From teeny shampoo bottles to fingernail-sized food, practically anything that’s miniature is inherently adorable, but a large part of the small-scale world focuses on fine works of art (you can check out 19 of our favorite artists here). An entire museum in Grand Haven, Michigan, is dedicated to celebrating that art — and after being closed for the winter, the Midwest Miniatures Museum reopens today so visitors can once again marvel at all things mini.
The reopening comes with a second floor exhibit expansion that spotlights “some of the finest miniature artistry in the country,” according to a press release. Three new galleries, centered on maritime history, French architecture, and contemporary miniature art, feature pieces yet to be seen by the public that come from the esteemed Carole and Barry Kaye Collection.
And the main attraction in the expansion? A 10.5-foot-long model of the Titanic, crafted from 75,000 toothpicks.
“This expansion has been years in the making, and we couldn’t be more excited to finally share it with our guests,” said Chris Green, executive director of the museum. “The Carole and Barry Kaye Collection brings pieces of remarkable artistry and historical significance to our community. We are honored to be their stewards and so excited to begin sharing them with our visitors.”
Midwest Miniatures also boasts an array of exciting pieces in its permanent collection, which includes reproductions in four scales, ranging from 1:12 to 1:144. Visitors can find tiny replicas of van Gogh and Picasso paintings, knights in shining silver armor, and a model of Noah’s Ark, along with more than 200 Kachina dolls, historically accurate medical rooms, and a mid-century modern multi-story home.
Last summer, the museum acquired “The Julianna,” a four-story Victorian-style dollhouse with a poignant backstory. Julie Poland, its original creator, started working on it in the late ’80s as a high school student. Nearly two decades after her death at age 26, her family collaborated with artist Vicky Bickel to complete the house, a project that took seven years. Bickel added various details to honor Poland, including the address, which is the same number as her birth date, and a tiny version of her graduation photo that hangs in one of the bedrooms.
“There are no words,” Poland’s sister, Jenny Poland, told the Grand Haven Tribune in 2025. “You can’t put it into words [what it means] to have it finished in such a splendid manner. Julie would have loved it.”
The nearly 8,000-square-foot building that hosts the museum also has a notable history: Before it was bought and renovated, it was the Nathaniel and Esther Robbins House, the former home of a prominent Grand Haven businessman in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Built in 1899, it’s now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is considered the city’s “finest early Colonial Revival house,” per the registration form.
Want to experience this hub of history and artistry for yourself? The Midwest Miniatures Museum is now open Wednesdays to Sundays through Jan. 3, 2027, at which point it will close again for the second phase of its expansion. And if you can’t make it to Michigan, check out more photos of its minis here.
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