Inside: A real parent review of a visit to the Button Museum in Bishopville, SC. Learn about the exhibits, and what you’ll see.
Have you ever seen a button-covered piano? How about a button-bedazzled toilet? If you’re looking for a new place to visit that is a cross somewhere between weird and wonderful, the Button Museum in Bishopville, SC will not disappoint!
Quick Summary: The Button Museum
🎨 What You’ll Find Inside the Button King Museum
Don’t miss these amazing button-covered creations:
- A full-size hearse covered in buttons
- A working grandfather clock sparkling with colorful buttons
- Guitars, banjos, and musical instruments transformed into button art
- Dalton Stevens’ famous denim suit with over 16,000 buttons
- Button-adorned sewing machines, shoes, and even coffins
✨ Every turn reveals another tiny treasure!
The Button Museum is a Hidden Gem
In the middle of a field, hidden in the outskirts of Bishopville, sits an unassuming cylinder metal hangar building. A single sign that reads, “Button King Museum,” adorns the front of the building. The door is always unlocked, as the Button Museum is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Even better, admission is free!
Dream for an Insomniac: How the buttons started
“My name is Dalton Stevens, and I suffer from insomnia. In 1983, it got so bad that I got up one night and started sewing buttons on a denim suit. Two years and 10 months later, I still couldn’t sleep and the suit was covered with 16,333 buttons. It weighed 16 pounds.”
These are the words from the Button King himself, Dalton Stevens, prior to his 2016 passing. Information plaques located both inside and outside of the Button Museum tell the story of how Stevens’ peculiar hobby slowly grew, bringing a bit of fame and notoriety along the way.
Yes, this odd hobby even snagged Stevens a seat on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, as well as the David Letterman show!
Tiny Treasures at the Button Museum
A short trip down a dirt driveway and you’ll find yourself face to face with the Button Museum in a Quonset hut building. Dalton Stevens’ old home sits a few hundred feet beyond the museum, and beside it are fields of farmland. Upon entering the museum, as far as you can see, there are hundreds of thousands of buttons of all shapes, sizes and colors.
Walk at your leisure and explore everything from a hearse to a guitar, up close and personal. And unlike most museums, you can even touch the featured buttoned items!
Parents note that there are no restrooms on site!
Family Info for Visiting the Button Museum
Address: 53 Joe Dority Road, Bishopville, SC 29010
Phone: 803.236.8477
Cost: Free!
Hours: Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Parking: Free parking available right in front of the museum
Bathrooms: None on-site — plan ahead before you arrive
Stroller Access: Yes! The museum is one level with flat entry (no steps)
Hands-On Fun: Yes! Visitors are welcome to touch the button-covered creations
🎨 Tip: Bring your camera — kids love posing with the button hearse and button guitars!
Come see for yourself what tiny treasures you can find in the Button Museum; it’s an experience you will not soon forget!
Address: 53 Joe Dority Rd, Bishopville, SC 29010
Phone: 803.236.8477
If you’re looking for more to do in the area, check out Lee State Park for fishing, hiking, swimming, and more. It’s about 20 minutes from the Button Museum.
Have an adventure!
