I was stunned by the gorgeous and unusual architecture of this house. It is infused with personality and the museum administration does a beautiful job of leading you through and imparting the info necessary to understand the architecture as a lay person. It's a house I could easily see myself living in, or better yet, designing for myself! Don't miss it.
This aquarium has lots to see, from tiny seahorses to large seals and a wide variety of creatures in-between. The group of penguins was fun to watch, especially at feeding time!
This is the strangest and most wonderful Museum you'll ever experience. I loved climbing through the grottoes and tree trunks, sliding down the shoe conveyors, and that wierd "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome", post-industrial disaster cave. But my favorite has to be the exhibit on the history of the corndog.
i like this museum a lot. there is so much good stuff to see! don't take my word for it though, go to uloveny.com and see what everyone else is saying. its this great website that has video reviews of all things nyc-- museums, places to eat, other sites to see, etc. here's the link to the reviews on the american museum of natural history. http://uloveny.com/nyc/venue/4/97/15276/museum_of_natural_history
The Cobra ceiling was taken from a hut in the forest where the artist group COBRA used to hang out. It is on permanent exhibition in the annex - in a ceiling where it belongs. Enjoy the changing art exhibitions, the beautiful park with a view to Bagsværd lake. If you get hungry the cafe serves splendid Danish food. Has a lot of flowering Dahlias from August until the first frost sets in.
The Frick Collection is set up in the actual house where Mr. Frick lived in NYC. For that reason it is set up like a house museum, but with Renaissance, impressionist, classical and some early modern works mixed as one would in a private dwelling. The experience is unique, I think, because it's a little rare to find a collection in a house museum of this quality. I thought it was well worth a look, and I've been back a couple of times, too. I really love the ambiance of this museum.
I really enjoyed this museum. It was very easy to find and the museum itself was nicely laid out. I didn't know much about CoBrA, but the museum covered how the movement came to be and the social climate that inspired it.
This English country house is presented as a house in decline. Filled with taxidermy (birds), centuries of family belongings, and the aura of decay, the house enveloped me with a sense of melancholy, but also with surprise and delight at discovering the "time capsule" home of an eccentric family, the Harpur Crewes.
The house and outbuildings are isolated in a beautiful, but purposely not-so-manicured park, and a tearoom is located in the former stables.
Definitely worth a visit.
What a beautiful museum! A new experience is waiting every time we visit. We enjoy the rotating displays on the first level as well as the exceptionally well-done children's room (with crafts and art projects just waiting to be completed by some little budding artist). The second-floor Dutch galleries are amazing with objects on display that match items in the painting. This unique idea is one we have not seen elsewhere. These exhibits show why authenticity matters. The city of Holland can be proud of the high level professionalism shown here.
First off, the architecture of the building is wonderful. It is the first Santiago Calatrava-designed building in the United States and features a huge glassed wall reception area with a moving sun screen.
The exhibits were nicely varied and not overly designed -- which was great! I believe that they usually have two temporary or featured exhibitions up at any one time so there's always plenty to see.
Stroll at your own pace. I have been here many, many times thoughout my 50 years on earth, and the museum is still developing. Recently, they have added Andelsbyen, where I saw the grocery store with a lady behind the desk looking right out the 30'es.
Gardens, old trees, and animal husbandry adds to the cozy feeling of being here.
Entrance is free. So this leaves plenty of money to spend on books, ceramics, textiles or toys in the museum store.
Lovingly restored mansion house showcases the Sharp family collections. However, the glimpse it give into Edwardian life for the family is most interesting. Mr Sharp was a jute magnate and travelled to Dundee by train. The kitchen and laundry are not to be missed--and the laundry is off a somewhat subtlely marked path. Enjoy a tea in the tea room, featuring home baking, and the small National Trust shop. Hill of Tarvit is a pleasant change from the more prevalent medieval castles and such.
While the focus of this museum is intentionally narrow, it does a great job of demonstrating its point: that many Americans have suffered by the proliferation of items that promote negative stereotypes. The number of items both historical and contemporary is staggering! Don't visit if you're just looking for casual entertainment with your girlfriend. You can't see this stuff without being affected emotionally. But don't let that prevent you from visiting. Go with an open mind and you won't regret it.
