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.
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!"
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!
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!
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 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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!
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.
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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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)!
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
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.
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.
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