My kids absolutely love museums, especially museums with a lot of hands on interaction. Over the years we have taken some really fun trips to see classic art pieces, story book art, history and dinosaurs. We love it all and plan most of our family vacations around fun museums.
Here are 7 Museums You Must See This Summer!
My family had an absolute blast at this museum! This spacious museum is broken into distinct areas for different kinds of art experiences. There is a hands on art lab that offers a different art project each day. The main gallery offers original art work from children's books. You can check the website ahead of your trip to find out what stories will be on display during your visit. There is a library of course filled with all kinds of children's books, giant stuffed animals and cozy couches. The auditorium allows for screenings and other performance art. This is great for families with kids in the age range of 1-10. Older kids may enjoy the art lab most.
This portion of the Springfield Museums opened in the summer of 2017 and is relatively new. Families can enjoy just the Dr. Seuss museum and see life sized versions of their favorite storybook characters, or pay admission to the entire campus of museums. Springfield Museums offers five unique museums with entirely unique set of exhibits. You can enjoy science, Asian inspired art to classical art pieces by Monet and Van Gogh along with your visit to see the Cat in The Hat. There is really something here for every age from toddler to grandparent.
This is truly for dinosaur lovers! An exhibit center was built over a slab of fossil with over 500 dinosaur prints in 1968. Excavators originally discovered 2,000 prints, but 1,500 of them remain buried for preservation. Your dino fan won't be able to touch the fossils, but they can walk the ramp built around them and stand literally where their beloved creatures once stood! You will want to spend hours in the educational hands on learning exhibit room.
This eclectic museum houses science exhibits, dino exhibits, a small aquarium and classical art pieces. It is a fun way for little ones to get some hands on play time and gain exposure to beautiful works of art.
This isn't a typical museum with paintings and hands on exhibits, but it is just as educational and exciting. Plus, you get to admire natural works of art that no human can create. Over 4,000 colorful butterflies are lose to spread their wings in this 8,000 square feet green house. Staff is on hand to share their knowledge about each species, and to offer hands on experiences with reptiles, turtles and more. It is wheel chair accessible making this unique experience available to everyone. Right down the road is the Yankee Candle Village which offers year'round Christmas ornament shopping and fun candle making experiences to make a full day of fun!
These are both on our summer museum bucket list!
6.
Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia. I see this one suggested a lot, but we have never had the chance to visit. This has a lot of hands and exhibits and creativity areas. I'm sure this will be a hit! There are lots of other things to see close by such as Sesame Place to add on for a worthwhile trip!
7.
Corning Glass Museum. I took a class field trip to the glass works when I was in elementary school. It was amazing and I thought it might be a really cool place to go back to visit. Turns out it's even bigger and better than when I was a kid. In 2015 the museum was built to house contemporary works of glass art. Who would think rooms full of glass would mix well with kids? But it turns out this is a very family friendly location. After viewing the website I am even more excited to see in person! Kids can enjoy a chance to blow glass into beads, or sandblast their own designs. The sight boasts accessibility for wheel chairs and accommodations for additional needs. The best part is kids age 17 and under are FREE!
I'm sure our list will get longer as we finalize our plans. But this is a pretty good start! We are hoping to return to the Springfield Museums to see the new Dr. Seuss exhibits.
What other museums would you recommend?
The Whatever Mom is a full-time wife and twin mama living on coffee and wine. She enjoys the pure rush of cleaning the BIG potty between loads of laundry. It is her dream that moms everywhere accept and embrace the Whatever Mom philosophy which can be found here. You can also find her musings and popular shares on Facebook and Twitter. Stay up to date with her creative ideas and outings on Pinterest.
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