33
votes
What is your favorite museum?
Inspired by a recent conversation I had with a fellow museum lover: what is your favorite museum or favorite museums? Why? Curious to learn about some really interesting and unique places that other users might have been to.
I'll share two experiences in case anyone is interested:
Versailles (France) absolutely blew my mind when I went as a teen. Absolutely massive size and scale for every room. Seemed like an endless building with rooms the size of theaters. And those massive tapestries and paintings hanging on the walls were equally impressive.
The Museum of Science (Boston) had a really memorable Tesla coil presentation when I went a few years back. I had never seen anything like it outside of youtube videos or those silly plasma ball toys and it just took my breath away. Not really sure how to explain, but the sound coming from the electricity just feels different. Listening to the Mario theme on a Tesla coil is something I don't think I'll ever forget, lol.
I'm also a fan of BMoS. That big Van DeGraff generator, with the two 15-foot spheres, is actually the largest in the world.
For more Tesla coils noise, check out ArcAttack on YouTube. They are potentially the originator of Tesla coil music (2005). Last time I went to BMoS they weren't doing that yet (just turning them on and letting them whir), so it's cool they've adopted that.
Did not know that, cool! The guy who did the presentation was on a platform/cage high up between the two spheres, so yeah, pretty big.
YES! This is exactly like how I remember it, thanks for that! Though I will note that seeing one of these in person felt way different than hearing it on my headphones or speakers. Not sure if it's the bass or what, but the sound just sounds so much more full in person. Highly recommend.
Edit: After watching some more of these videos I realized something else that made the in-person experience so much more memorable: it was unexpected. These videos are awesome, but I'm expecting to hear Super Mario from Tesla coils when I click on the link because, well, that's the name of the link. In person though, there's a whole buildup phase where they do a great job of explaining electricity, Tesla coils, the safety of it all, then show how doing things at different speeds can create different sounds, and then if you get real fancy with it you can produce something like this -> and then that's when the beats dropped. Up until that point it had been a cool science presentation, and then suddenly you're just in this wonderful mix between a concert and a laser light show. I didn't even know that sort of thing was possible at the start of the presentation, and by the end I was wanting more. Catches you off guard, in a good way!
Maybe they didn't have much of it open when I went, but Versailles was kinda disappointing to me.
Different strokes for different folks! Maybe it's because I had just taken an AP European history course, but the whole palace just floored me. I've been to some big buildings before, like the Biltmore estate in NC, but Versailles was something else entirely. So much more grandiose and opulent than anything I've experienced before or since. Thinking back, I guess it has more to do with the size and scale rather than individual artifacts or stories. I felt similarly when I visited the Grand Canyon or the very first time I visited NYC as a child (had never seen skyscrapers before, much less one on every street corner).
I had a chance many many years ago to visit the Uffizi art museum in Florence, Italy, with a study abroad program. Absolutely gorgeous, so many historic pieces, and an incredible building. I liked it so much I went back independently later when the group had a free weekend.
Edited to add: shout-out to the Milwaukee Art Museum, which is the most interesting building I've ever seen, and the MOMA, which had Dwarf Fortress "on display" when I visited.
Wow, their website seems pretty thorough! Great for browsing. I especially love those renaissance sculptures!
Paintings
Sculptures
I second the Uffizi. I was able to go to several Guggenheims and many museums in Italy, Spain, and Berlin a couple of decades ago, and the Uffizi sticks with me the most. Just walking around Rome felt like an endless museum itself, too.
I like local museums with contemporary art and changing exhibitions. Used to have some kind of pass to go unlimited to local museums when I was a student, which made going to a new exhibition possible as a lunch activity (and made it painless to leave early if I didn’t like it).
The Louvre gives this strange feeling of massiveness besides having great pieces. Especially the hall with sculptures left an impression.
The American Museum of National History in New York is really cool. Worth it already for the planetarium and the dinosaurs, but there’s so much more to explore.
Museums that are centered around historic houses are always of interest to me. It’s a different type of experience than your typical museum, interesting nonetheless. For example Freud and Mozart houses in Vienna, the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam and the Terror Haza in Budapest.
Agree 100% about the Louvre, the AMNH in NYC, and historic homes in general, but what is it about contemporary art that you like so much? I've never been able to 'get it' despite having gone to a couple of contemporary art museums before. Something about the art just doesn't resonate with me the same way that say a Renaissance painting does, or a photography exhibit.
