Johnstown Flood Museum
Johnstown Flood Museum
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
About
On May 31, 1889, a neglected dam and a phenomenal storm led to a catastrophe in which 2,209 people died. It’s a story of great tragedy, but also of triumphant recovery. Visit the Johnstown Flood Museum, which is operated by the Johnstown Area Heritage Association, to find out more about this shocking episode in American history. It features an Academy Award-winning documentary, artifacts, exhibits and more.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
330 reviews
Excellent
152
Very good
131
Average
39
Poor
6
Terrible
2
Steve H
Findlay, OH9 contributions
Jul 2021
The documentary was well done and worthy of the accolades it has received and was the best part of the visit. The museum itself lays out the basic story of the circumstances leading up to the flood as well as the flood and the aftermath. I can't say that I was overwhelmed with the museum but it was worth the time and money.
Written 16 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mjshss2
Seaford, DE195 contributions
Aug 2021
In 1889, an earthen dam broke after heavy rains upstream, flooding Johnstown and killing 2200 people. There is a model of the area, showing the path of the water and an excellent movie that explains what happened and the aftermath. There are lots of pictures and some memorabilia from the time. It was interesting to learn that this was Clara Barton's and the Red Cross' first large disaster. Also interesting to learn that rich families like the Carnegies and Melons had gotten the land from the State and built an exclusive club there for 20 some wealthy families. They built Summer homes there, canoed, fish, swam and hunted. But what they didn't do is spend money to repair and maintain the earthen dam. When so much rain fell, the dam broke, sending a torrent of water downstream to Johnstown. There was little warning, as telegraph lines were out. And none of the wealthy were ever indicted for causing the deaths of 2200 people. Ninety nine entire families were wiped out.
Very tragic. The museum has done an excellent job of depict5ing this tragic event.
Very tragic. The museum has done an excellent job of depict5ing this tragic event.
Written 10 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael D
Berryville, VA68 contributions
Jun 2020 • Friends
Very nice displays regarding the 1889 flood, with an electronic map, a very good film, and artifacts recovered from the flood. It's small, but well cared for, clean, and laid out in a nice timeline. It's worth an hour.
Written 20 June 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Treyflyrod
Cincinnati27 contributions
Jun 2021
I have visited Johnstown in the past during a field trip while in college. It was an enlightening story then and it was even more enlightening this time with the museum and the film. What a catastrophe the flood was, a neglected dam involving 1880's elite and their retreat from Pittsburgh and the employees and families from the steel town of Johnstown who ultimately provided some of the resources to finance the sporting club and getaway for the owners of the mills.
Written 4 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gail Goldman
Hartsdale, NY1,079 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
This museum offers very little and not even a brochure was available.
The fees were ridiculous even for senior citizens.
You can easily read about the Johnstown Flood and see many of the same pictures online. The exhibits were poorly displayed and only at the end did I gain some real insight or history.
Very very disappointing.
The fees were ridiculous even for senior citizens.
You can easily read about the Johnstown Flood and see many of the same pictures online. The exhibits were poorly displayed and only at the end did I gain some real insight or history.
Very very disappointing.
Written 14 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jennifer
Hinesville, GA2 contributions
Jul 2022
Johnstown is my mother's home town until she was 12. After 67 years, she made a short visit while we were in the area. I remember reading books as a child about the flood. The museum and exhibits were insightful, highlighting the tragedy as well as the resilience of the population. I encourage anyone to spend a few minutes reading and seeing the history behind the Johnstown flood. NOTE: parking nearby is limited and the gift shop in small.
Written 6 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LarryB3451
Washington5 contributions
Nov 2024 • Couples
We heard little bits about this flood in our history books and from the Clara Barton House in MD. So when we realized we were only an hour for this museum, we decided to visit. We had a great tour from Don. He walked us through the panorama exhibit to give us perspective of the flood and areas affected and added stories from his grandparents and oral histories reported in the papers. He quickly walked us through other parts of the museum identifying highlights and pointing out the windows to show us where events happened. It helped us understand way more than we would have on our own. Overall, the exhibits are well curated, but the tour made it even better (tour included with admission) We spent about an hour after the tour going through a few of the exhibits. Super glad we went to this museum.
Written 23 November 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kunfushuss
Pennsylvania481 contributions
Nov 2023 • Solo
I visited this a few weeks after going to the National Memorial site. Neither is fantastic. Both have short films (20-30 mins?) as their main attraction. The Johnstown flood of 1889 is worth knowing about and remembering, and these two sites might be the best physical places to learn more, but there's just not much to see at either. In particular at the museum, the second floor is the movie and nothing else publicly accessible, the third floor is an empty gym with a few small displays at the end, and the first floor has about 15 minutes' worth of artifacts and articles. There's a small temporary house on display to the side of the museum. I wouldn't go out of my way for this museum, but when in Rome...
Written 14 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rise' K
49 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
We visited the flood museum on July 1. Very interesting place! Tells the story of the tragic 1889 disaster that killed over 2000 people in a very short time span. A movie, lots of displays, artifacts, and little museum signs to read. A fascinating look at the details of the event, that you were never taught in school. Worth the visit.
Written 1 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cynthia P
San Jose, CA2,221 contributions
Aug 2021
The 1899 Johnstown Flood was a tragedy with over 2000 people dying. The movie is nicely done although I would have liked more on the back story. My husband, the civil engineer, liked the museum a bit more than I did. However, it was disappointing for both us. Note that parking is not close and it somewhat hazardous to walk to the museum.
Written 2 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
How much time is needed to go through the museum slowly?
Written 1 October 2016
It will take a good two hours to visit the Flood Museum, which includes the Academy Award winning documentary film. In addition to get the full story of the Flood, you will want to visit the Flood Memorial National Park out at St. Michael's which is about a 20 minute drive from Johnstown, there you can still see the remains of the dam and you will have the opportunity to see another film...this one a little "darker" (allow about 3-4 hours to do this...take a picnic, the grounds are nice). That's where the dam broke and the story begins. Also in Johnstown, included with your admission price to the flood museum is access to the Wagner Ritter House and the Johnstown Heritage Center and Children's Museum about a mile away, in the "Cambria City" section of town, (can get a little confusing for out of towners...you are still in Johnstown, they just call it Cambria City) which tells the story of Eastern European settlement and immigration to south central Pennsylvania. If you are confined to Johnstown, by all means take the Inclined Plane up to Westmont and walk about 1/2 mile to Grandview Cemetery to see the plot of the unknown. Grandview is a great "park style" cemetery with a truly grand view, particularly in the fall, lots of interesting head stones and mausoleums. It's a good place to run! At the top of the Incline you will find Asiago's Italian Restaurant, moderate to affordable prices with a great view of downtown. Enjoy downtown, you can also stop in at the Crown American Building (Michael Graves, arch.) and then go to see Fallingwater (F.L. Wright) about 50 miles south, it's the home you've always read about in art appreciation classes--worth the drive and visit, [fee and advanced reservation required--check on line].
Written 2 October 2016
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