Anyone who visits NY should plan a long visit to the AMNH! I especially recommend the Hall of human origins and the 4th floor, with dinosaurs and extinct mammals. Not to mention all the earth science section, and the temporary exhibitions... just go.
This museum was very family friendly with engaging exhibits that were hands-on for smaller children, but also interesting for adults. The museum consists of several levels with natural science exhibits, history, music, and car displays. We visited during a tempory reptile exhibit, which was very well put together and engaging for young and old. I highly recommend this museum for a 2-3 hour visit.
I've never had the good fortune to visit this museum in person, but I love its website. If you like good art, you'll love to hate some of the stuff in their collection. Everything is done with great tongue-in-cheek humor that will be appreciated by museum professionals and REAL art afficiandos.
This museum is very powerful in its interpretation of the Holocaust. The museum has a done a nice job of making this museum appropriate for all age groups by limiting access to sensitive materials so that they are only seen by those individuals who want to see them. My friends and I spent 5 hours going through the exhibits! One of the many great museums in D.C.
I've seen a LOT of house museums in my time. My family frequented any and all of them we could. The level of restoration at these two house museums is extremely high. They have both been recreated with historic accuracy, textiles reproduced by the best repro houses, and the Cappon House is just beautiful. All care has been taken and the attention to historic details is refreshing. No frilly home-town decor, no "interior design makeover", as you see too often in houses that call themselves historic. This is an authentic step back in time to see how the owners lived, and a wonderful study of interior design of the period! It's PERFECT!
The V & A is one of the "treasure houses" of England, and founded as an art & design museum, it is at times disconcertingly eclectic. My initial visit, for which I had limited time, was unsatisfying because galleries seemed to need reinstalling, or others were under construction. My second visit helped me make more sense the scope of the museum. The exhibits on British art and culture are comprehensive and at times wonderful (although some of the glass panels of the exhibition cases needed washing on the inside). The silver and jewelry collections are vibrant and well displayed. Disappointingly, the medieval collections are in the process of being reinstalled but promise to be well worth a return visit when the galleries are completed.
A very magical space...
It seems that they have various programs every month, and it is always a wonderful experience...
I especially like the Ghost tours and the Halloween events in October, but the tea parties in the garden in May and June are a treat!
While the Museum of Science and Industry offers a unique and interesting experience throughout, it is easy for the visitor to distinguish between the new and the neglected. The U-Boat exhibit space, for example, is wonderfully done and quite frankly beautiful. (Don't miss the small print reminding you to buy U-Boat tour tickets though, it's easy to walk right past.) However on the way to these new and exciting spaces the visitor passes through model ships and wonders when the last time a staff member cleaned the cases, let alone updated their decor. A simple dark back drop along with blocks of wood to add dimension and draped cloth to hide them would do wonders. Dusting wouldn't hurt either. The labels behind the antique cars were hidden by the cars themselves if they were even up at all and just behind the barrier, within view and reach of the guest was used plexiglass, paper, and other assorted trash.
While it may not detract from the average guest experience it is something easily fixed through basic maintenance. There are new and exciting things always happening at the museum, but the old exhibits need not be neglected in the meantime.
Every born and bred new yorker loves this museum, and every tourist loves to visit it too!
They have so many things to see, do and enjoy that it is impossible to explore this Museum in one Sunday afternoon... You have to come back, and come back, and come back... That you love dinosaurs, rocks, or stars and planets, it is all there...
I felt like I was at the movie back to the future! Not just an ordinary house of a person who gives <a href="http://www.merchantaccountsllc.com">merchant services</a> to people. A truly outstanding place.
Explore this little gem of a stagecoach stop/historical museum on your own or with one of the friendly interpretors. It's a chance to encounter Michigan travel history in an unstructured, imaginative environment. Beautiful setting for a walk or a picnic lunch.
Very nice museum. Suffers from self-sufficiency, however; they feel very proud of everything they do -but frankly; they're naive which may fit the scope of the museum; however. Spoiled by state-subsidies for years, it is a fact that the Restaurant and any type of food you buy at the museum is incredibly poor and expensive. It is unprofessional that the museum does not put forward strict demands to the franchisetaker of the museum-restaurant to provide typical danish food at a reasonable price. Instead you can enjoy exactly the opposite.