It’s hard to pinpoint and I agree that the feeling is different. There’s something aesthetically pleasing to a beautiful painting or sculpture. Most contemporary art makes me think or has captured my gaze somehow. Sometimes it’s the concept an artist wants to convey, sometimes it’s just a way of (over)stimulation that just hits different. E.g. funfairaffair by Funda Gül Özcan (2017) is just this crazy moving diorama with accompanying soundtrack. Or anything really by Ai Weiwei, both because of the impressiveness or strangeness of the pieces, while also being political statements.
Would love to shout out the City Museum in St. Louis! Not a museum in the traditional experience at all but an incredibly defining experience growing up. Their own description (an architectural playground) doesn't even quite do it justice.
Super interesting, thanks for sharing!
Their tagline of 'Weirdly Wonderful' sounds apt. I love the entire concept of a skateless park, as well as the description for it: "Built during a less litigious time, this onetime skate park is now a collection of slides and ramps built around the World’s Largest Working Pencil."
I loved that place! There's a passing sadness that it's all created from architectural salvage and city decay, and a joy at seeing the curious and astonishing details of those artifacts in new contexts. It's incredibly fun.
obligatory Smithsonian(s) in DC and Summer Palace in St Petersberg
I haven't been but my parents rave about Crystal Bridges in Arkansas (They've been a few times and it's a several day drive to get there)
Possibly the most impactful in my teenage years (even over Smithsonian and Summer Palace), was a traveling exhibition of Monet paintings. Its one thing to look at a Monet poster and be wow'd, but to be in the presence of an original and be able to alternate between focusing in on brush strokes and stepping back to see it all ?morph? into a cohesive/crisp picture... #bucketlist
Honorable mention - the stained glass globe you walk around inside at the Christian Science place in Boston was amazing, but mostly for the acoustics which you can recreate in many rotunda's around the world. Being able to hold a whisper level conversation w/someone on the other side of the globe/rotunda is/was ?mind bending?
Ahh how could I forget the Smithsonian! Many great museums all in one place. That aerospace museum really wowed me when I first went as a kid. Still does today, but was even more awe-inspiring when I was like 8 and all of it seemed like magic to me (still does tbh).
Yes! I totally get it. Something about seeing it in person just feels so different than in a book or on a screen.
I went to the Smithsonian a few years ago. I was blown away by the Air and Space Museum and the Udvar Hazy center. Maybe mostly because I built so many models of airplanes and spacships when I was a kid, and to see the real things in person is incredible. The Wright Flyer, the Spirit of St Louis... Great stuff.
We also went to the Natural History Museum when we were there. We had limited time and had to choose between that and the American History Museum. The Natural History Museum was impressive, but in retrospect we should have gone to the American History one since I've been to other natural history museums and it wasn't fundamentally different than those.
I've been to DC three times I believe, and it's legitimately hard deciding which museum to go to in the limited time you have there. Like just the Smithsonian ones alone there's like four or five I want to visit, and that doesn't even include some others like the Holocaust Museum which are also worth a look.
One of my favorite museums to visit in recent years was the Deutsches technikmuseum in Berlin. Also in Berlin, the former Stasi headquarters have been turned into a museum.
In the Netherlands the historic open air museum featuring all sorts of historic buildings that have been painstakingly taken down and build up again on the grounds.
That seems pretty cool! I've been to a lot of science museums that feature technology, but not a museum specifically focused on technology itself.
The technikmuseum I went to (Speyer) was basically just a museum of German vehicles (plus a few American fighters jets). It was really cool but it wasn't exactly a technology museum, and it looks like the one in Berlin is similar.
I guess you could call the entire planet a living technology museum.
That's deep, lol. I'm in a museum exhibit and I didn't even know it.
The British museum absolutely blew my mind when I visited. The illuminated manuscripts and the medieval clocks were my favorite although I didn't see everything.
I enjoy the Asian art museum in San Francisco.
I can't help but focus on all the things they had covered because their original owners had asked for the pieces back and the museum decided instead of returning the item they would just cover the display.
The Lane motor museum in Nashville is my absolute favorite! They have a ton of cars there and their rotating exhibits bring in a lot more. Last time I was there was for redwood, which was a bunch of 70’s-90’s sports cars and weird cars and that’s the exact era that I’m into! They also had some indycars there last time I was there!
