Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass

Tucked along Neenah’s lakeside streets, the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass is the sort of place you stumble into and wonder how it’s managed to stay such a well-kept secret. The museum lives inside a stately old home that feels more like a friend’s parlor than an institutional gallery—the kind of place where sunlight catches on crystal edges and time slows down. Here, glass is not just an art form but a living language. The centerpiece collection—hundreds of intricate millefiori paperweights spanning continents and centuries—draws you into a world where Italian artisanship rubs shoulders with American innovation. Victorian vases and antique German drinking vessels sit in quiet dialogue with contemporary studio glass, linking Fox Valley’s present to the grand traditions of European craftsmanship. On any given day, you’ll find locals dropping by for a meditative wander or parents corralling curious children through glimmering displays. Nearby school groups gather around the hands-on studio, where anyone from retirees to high schoolers tries their hand at flame-working or kiln-forming. It’s this blend—serious scholarship, playful creativity, and community education—that makes the museum more than just an art stop; it’s a cultural anchor for Neenah, connecting generations through the alchemy of glass. What stands out most is the generosity: admission is free, a rarity that draws everyone from casual browsers to art aficionados. The staff are genuinely passionate—ready with stories about European glasshouses or tips on local artists whose works fill the gift shop. While its scale is intimate (you can see everything in an hour), its impact lingers far longer. In a region better known for industry and paper mills, this museum quietly preserves—and reinvents—a global tradition, offering Fox Valley residents and visiting Midwesterners alike a chance to see beauty refracted through history.