Minnetrista Museum & Gardens
A forty-acre campus connects Ball family homes, design and industry, changing exhibitions, gardens, nature, and the Bob Ross Experience without pretending they are one simple narrative.
Artwork inspired by Maude Kaufman Eggemeyer
Minnetrista occupies land associated with the Ball family, whose glass-container industry transformed Muncie. Historic homes and archives connect private life, philanthropy, labor, design, and city growth; gardens and the White River landscape show how the campus changed afterward. The Bob Ross Experience occupies the restored television studio house and is an affectionate highlight, but it is one thread within a broader regional institution.
Admission covers the Center Building, Oakhurst, and Bob Ross Experience, while the outdoor grounds can support a shorter free visit when indoor exhibits are closed. Check what is open, then pair one Ball-industry story with one garden or nature-area walk. Farmers markets and festivals significantly alter both atmosphere and parking, so visitors seeking close museum attention should choose a quieter period.
- Campus
- 40 acres
- Historic anchor
- Ball family homes
- Television site
- Bob Ross Experience
Quick guide
- Begin with Muncie
- Use Ball manufacturing to understand why this campus and its collections exist.
- Enter Oakhurst
- Read rooms and grounds as evidence of family life, design, labor, and philanthropy.
How to connect jars, houses, television, and land
- Begin with Muncie
- Use Ball manufacturing to understand why this campus and its collections exist.
- Enter Oakhurst
- Read rooms and grounds as evidence of family life, design, labor, and philanthropy.
- Place Bob Ross
- Enjoy the studio while connecting public television craft to a specific working room.
- Walk the White River
- Let gardens and nature areas show how an industrial legacy became civic landscape.
Good to know
Indoor exhibitions open Wednesday–Saturday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday noon–5 p.m.; Monday and Tuesday are closed. General admission is paid, with lower local-resident and child rates, while the gardens and nature area are free and remain open longer on a seasonal schedule. Free parking is available across the campus. Paved routes serve major buildings and gardens, but the nature area includes hills and rugged terrain.
Notice these
- Oakhurst mansion
- Bob Ross television studio
- Gardens and nature area