I found the museums´ way of telling the story of Van Goghs´ life, inspirational sources and troubled mind as it connected to his work very interesting and easy to follow. The museum exhibition gave me a much better understanding of Van Goghs´ art, and I thorougly enjoyed being at the museum. It´s well worth visiting, if you´re interested in art.
Be sure to take a jacket with you when you visit Alcatraz. I was there in June and the temperature topped out at 65 with very gusty winds!
The trip to the island on the ferry provides you with great views of the island, Golden Gate Bridge, and of course San Francisco. The site is beautiful and an audio tour is included with your ticket. The site is well maintained and excellently interpreted. I can't wait to go back!
This is not your typical museum. It's in a very small town, but just off of highway 40 and old route 66. And it houses a very expansive museum of barbed wire: history of it, examples of various styles, manufacturing tools, use in warfare, art, etc. If you are anywhere near McLean, TX, you really need to stop by and visit! And of course, there is a gift shop where you can buy small lengths of barbed wire from historical ranches.
For the size of the town, this is a great museum! The Dutch Gallery is beautifully laid out. The way the paintings interplay with the objects and furniture is invigorating and refreshing. The children's space is well done and thoughtfully executed. The two houses that are part of the museums holdings are also well worth visiting. The Cappon House is slowly being restored and hopefully will continue to be so, as it really does provide a wonderful contrast to the settlers house next door. Well worth a stop even if you're just passing through. Allow around 2 hours to do both houses and the museum, as there is a slight walk between the two.
Never thought an industrial site museum could be so interesting. This former Gold Medal Flour plant bills itself as "the world's most explosive museum." The plant apparently suffered one flour dust explosion too many, burned, and its ruins sat empty for decades until it was made into a state-of-the-art museum. Visitors get a glimpse back to the time when the plant was operating from the vantage point of a large freight elevator that moves seated visitors from floor to floor. There the doors, like a stage curtain, open to scenes and vignettes with the voices of plant workers, while video clips are projected on the wall. Very clever, informative, never boring. So much to do and see..you could spend hours. A must see is the excellent video, "Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat." In this lighthearted history, a local comedian addresses the questions "Who started Minneapolis? Why is it here? How did it get its name? and What's with all the Lutherans?" Don't miss it this museum!
Every time I visit the Field I have to check out their Egyptian exhibits. They also bring in great traveling exhibits. I saw the Star Wars exhibit about 8 years ago and saw Tut in 2006. I love this museum!
This is an excellent museum and one you can visit again and again. It's not so big that you can't get through it in a couple of hours.
On the other hand, there's plenty there to ensure you won't be bored with repeated visits. We live in Cambridge and our whole family really enjoys going to the Fitz. My three year old enjoys the glass elevator and the knights and amour. My seven year old daughter likes the Sasakawa Fan Gallery and the European Porcelain and Pottery. I prefer the European art and we all enjoy the classical architecture. The courtyard cafe has nice snacks and lunches in an airy environment and is a perfect place to sit and rest in between galleries. They have done a lot to make it fun for kids there too with various family activity packs and trails you can follow. These are free and can be picked up at the front desks. There are often free lunchtime music concerts and lectures. Because entry is by donation, even if only have an hour or two to spare, throw in a couple of pounds and go. You are sure to enjoy yourself.
Wow, this place has a lot of bare white walls -- interesting architecture though....but will probably severely outdated in a few years. I took my kids with me and there was really nothing for them there. I guess this place is just for the contemporary art connoisseur.
Also, the building is not marked (no sign anywhere that I saw) so make sure you know exactly where it's at beforehand.
I really love the entrance hall by Sir Norman Foster, both because of its beauty, and because of the easy flow of guests that it allows.
the collections are, I thinks unrivalled anywhere, and I like the blend of exhibitions styles - especially the mix between archaeological objects and contemporary art, that is used for statements of the world as it is right now.
By A Yahoo! Contributor from Brooklyn, NY
I could not believe how professional this museum was in a town as small as Holland. Expecting the usual kitsh and hokey displays, I was treated to a first class museum of national standards. Learn about Dutch culture (I was told it has the largest collection in America) but also a see the history of an interesting town (even a fire that destroyed everything). One wing had a huge display on "Polar Bears'-Holland soldiers from WWI that fought in Siberia, but that changes. Very Kid Friendly-I spy games, a room just for little ones with lots of hands on stuff.
