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March 2024 by Ben Martin
Love it. A real museum. Rich in history and artifacts
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November 2023 by Jay Borgen
We stopped in Askov looking for a restraunt. We were on scenic byway 23, and the town looked big enough for a restraunt. We were surprised when we saw a school bldg, with a sign that said crafts, antiques, and restraunt. Upon entering the museum was to the left entrance to the left. Straight ahead was the restraunt. The little mermaid, it had a lot of decorations, mermaid themed. We took had lunch , they are open for breakfast and lunch. I had the soup of the day and a half turkey sandwich. It was hard to call it half, as it was from a large slice of homemade sourdough bread. The soup was cheese burger stew, it was good. My wife had a burger with chips and the soup.After lunch, I spoke with the museum coordinator. She told me about how the county took over the school. They opened the museum, gift shop and restraunt. They have a few full time employees, but the rest are volunteers. We didn't have time for the museum ( it looked interesting from what I saw, and was told about), but we did go to the gift shop. I was talking to the shop manager. She informed that the art and crafts were by local artists. The antiques were spread throughout the space. They seemed to be reasonably priced and varied. I was impressed by the quality of the locally made jewelry and art.If you made it through this whole post, you can tell we had a good time visiting the place. I definitely recommend it.
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November 2023 by Jan Stone
By far the BEST County museum we have ever visited. They organized each area of interest with like things so you could focus on that subject matter before moving onto another grouping. The effort made to collect things of local signifance was outstanding. We saw so many things we had never seen before, we easily have could stayed another hour. The train room was impressive with two running trains. Like the other rooms and hallways the lights were motion activated as were the trains. The replica of the Wright brothers Flyer was a great way to finish the exhibit.Having The Mermaid Cafe in the same building allowed us to take a break midway for lunch.It was a GREAT way to spend a rainy day .
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July 2023 by Lexi Jensen
Thought we'd stop in and check the museum out. It absolutely blew our expectations out of the water!!! It is a big museum without being overwhelming. You get to see endless relics of history, big and small, all organized and themed within each room. It is quite the time-warp!! It is only $5 a person to get in, or $20 per family yearly pass.There is also an amazing gift shop where you can buy all kinds of old antiques and vintage items!! Locals will definitely appreciate the homage to the surrounding towns and counties. But it went WAY beyond that! We were absolutely in awe. This place will NOT disappoint. My guy and I are so anxious to bring the whole family here! Thank you to everybody who helped put together this museum! We cannot rave about it enough!!!
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July 2023 by Andrew Ryle
*** If you don’t have time to read my lengthy story, here’s the summary: TAKE YOURSELF AND FAMILY TO THE PINE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM IN ASKOV MN. You will not be disappointed!!!! ***Lexi and I went hiking today at Banning state park. A sign on the way there reminded her that she wanted to visit the Pine County Historical Society Museum in nearby Askov.Being the loving and supportive hubby-in-training that I strive to be, I squinted my eyes and reluctantly, but lovingly agreed. It was her first time to the quaint little town of Askov and I hadn’t visited there for at least… ahem… 20 years. I drove her around a bit to show her the unpronounceable street signs until we arrived at the museum. We eventually ended up at our destination… the old Askov elementary school. We also intended to have lunch afterwards at the adjoining Little Mermaid Cafe in the same building.We entered the main doors. The cafe on our right, the museum to our left. Lexi and I asked the gentleman at the desk admission price to the museum. He stated $5 per person. We paid and as we walked into the hallway of the old school building he stated “the lights will turn on as you enter each room and, oh, it’ll take you at least an hour to get through the entire museum. Here’s a self guided map”.Every room was a mind blowing snapshot into the past. Trinkets, tools, equipment, articles, clothing… Rooms were themed into school life, home life, work life, military, judicial, religious relics, music, appliances, farm, logging, transportation, toys…. The list goes on and on and on. Every room giving homage to those that came before us right here in Pine County with attention to the distinctions in municipalities and the families that built the towns and worked the land. I really can’t put it all in words nor pictures.Lexi and I agreed not to post too many pictures because we want you to discover so much for yourself. Please take your family there. Your folks and children alike.Tuesday-Saturday 10-3Sunday 12-3Closed Monday
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July 2023 by hrtlndv
We ate breakfast here on a Saturday and a Sunday. We were given the option to make a reservation. 10 am on the Saturday, it was very quiet. No reservations needed. Sunday it was packed. We still didn’t need a reservation, but we might have. Cook appeared pretty slow. Waitress responded immediately, but it took us a long time to get our meals. The omelets were delicious, but huge. They could easily be split between two people or maybe even more. We also had strawberry waffles. These were quite small, but very rich. Some of the best waffles I have ever had. We split the order one day and had our own the next. You get two small waffles. Because they were so rich, splitting them worked well for us. Almost like breakfast dessert. I also had the fried eggs, which were about a perfect sized meal. The rye bread was excellent. Homemade? The restaurant was right by the county museum. An excellent museum. Well worth some time.
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May 2023 by K3523LDtimothyk
This restaurant is in the Pine County Historical museum which is in the old high school. The cafe is in the old school cafeteria and has various antiques displayed plus old pictures of small towns that have disappeared. The staff is very friendly and prompt. The food was very good. We had omelets that were generous in size and fillings.
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September 2022 by Beth Powers
Great portions! Great food! Never dissapoints...
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September 2022 by JAB
The Pine County Historical Museum is a great display of many historical items. It is located in a former elementary school. Also there is an antique store and cafe in the building.
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September 2022 by Julia Near and Far
The Pine County Historical Museum is a great display of many historical items. It is located in a former elementary school. Also there is an antique store and cafe in the building.
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August 2022 by Tim Patterson
Great stop, a great amount of cool stuff and the $5 admission is a great deal.
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August 2022 by Anthony Haas
Solid Food, Awesome Staff and Great Big Portions.
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July 2022 by Laurie Rabe
It was very interesting & fun to see so many items from the past. The Mermaid Cafe had delicious food & the Waitress was very friendly!
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June 2022 by Lee Wiener
It’s always good food and great service with a smile
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June 2022 by Marie Baird-
The Little Mermaid Cafe is very open and clean! Excellent service and food. Then take a walk through the museum you will find a beautiful train and track set-up that shows this area. FUN!
