The Abraham Lincoln presidential museum in Springfield Illinois
Has any one ever watched the show “Mysteries at the Museum.” Some very interesting stories and have learned the names of many of these hidden gem museums.
I second the Abraham Lincoln presidential museum in Springfield. It is very well done and has many interesting Lincoln possessions. And while in Springfield, the Lincoln home, a National Park Service museum, shows how the Lincolns lived before the presidency.
Being something of a Lincolnophile, I recently visited the Mary Todd Lincoln girlhood home in Lexington, Kentucky. The tour provides more insight into Mary Todd and contrasts how differently the wealthy, educated Mary Todd grew up compared to Abraham Lincoln.
I thought of this thread again because I just got a ticket today to hear a performance of Peer Gynt in March. Troldhaugen, Edvard Grieg’s home near Bergen, was a highlight in Norway. Very poignant, beautiful setting. Monet and Giverny also wonderful.
Railroad museum in Sacramento.
Clock Museum in Vienna and the Beekeepers Museum in Radovljica
We went to a couple of interesting places yesterday.
West Virginia Penitentiary in Moundsville, WV. Very interesting, nice small museum with artifacts in reception area , including “old sparky”, and penitentiary tour. Great tour guide. https://wvpentours.com
Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex, also in Moundsville, WV. Free museum and archaeological site (large burial mound). http://www.wvculture.org
Paris- Musée Marmottan and Fondation Louis Vuitton in the 16th. Off the beaten path and away from the usual tourists with gorgeous Monet masterpieces at the former and inspiring modern architecture and artists (including Warhol) with a nice champagne lunch at the latter.
1 Like
Enjoyed a tour of Wyoming Territorial Prison last week in Laramie. Very interesting with historic buildings and museum exhibits. Butch Cassidy was a prisoner there.
2 Likes
Brandywine River Museum, Chadds Ford, PA
The Jane Austen house in Chawton. Hampshire, England. I now have a much better understanding of her life and her social setting which permeates her novels.
3 Likes
Really enjoying this thread and hoping to go to some of these places when Covid ends. Another great off-the-beaten-path museum is the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona. It has water- and maritime-themed art from around the world, in a lovely gallery on the Mississippi River.
1 Like
Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery at the University of Glasgow
1 Like
Not sure if this has been mentioned:
American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, MD
Fun, interesting, unique, affordable (downright cheap - $16 for an adult), great for kids, and great museum shop!
2 Likes
Technically not a museum, however, The Corn Palace in South Dakota was a fun couple of hours on a cross country trip with my kids about ten years ago.
My son loved The Babe Ruth museum in Baltimore
The Museum of Jurassic Technology in Los Angeles is weird, but ‘interesting’
Heritage Square Museum (also in Los Angeles), is worth a few hours of your time
Not hidden, but I thought the FDR museum in Hyde Park, NY was very interesting. I had been to the LBJ museum in Austin before and thought it was boring, so I wasn’t expecting much from the FDR museum. I was wrong. Some of the telegrams on display between FDR and Hitler were truly nasty.
If you like ancient Egyptian stuff, the Rosicrucian Museum in San Jose is small, but fascinating.
If you’re into 100+ year old arcade amusements, the Musee Mecanique in San Francisco is great. Most of them actually work.
Edit: I hadn’t noticed the previous recommendations for the Rosicrucian Museum and Musee Mecanique previously. So I guess I’m seconding those recommendations.
2 Likes
I can’t believe I haven’t stumbled across this thread before! Time to start working on my travel list again…maybe.
I would add the Verzetsmuseum in Amsterdam. It is a museum dedicated to the Dutch Resistance during WWII and it was fascinating to see a completely different perspective of the war.
The Barbie Expo in Montreal is pretty cool, too, with dolls wearing clothes from different countries and the high fashion.
I’m looking forward to traveling again. I get my second vax this Sunday. We have an anniversary coming up in August!
1 Like
Johnson Victrola Museum in Dover, Delaware. Lots of fun to show the kids what their iPhones have replaced. And FREE to boot.
Appreciate this thread; a chance to anticipate future opportunites.
Have enjoyed the Davis Museum at Wellesley College; their permanent collection is worth seeing and the temporary exhibitions have also been excellent. It is rarely crowded and a manageable size. They are currently virtual only.
Have also enjoyed the Jacquemart Andre Museum, The Marmottan Monet Museum, and the Guimet Museum (focused on Asian art) in Paris. All have interesting collections and are sized in a way that allows for a morning or afternoon visit to see much of them.
One of our favorite, somewhat off the beaten path museums is the MUSMA - Museum of Contemporary Sculpture, Matera (Basilicata), Italy. A small, largely pedestrian city center on a rocky outcrop, Matera consists of numerous caves and this small museum takes advantage of the natural rock formations to display their sculptures individually in well-lit niches. The backdrop is as compelling as the works of art. (We found Matera a worthwhile destination; the city has a complex, fraught history and is now a UNESCO world heritage site.)
1 Like
Great thread idea.
After Covid, if anybody travels to Barcelona I highly recommend the Maritime Museum.