ROCKFORD – The lack of snow this winter must seem like a present to the Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum & Gardens.

The mild weather has made it possible to open the doors for general admission tours earlier than usual. Steve Litteral, executive director of operations, announced the museum will be open this month. In fact, it’s open now, so embrace the lack of snow with a visit to this nearby facility.

Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum once was the home of Robert Hall Tinker, who built it in 1865. The house overlooks Kent Creek, and its architecture has a Swiss flair. The Tinker family donated the home to the Rockford Park District, which turned it into a museum in 1943.