Visit the Deke Slayton Memorial Space & Bicycle Museum in Sparta, Wisconsin
The Deke Slayton Memorial Space & Bicycle Museum tells a “Progression of Transportation” story starting with bicycles, going on to airplanes, and into space with over 70 bicycles on display, two full-size airplanes, a piece of the Wright Flyer fabric that has been to the moon, artifacts on loan from NASA, and Wisconsin’s only viewable piece of moon rock.
Visitor Info
Hours
10:00am - 4:00pm Tuesday - Saturday
Closed on holidays
Admission
Adults: $7.00
Seniors 65+: $6.00
Children ages 5 - 14: $5.00
Children 4 & under: Free
Members: Free
Location
200 W Main St
Sparta, WI 54656
Please note, the Deke Slayton Memorial Space & Bicycle Museum is on the second floor of the Museum Complex. Due to the building being constructed in 1923 and being on the National Register of Historic Places, there is neither an elevator nor assisted access to the second floor.
2 Museums, 1 Building
The Deke Slayton Memorial Space & Bicycle Museum is located on the second floor of the historic Masonic Temple in Sparta, Wisconsin. Housed on the first floor is the Monroe County Local History Room & Museum. The Masonic Temple was originally built in 1923. The Masons, after having used the building for 70 years, decided to move to a new facility in the early 1990s. The temple was purchased by Monroe County and became the Museum Complex as it is today. The Museum Complex is part of Sparta’s "Historic Four Corners." On each corner of the intersection there is a building on the National Register of Historic Places: Monroe County Courthouse, Museum Complex, Post Office, and Sparta Free Library.
For Kids at the Museum
Play Area for All Ages
We have a fantastic play area! Children and adults alike can try on an astronaut suit, make paper airplanes, play in our Mercury replica space capsule, and so much more! Newer additions to the play area include custom games and puzzles and a wall all about gravity. You’ll never want to leave the play area!
Have Your Birthday Party at the Museum
Do you need a great place to hold your child’s next birthday party? We offer two-hour time slots for the party on the day of your choice for only $50! The museum provides tables, chairs, a projector and large screen, sound system, and of course all the fantastic exhibits the museum has to offer. Your child and their birthday guests will have a blast trying on astronaut suits, comparing gravity on different planets, and seeing what Deke Slayton felt like in a replica of a Mercury space capsule! Contact the museum via email or by calling 608-269-0033 to reserve your spot today!
Rent a Space Suit for a School Project
Is your child doing a report on space travel, astronauts, or NASA? Give their project a boost by renting a space suit for them to wear! We have space suits in varying colors and sizes. For a $25 donation, choose the suit of your choice and help your child WOW everyone with their project. Contact the museum via email or by calling 608-269-0033 to rent a suit today!
For Groups at the Museum
Do you have a scout troop, community group, or club that would like to visit our museum? Contact the museum via email or by calling 608-269-0033; we will help create a unique visitor experience for your group!
Please note, the Deke Slayton Memorial Space & Bicycle Museum is on the second floor of the Museum Complex. Due to the building being constructed in 1923 and being on the National Register of Historic Places, there is neither an elevator nor assisted access to the second floor.
Education / School Programming
Plan a Visit for Your Class
- Choose a program from the options below and contact the museum via email or by calling 608-269-0033 to schedule your visit.
- There are 2 museums in the building, and you can visit both! The Deke Slayton Memorial Space & Bicycle Museum is on the second floor, and the Monroe County Local History Room & Museum is on the first floor. We often partner together with classes spending an hour in each museum.
- Admission for the Deke Slayton Memorial Space & Bicycle Museum is $2 per student. Admission can be paid the day of your visit with cash, check, or credit card, or we can send you an invoice.
- We have a gift shop, and students are welcome to purchase items during your visit.
- Please note, the Deke Slayton Memorial Space & Bicycle Museum is on the second floor of the Museum Complex. Due to the building being constructed in 1923 and being on the National Register of Historic Places, there is neither an elevator nor assisted access to the second floor.
Need help with transportation costs? Follow this link to learn about the Transportation Grant Program sponsored by the Monroe County Historical Society.
.jpg)
All Grades
Progression of Transportation Tour: Learn about the creation of the bicycle in 1817 to the invention of the Wright Flyer in 1903 and into space starting with the Mercury missions of the 1960s. This tour will take students through the entire museum and use our artifacts to demonstrate how technology has changed and evolved over the years through human innovation. It is a fun tour with students comparing the old and new.
2nd - 8th Grades
Image Based Scavenger Hunt: Working in groups of two or three, each group is given a tile which features a museum artifact. It is their task to find the artifact in the museum, answer a series of questions about that artifact, and present what they learned to the rest of the class. This is a great way for students to practice their presentation skills and learn about some of the more unique items in the museum.
.jpg)
4th - 12th Grades
STEM Challenge: Thanks to the tenacity of inventors who never gave up despite their failures, we have the modern technology we do today. In four groups, each will work together on a STEM challenge to create, test, improve, and test again. This trial-and-error exercise will encourage students to be creative and innovate solutions to various problems with a glider, moon lander, airplane, and wind-powered vehicle.
.jpg)
5th - 12th Grades
The Deke Slayton Story: Students will watch a video following Deke Slayton’s life from his beginnings on the farm in Leon, Wisconsin, to his accomplishments as an astronaut with the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz Mission. After the video, students can view the artifacts that highlight the various aspects of Deke Slayton’s life including his childhood baseball glove, college calculus notes, WWII medals, NASA spacesuit from 1962, and his airplane.
Bus & Motorcoach Tours
Bus tour groups are welcome at the Deke Slayton Memorial Space & Bicycle Museum! We offer a special experience exclusively for bus tours, “Taste History.” This experience includes touring both museums in the building (the Deke Slayton Memorial Space & Bicycle Museum and the Monroe County Local History Room & Museum), sampling food connected with each museum's exhibits, and a gift of commemorative postcards. Admission for “Taste History” is $12 per person. Please contact the museum via email or call 608-269-0033 to arrange your visit.
Please note, the Deke Slayton Memorial Space & Bicycle Museum is on the second floor of the Museum Complex. Due to the building being constructed in 1923 and being on the National Register of Historic Places, there is neither an elevator nor assisted access to the second floor.
Mission, Board of Directors, Staff
Our Mission Statement
The Deke Slayton Memorial Space & Bicycle Museum commemorates Sparta, Wisconsin astronaut Deke Slayton and a “Progression of Transportation” through bicycles, aviation, and space exploration to connect people to knowledge, creativity, and inspiration.
Staff
Alyssa Young
Executive Director
Christy Litchfield
Administrative Assistant
Aaron Young
Visitor Services
Margie Spohn
Visitor Services
Stephanie Clark
Visitor Services
Board of Directors
Joanne Hagen
President
Connie Jerome
Vice President
Russell Janzen
Treasurer
Margie Spohn
Secretary
Bill Paddy
Kaitlyn Paddy
Pete Perkins
Larry Scheckel
John Winkelmann
Ex Officio
Laurel Brandt
JoAnn Brandt
Marie Grewal
Kathy Kuderer
Jim Shilling
Nancy Sikorsky
Beth Slayton
Tyler Tripp
Marlene Wilhelm