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January 2024 by Lisa V.
This little museum had some memorabilia on Hans Christian Andersen'a famous works. A set of plates with the fairy tales in them, a bust of him, books about his life and times, a miniature replica of his childhood home. There is a $5 donation and counter but there was no one manning it when we were there. It would have been helpful to have someone to ask questions of or tell some of the history. This was a cute 10 minute walk through.
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December 2023 by Yula K.
Definitely more of a children's book store than a museum. It was still interesting to walk through as I did not realize that he wrote so many classics, but as someone who is not a big Disney fan I was a bit underwhelmed. It is free admission so still worth perusing while visiting Solvang, but for all the hype this man gets across town I thought the museum would be a little more lively
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October 2023 by ra l.
A typical bookstore/ library. Nice location and a nice spot to just take a break from all the walking and hustle and bustle of Solvang tourist stuff.
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September 2023 by Jason R.
Not a whole lot to see here. Stop in and spend 10-15 minutes. The woman working was doing a good job at sharing her enthusiasm about him with the visitors. Thankfully, no fee to enter. I think a basket for donations would be a good idea.
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August 2023 by Stephanie Kill
Great museum and bookstore down below!!
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June 2023 by alan royse
Parking: same as most of the downtown.Entry: it's freeThe museum is just the top floor of the bookstore, you just walk right in, it's a lure to get you to buy their books, they have a lot of Anderson books, a bust and other things.
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May 2023 by Alexis B.
The Hans Christian Andersen Museum is located upstairs in the Book Loft bookstore, and it's a small, but cute little museum dedicated to the author. They have a sculpture of him, a doll house model of his home, information about him, and lots of his books! Free to visit and cute. Worth a stop if you're nearby.
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May 2023 by Rachelle P.
"To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, To gain all while you give, To roam the roads of lands remote: To travel is to live." ~Hans Christian AndersenMy husband and I decided to visit the museum while we were in Solvang to learn more about this famous Danish author! Hans Christian Andersen lived in the slums of Odense in a small yellow half-timbered home. His father Hans Andersen was a cobbler and his mother, Anne Marie Andersdatter was a washerwoman. At 14, with a great imagination for storytelling, he decided to move to Copenhagen and ended up becoming one of the most famous authors in the world!! Although he didn't marry, he had many friends and supporters of his work! He tragically died of liver cancer at the ripe old age of 70. His most famous books that we grew up with and then passed down to our children, Thumbelina, The Princess and the Pea, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Ugly Duckling, The Tinderbox, The Little Match Girl, The Snow Queen and The Little Mermaid! His stories even got the attention of Disney, The Snow Queen inspired them to make the movie Frozen! The most famous was The Little Mermaid, inspired by his fairytale written in 1836! Warner Brothers made my personal favorite movie inspired by his fairytale, Thumbelina! I would HIGHLY recommend visiting this museum, it's located upstairs and admission is free! They have a donation box in the museum as well. The Book Loft is located downstairs! While your in Solvang, make sure to check out The Little Mermaid Fountain! This is the bronze replica of Copenhagen's most famous tourist attraction, The Little Mermaid Statue!
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May 2023 by Jami S.
Cute little bookstore! The exhibit is upstairs. No elevator. Definitely a fun little place to visit!
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April 2023 by Nina R.
This museum is really just a partial upstairs of a bookstore, so manage your expectations accordingly. But admission is free and it's a nice way to spend 15 or so minutes. The replica of HCA's house is very cute. There is a tiny mouse in the visible portion of the attic, which made me chuckle.
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February 2023 by Bruce Brady
The life story of Hans is presented, with numerous books on display and some photos & paintings. It was disappointing that the museum did not have information on the collaberation of Edvard & Nina Grieg setting music to four of Anderson's poems, or of other contemporary composers who admired Andersons poems & stories. A highlight for me was a photo of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark making dresses for "The Wild Swans" movie, based on one of Anderson's stories. The museum is on the 2nd story of a pretty well-stocked bookstore.
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January 2023 by Jo W.
Free museum and a total treat for Hans Christian Andersen enthusiasts. I had spent a semester in college studying, analyzing, and writing papers on Andersen's works, so I was really excited to stop by here in Solvang. It's here because:1. HCA was born in Denmark2. Solvang was founded by Danish Americans from the Midwest who purchased 9000 acres in 1910 to establish a Danish colony and folk school. Solvang means "Sunny Field" in Danish3. Kathy and Gary Mullins, the owners of The Book Loft, established the non profit Ugly Duckling Foundation in 1989 and donated the books and artifacts for the exhibits and the operating capital and space for the HCA Museum.The museum is on the second floor of the bookstore The Book Loft. It's really just one large room full of shelves and display cases, a large HCA bust statue, and of course, there's books of Andersen's works for sale on the shelves. It's free to visit, and has a lot of posterboards with details about Andersen's life.Definitely worth a quick visit for fairy tale lovers.
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December 2022 by Leland S.
I've heard of Little Mermaid and all but little did I know the genius behind not only that story but others as well! Here was my experience.AMBIANCE:Parking: Street parking. It all depends on the time and any weekend of events you have. Exhibit: It's pretty much a bookstore. You get a wide range of books for fiction to non-fiction, plenty of board games, art, and nice informative displays and artifacts of the legend, Hans Christian Anderson!TL;DR OVERALL:4.5 stars. Fantastic! I appreciated this place. I learned a little bit about the legend and appreciated the wide range of books. It's more of a bookstore than a museum in my opinion but regardless, I enjoy its charm. If there were more reading spots, I wouldn't mind hanging out here. Regardless if you're a bookworm or not, do check this place out to learn a thing or two about Hans' work.Tips:* Check their website for events
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November 2022 by Serhiy Skrypka
Pretty cool and unique library. Very good selections and well organized shelfs. Tourists can purchase some of the originals books.
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September 2022 by John Z
If you like these fairy tales from Andersen, you will not want to miss this small museum and bookstore. It’s free to public. The museum is on second floor when the bookstore is on the street level. There’s no restroom for public usage. But you can find it in nearby park which is only a few steps away.