This is one of the greatest museums I've ever seen. However, I personally feel that the choice to limit much of the information showing about the objects on exhibit is unwise. The museum seems in places to be daring you to understand its content. I get the feeling they only want highly educated, wealthy, well-traveled historians to "get it". Otherwise, it's a stunning architectural structure and of course, one of the best collections in the world.
The grounds are amazing and one could spend hours walking through them. The house is beautiful too and has a great history- I recommend taking the guided tour! The little restaurant has great pecan pie. I highly recommend visiting Middleton Place if you are in the Carleston area.
I was absolutely floored by the exquisite Dutch Galleries! The collection was impressive and beautifully exhibited--with deep colored walls and fabulous lighting. The historic detail and interesting comments on the description cards added immensely to the experience! So well written--it makes you understand each object in historic as well as practical context. They even had a very thoughtfully designed hands-on education room for the children. There's something for everyone at this museum, take the chance and stop by in Holland, Michigan. It's a lovely city, as well.
This is a must-visit museum if you're in West Michigan. It's one of the oldest museums in the country and has the collection to prove it. The museum features 3 floors of exhibits, a cafe, planetarium, theater organ shows, and a historical house (Voigt House)!
The Meyer May house was one of the first completely restored Frank Lloyd Wright houses in the United States, and the quality of the house and the restoration keeps me coming back again and again. The tour is a good length, the guides are engaging, and the visitor experience has always been first-rate for me. If you love house museums and Wright, you'll love Meyer May.
This museum is filled to the brim with wonderul objects from all over the world.
They host great temporary exhibitions, where they mingle art, film, objects and sound.
In the new permanent exhibitions they have several displays and activities aimed at children and adults, who like to play and try things out for themselves.
Conner Prairie is a great living history site. The crafts people and artisans are very interesting to watch. Beware - the intepreters are in first person, so don't be confused if they wonder why you're walking in their home or wearing odd looking clothing! The "Follow the North Star" program is very powerful and really helps the participants to understand what it was like to be a slave.
As part of our masters program we visited this museum and were asked to evaluate it both as scholars and as visitors. To compare the scholarship versus showmanship that this museum and museum professionals everywhere will agree is the ultimate debate. While many would argue that the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum is too "Disney-esque" and striving too hard to keep up in a field it shouldn't be competing in to begin with, I would argue that whether we like it or not we are indeed competing for the same crowds, for peoples vacation time and weekends and while many of these people are looking to be educated, they are inevitably looking to be entertained. The Lincoln Presidential Museum succeeds in both the education and entertainment fields. It evokes your emotions through each of your senses- the oven is warm in the White House kitchen, the music and voices inspire both tears and joy throughout the exhibit. It informs and intrigues its visitors from beginning to end. I would however take one star off for the lack of historical artifacts. For those of us who enjoy the feeling we would get if we were standing in front of a tophat worn by our 16th president, we are left instead with a comparitively small "Treasures" gallery of artifacts and bits of them throughout.
The Native American exhibits are incredible, and the interactive areas are great for children and adults. This museum is a definite must see for anyone visiting Indianapolis!
This is a great little museum. It's easy to see everything in a couple hours or less. The rotating exhibits are consistently top-notch, and often playful and challenging. Openings are well attended but mellow affairs and a nice change of pace from the chaotic gallery scene in the crossroads district of Kansas City. And admission is always free! The Kemper also has a very good restaurant on premises. Located just down the street from the huge Nelson-Atkins Museum and near the Kansas City Art Institute, this is a great way to round out a day of art-viewing in midtown Kansas City.
The Dukes of Norfolk have been at the center of British history for centuries, and their castle, though much of it was rebuilt in the 19th century, houses an outstanding collection of art, furnishings and historical objects. Architecturally impressive are the 11th century gate and keep, and the castle itself, that was reconstructed numerous times. In the earlier 19th century, Queen Victoria was so unimpressed with the then faux-gothic castle that she commented "pity the architecture is so bad." The castle library survives from her time and is one of the most original, plush and evocative Victorian libraries in England. The current late-19th century castle is architecturally rather academic and has not achieved the patina of age, but is satisfying nonetheless.
