mary g hardin center for cultural arts

Gadaboutdowntown

With 30 Christmas Trees decorated in the theme of Rock 'n Roll by area elementary schools and the "Let It Snow" exhibit in Imagination Place. This was a morning well spent. After lunch downtown, we returned and played some more. There is also an 80" long train set to watch.At $6 it was a bargain. Lots to do and you can come and go all day long.

MarBer1971

Very small and not much to see. Took my 4yo son to a How Toys Work exhibit and was disappointed. Very few exhibits in a small area and several didn't work at all. Upstairs there is an amazing model train that runs through a replica of old Gadsden. That was neat, but really not much to see by way of exhibits.

dhardin

My husband and his friends had an event there. It was nice. The food was a little lame, but that may not have been the responsibility of the venue. The bar had good prices. The staff was helpful. The center is nicely located.

JimE782

I don't find local museums so well done. Most are under-whelming. But the MGHC is really special. The first clue? An escalator???Probably the only escalator within 65 miles...wth??? There is always a myriad of changing exhibits and they are GOOD! One outstanding and ever present exhibit is a 20-30' recreation of Gadsden in the 40's with a working train and very well scenicked details. I am always a MRR hobby fanatic. This is a VERY well detailed MRR layout. Cool because it shows the period with the old armed forces base, the closed steel plant and re-creations of historic sites. The MRR crew has done a great job with this! The center is only two blocks off the main US431 running north south. Give it only 20 minutes...you'll stay an hour!

lgarner110809

The Mary G. Hardin Center houses the Imagination Place, Cultural Arts restaurant, and is home to the Courtyard Concert Series. The Hardin Center is a great place for entertainment, food, fun, and families in Gadsden and surrounding areas. The Imagination Place is a wonderful place where my nieces always love pretending to shop, cook and play!

Gadaboutdowntown

I visited with my family on a Tuesday and was surprised to find out that they race turtles at 11 AM and 2 PM on Tuesdays. It was very fun and my kids enjoyed learning about the turtles. We went upstairs and there were beautiful photographs of local mountains and streams by Bill Witherspoon and we watched the model trains for a long time. They are really cool.

Condra14

From the traveling art exhibits to the children's hands-on exhibits, there is something for the entire family. It's easy to find and conveniently located in historic downtown Gadsden. Membership is very affordable and daily admission for non-members is a great value. It is worth the time. There is something for the entire family!

Gadaboutdowntown

My whole family loved the "Let It Snow" exhibit at the Hardin Center. Imaginatin Place out did itself with this family fun snowpocolypse. I will definitely bring the kids back next year.

JeanH425

The Mary G Hardin Center for Cultral Arts is located in downtown Gadsden AL. It is a very busy place. There are always exhibits on display. The Imagination Place for Children is located there. There is a restaurant Courtyard Cafe. As the name says there is a courtyard to eat in if the weather premits. There is a railroad train exhibit of the city of Gadsden and Alabama City always on display. It is an exact replicate of the two cities in the 60's. It is worth a visit to see and eat here!

Tastetester11

Small meeting rooms in front with nothing going on. Shows are few with and poorly done. Upstairs is ok with a nice permenant train set but unless you eating don't waste your time.

monjoy

The Hardin Center has exhibition space, a model railroad of Gadsden, a great restaurant, meeting and performance areas, a children's museum, dance studios, and a terrific youth symphony associated with it.There is always something going on at the Center. I don't know what we did in Gadsden before there was a Hardin Center.

GeorgeT266

2011 the largest GONE WITH THE WIND DISPLAY ever in the USA was thee for 6 months and over 20,000 people attended. There were lots of special events in connection wtih that and I was to all of them.