The Museum houses a vividly painted antique Spillman Carousel in the Cook Carousel Pavilion off the first floor Galleria. No visit to the GRPM is complete without a ride on the carousel!

July 25 was chosen as the celebration day for National Merry-Go-Round Day as it coincides with the first United States patent that was issued for the modern carousel.

The GRPM Spillman Carousel was manufactured by the Spillman Engineering Company of North Tonawanda, New York in 1928, the carousel is one of only three of its style known to have been produced by the company. It revolves to the music of a Wurlitzer band organ and offers rides year-round to Museum visitors young and old. The carousel is made up of forty-four hand-carved, elaborately jeweled wooden horses, two chariots and six menagerie animals: a giraffe, whale, deer, goat, tiger and camel.