accident - a female dummy whose chest moved up and down - dummies that could walk - dummies made in CincinnatiJen, the curator, gave an in depth description of the history, the details of each style, and even showed us the inner workings of a dummy, from the way its head screwed on to how levers were made from day-to-day household parts. At the end of the tour, there is an adorable photo op where your group can get pictures taken with a room full of dummies. A perfect ending to a one-of-a-kind experience, Vent Haven is a museum that everyone should make a pilgrimage to see.Viewing time: 90 minutesPrice: $5.00 per personCall to schedule a visit. (The curator lives on site and is very accommodating, but they discourage people randomly stopping by without notice.)

This is a must-see museum for anyone - regardless of your knowledge of ventriloquism. The Curator, Lisa Sweasy, is engaging and her knowledge seems to be boundless. Lisa responds quickly to inquiries and scheduling questions. It's a fascinating look at entertainment history and development and well worth an afternoon's visit.

kinda cool but creepy at the same time. I never knew they were here, just happened upon them, and had to ask what it was. I would make this a must do on local stops, its a quick small little stop.

I have only just heard about this place, and I gotta go there! A ventriloquist dummies museum!!!! How awesome is that!!! As soon as I get off work, I'm calling the proprietor of this place and making a reservation! Dang!

A unique experience awaits! The only museum dedicated to the art ventriloquism. Step through the doors in each of the three buildings and your mind will be blown by the shear amount and variety of the dummies in thecollection. You won't know where to look first! Are you scared? Intrigued? Fascinated?! You will be all this and more! Your tour will be guided by the passionate twenty one year veteran curator Lisa! Her stories alone are worth the journey. She is knowledgeable and extremely entertaining! If you are passing through the Cincinnati area this summer make a stop in Fort Mitchell KY. Totally worth seeing in its original state before the September 2021 modern upgrade... the Dummies are waiting for you!

Went to Vent Haven May 2018 with a group of tennis friends for a girls night out. One of the girls in the group had happened upon the coffee table book showing some of the collection at Vent Haven Museum. We thought it would be fun. The tour cost $10 per person. It's well worth it. The curator was extremely knowledgeable and very personable. I found myself very interested in the history and all of the "dummies" in the collection. You do have to make reservations and it is only open during the months where heat is not required. It's a fun tour we were there about an hour and a half.

I cannot add much to Paige's great review.The curator is a wealth of knowledge and very upbeat. She added greatly to our tour and can answer any question.I will be back for another visit.