The castle complex including a chapel, grounds, and a new garden in a whimsical 17th century style, along with the adjacent village of Arundel, make this historic site well worth a day trip.
Not only is the location of this museum, Decorah, Iowa, a charming town to visit, but the Vesterheim is an amazing institution. You wouldn't expect such a large institution in a small town, but its collections, exhibitions, and historic structures are amazing.
I visited this museum over the weekend and had a great time. However, some of their "Collection A-Z" exhibits seemed cheaply made or quickly designed (T is for Toys, J is for Japan) while others were well thought out and designed (F is for Fossils, I is for Ivory).
I was taken aback by the Holland Museum’s new Dutch Galleries. Never would I have imagined that in West Michigan there could be such a collection of important works by Dutch masters. I was, in fact, thoroughly impressed by the entire museum and its friendly, helpful reception staff & guides. What an unexpected treat!
The Field is one of those venerable institutions that every American should visit. Some of its older exhibits are very traditional natural science-style displays with stuff lined up in cases and short ID labels, like the gemostones, or well crafted but outdated dioramas, like some of the animal dioramas. However, some of the newer permanent exhibitions completed in the last fifteen years are wonderful experiential spaces that combine interactivity, clever design and good writing with some of the best real artifacts and specimens from their collections. Sometimes it's tough for such a large research-based institution to remember that their primary audiences are the general public, who are come to be entertained first, and educated second. The Field has done an admirable job moving in this direction, without losing their strong scientific and cultural content base.
I have visited many, many house museums in the US and abroad, and the difference here is that you feel like the family still lives in this space. Their belongings from the mid-19th Century are still there, and the exhibitions and programs -- lectures, music, films, readings, a knitting circle, tea parties, ghost tours with live actors and holiday programs with live singers, all of which focus on bringing the life of the 19th Century merchants' class alive -- keep me coming back. I even joined as a member. I feel like I can be a part of the 19th Century when at the House. And I've met great people and made close friends in the process. I recommend this exemplary museum as the ideal of how a house museum educates through its experience. If you want a human experience in a museum, don't miss "The Merch!"
The collections at the ROM are wonderful. However, it is a Natural History Museum set up as an art museum. Their collections are presented as if they were in a Fine Arts museum rather them putting them in context with their surroundings in the natural world. Even the dinosaur exhibit had the feel of being in an Art museum so be prepared if you like the traditional feel of a Natural History museum! Despite this, the ROM is a great destination for anyone visiting Toronto!
The Grand Rapids Public Museum is hands down the best in town - I love that the whale is an iconic focal point in the main gallery. Streets of old Grand Rapids was so cute, so many family activities and little alcoves for discovery. The family membership makes it so affordable and convenient to visit every few months. I especially enjoy the changing exhibit gallery on the third floor - the National Geographic exhibit even helped me brush up on my geography skills in a fun way! This is one Museum I will continue to go back to!
This is one of the most unusual places you will ever visit! The house tour is very interesting. We also took the behind the scenes tour, which wasn't all that behind the scenes, but still worth the money. Definitely get the combo packaget - you save about $20 per person! The grounds are beautiful as well and make for wonderful "Kodak moments."
I first visited this museum in 3rd grade on a school field trip, and was hooked on museums from that point forward. I love their exhibits - polar world has always been amazing to me. I definitely recommend visiting this museum if you are in Pittsburgh.
The rainforest greenhouse is in a large pyramid. Lots of plants and birds, of course, but also a few other creatures. It was especially fun to look for and watch the 2-toed sloth! There were many beautiful birds I had never seen before, as well as classics like parrots and macaws.
Fort Sumter is wonderfully preserved and the guides do a great job of interpreting the site. The visitor's center has a very nice little museum that serves as an orientation for the site. There is also an interesting exhibit at the site as well. Every visit to Charleston should include a trip to Fort Sumter!
This museum offers a chance to walk through the history of Michigan from the time when native peoples occupied the land to the 1970s when the bottle return bill helped to clean up our roadways and streams. Don't miss the one-room school and the S&H Greenstamp store. A great place for families.
Rate This Museum has been exclusively created for museum reviews. Each museum review contains a five-star rating and comments from its visitors. Join today and start sharing your experiences with others.