Located just outside the walls of the Ipatievsky Monastery is the 'Kostroma Sloboda' Kostroma Architectural, Ethnographical and Landscape Museum-Reserve - an open-air museum of wooden architecture. Inside many beautiful examples of wooden churches, houses, huts and banyas have been bought here from neighbouring villages. Unlike other open-air museum of wooden architecture, this museum has the additional charm of being laid out in the plan of a village, complete with cobblestone paths. Sadly in 2002 one of its most famous churches - the Transfiguration of the Saviour Church from the village of Spas-Vezhi burned down, it has since been rebuilt.

In addition to the wooden architecture, the museum also has various other exhibitions on traditional culture and craftwork and runs events around New Year when children can meet Snegurochka the Snow-Maiden.