Hours, admission, parking and every current gallery at the museum on Main Street, from the Les Paul exhibit to the spring-water years.
Two Waukesha stories fill an old courthouse building on Main Street: the town's run as a spring-water resort and the life of Les Paul, the guitar inventor born here in 1915. The Waukesha County Museum at 101 West Main Street tells both, and it opens Wednesday to Friday from 1 to 4 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. Adult admission is $10.
Hours, admission and parking
The museum is open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 1 to 4 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm, and it is closed Sunday to Tuesday. It also closes over Memorial Day weekend, on July 4, from Thanksgiving Thursday to Saturday, and from December 24 to January 1.
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Admission is $10 for adults, $7 for students and $5 for children 6 to 12, and children 5 and under and members get in free. Field trips and private group tours cost $5 a person, with a 10-person minimum. The phone number is 262-521-2859.
For parking, the museum points visitors to street parking on Main Street, East Avenue and Martin Street, and to the city's Barstow lot one block west. Buses use the circle drive at the Main Street entrance. Travel Wisconsin's listing notes an elevator and accessible restrooms.
With only afternoon hours from Wednesday to Friday, Saturday is the day for a longer visit, since the doors open at 10 am and stay open until 4 pm. From May to October that also lines up with the Saturday farmers market by the Fox River, which runs from 8 am to noon a few blocks west.
The Wizard of Waukesha: the Les Paul exhibit
"The Wizard of Waukesha: The Amazing True Story of Les Paul" is one of six current exhibits. Les Paul was born Lester William Polsfuss in Waukesha on June 9, 1915, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society, and he went on to shape the electric guitar and multitrack recording.
The museum's listing describes displays of his early guitar inventions, including the instrument known as "The Log", and his pioneering recording equipment. Allow extra time here if anyone in your group plays guitar.
For his 110th birthday in June 2025, UpNorthNews reported a free museum day, demonstrations of his "Les Paulverizer" and a booth at Friday Night Live. Watch the museum's site for similar events around his June birthday.
Taking the Waters: the spring-water years
"Taking the Waters" covers Waukesha's spring-water era from 1868 to 1914. In those decades the town promoted its mineral springs, and a University of Wisconsin history site describes it being called "the Saratoga of the West".
The same history site counts more than 50 mineral springs in the county and more than 200 spring water companies over the era, with up to 25 trainloads of visitors a day at the peak.
The other galleries
The museum's current exhibits in 2026 also include "Freedom & Fashion: Waukesha Women Step Out in the 1920s", which looks at 1920s women's fashion. "LUST: Love Triangle Goes Wrong" tells a local love-triangle story, and "The Seeds We Sow" covers the county's farming legacy. "Trails to Wak-shta" rounds out the list.
Check the museum's home page for what is on before a return visit. Seasonal evenings happen too, such as a Night at the Museum with pumpkin painting and trick-or-treating in October 2026.
Les Paul around town
Les Paul is buried in Waukesha's Prairie Home Cemetery, where his mother is also buried, according to UpNorthNews. Downtown, Visit Waukesha describes 10-foot fiberglass guitars painted by local artists and history murals, part of the town's GuitarTown project.
A walk around downtown after your visit is a good way to look for them. The Waukesha Christmas Parade nodded to the GuitarTown nickname with its 2025 theme, "Jingle Bell Rock", TMJ4 reported.
The research center
The museum also runs the Huelsman Family Research Center for historical research. Visits are by appointment, and the museum's pages give differing Friday hours for the center, so call ahead to book and confirm.
Before or after your visit
The museum sits in the middle of downtown, and two listed stops are within a few minutes' walk.
The eight Friday Night Live stages and their drink rules are worth reading before a summer visit.
About 0.3 miles west on Main Street, the Almont art gallery shows work by 18 artists and sells jewelry and clothing.
On Saturday mornings from May to October, the riverside farmers market runs from 8 am to noon about 0.4 miles west, and the museum opens at 10 am.
A market morning and a museum afternoon pair well, and the Saturday market's vendors and season are easy to fold in.
The December parade passes along Main Street, and the 2026 Christmas parade on December 6 falls on a Sunday, when the museum is closed.
Retzer Nature Center's free trails and the town's pickleball courts are among what else Waukesha has.
Frequently asked questions
Published October 19, 2026
