JAMESTOWN, N.Y. — From cartoons like Garfield, to movies like The Hangover, to TV shows like The Office, what’s made us smile for decades can now be found in Jamestown. 

Michelle Samuelson drove from Maryland to see it all. 

"Overwhelming, there's just so much to see,” she said. "I bought my tickets ahead of time to be able to come." 

Samuelson wanted to make sure after the six-hour trek she could see.

"More of Lucy, most of Lucy. But I like the old time comedians." 

It's a celebration of those who have left many laughing, particularly Jamestown's own Lucille Ball. America's favorite red-head had long wanted a space just like this to not only celebrate, but inspire future comedians. 

Joel Tallman of Massachusetts was the first person in the National Comedy Center to get some laughs on this opening day. 

"I drove for 9 1/2 hours,” he said. "This weekend is my birthday, so I gave myself a birthday present." 

Tallman was becoming wiser as he gets a year older, too, using the interactive exhibits to study his favorite comedians.

He might need a few more years to really get the hang of comedy though. 

Across the center, Tim Lowe is hoping to gain some insight on how to end up here one day.  

Tim and his wife Annette also are out-of-towners, driving in Wednesday morning from New Jersey. 

"We will be here for a couple of days so we will probably come back and check out the things we missed. In the nicest of ways, this can be overwhelming,” Lowe said.

Not even halfway through, it brought Annette to tears of not laughter, but joy. 

"I'm just blown away at how much stuff there is. I was not expecting this," she said. 

Spectrum News got a look inside the center last week, which boasts more then 50 exhibits in a 37,000 square-foot space, which also offers visitors a chance to test their funny bone.  

"We designed with repeat visitation in mind. For the skimmers, the swimmers and the divers. You could spend six or seven hours here or a whole weekend or have a great time in the hour and a half you have if you're on your way somewhere else," said Journey Gunderson, National Comedy Center executive director.

It's dream come true for Jamestown's own Lucille Ball, who wanted this to be a reality: remembering past and present comedians all while inspiring future jokesters. 

There’s a full slate of events to celebrate the center’s grand opening, including performances from Amy Schumer, Fran Drescher and Lily Tomlin.

For a full list and what’s happening at the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, head to the comedy center’s website.