A close second would probably be the Intrepid in Manhattan. I’m into ships and planes in addition to cars so it was an absolute treat to be on a carrier, see so many planes, and of course the space exhibit they have including shuttle Enterprise!
Really though, I love all museums, both the well know stuff and the weird stuff. Whenever I travel, I make sure to always go to some.
Edit: I completely forgot about the Henry Ford museum in Detroit! It's a fantastic museum for lovers of cars, trains, planes, and other vehicles, but they also have things like tractors, some dioramas of homes from various eras, a display of pop culture from different decades in the 20th and 21st century, and a civil rights exhibit that is pretty tear jerking every time I go. It's a pretty awesome trip! Doesn't quite top the Lane for me, but it's very close.
Wow that Ford museum sounds like it has a bit of everything! Will definitely check it out.
I'm going to give some local love to the Detroit Institute of Arts Museum. In some ways, it's one of the best investments of Gilded Age and American industrial money - there are 65,000 items in the collection.
The main museum is an architecturally important example of Beaux Arts design, with soaring open courtyards (including the museum café), and halls. It feels like a temple dedicated to human creations.
There are 27 original Diego Rivera murals, painted in situ, that I'd stare at for hours when I was a kid, now designated as a National Historic Landmark. There are deep, well-curated collections from around the world in every medium - painting, sculpture, metalwork, ceramics, glass, and newer electronic and digital installations. It houses the largest U.S. collection of African American art.
I had a somewhat free-range childhood, and got to wander the place unattended for whole days at a time. Those were enchanted hours immersed in astonishing beauty, or chasing purest curiosity through layers of ancient history. It seemed miraculous that this place could be open to everyone.
During the years of Detroit's decline, selling off part of the museum's collection, or even the building itself, were mooted by the city. That didn't happen - it's survived intact, beloved by the community, as one of the few remaining spaces still devoted to serving the public with the best of what humanity can offer.
Smaller shoutouts to:
The University of Michigan Museum of Natural History, which has amazing anthropology and biology collections and a great planetarium show. Still free admission for families!
The Dennos Museum Center in my hometown has one of the largest collections of Inuit art and artifacts in the United States. The items on display are in regular rotation, so it's always worth stopping for a rainy/snowy afternoon of viewing.
That Detroit Institute of Arts Museum sounds awesome!
Wow! Must be quite an effort to manage all that.
Was not familiar with that style, but just looked it up and damn, it’s impressive.
Thanks for sharing, for sure adding it to my list.
I think my favourite I've been to was the National Technical Museum in Prague. Especially, I enjoyed the massive hall full of old cars and planes on display. I think I spent at least an hour in that hall alone.
Just browsed through their website. The cars and trains look awesome, but this carousel feels a bit unsettling to me. Something about those lifelike horses feels... off.
Ohhh I'll throw in another memorable experience that I just thought of after reading someone's comment. The Guggenheim museum in NYC has the best layout I've ever seen in a museum. The whole building is shaped like an upside-down spiral, so you start by taking an elevator straight to the top floor and then slowly wind down the museum, visiting the exhibits along the way. I wasn't a huge fan of the actual art works on display, but the architecture of the building was a unique experience.
I'm in Vienna right now and I think that if I had more time here I could've spent a full hour JUST in the room displaying the Order of the Golden Fleece vestments at the treasury museum in the Hoffburg.
But I think my actual favorite museum doesn't exist anymore, it was the hologram museum in Chicago. I went there before cell phones existed and before I had a personal computer (though my family had one) and it was magical.
The Imperial Treasury at Hofburg has hands-down the most impressive artifacts on display in any museum that I've ever been to! It also has the Sabre of Charlemagne, Austrian Crown Jewels, Imperial Crown of the HRE, the Spear of Destiny/Longinus (which people may recognize from the movie Constantine), and so many more. My mind was blown over and over again while walking around in there due to how many artifacts I immediately recognized. It's crazy that so many, of that historical significance, are located in such a tiny museum. The Imperial Armoury at Hofburg was also impressive as hell too.
p.s. Since you're in Vienna now, be sure to check out St. Stephen's Cathedral if you get the chance. It's stunning and well worth a visit if you like gothic architecture Cathedrals. We got especially lucky when we went though, since there was a choral choir rehearsal going on which was truly awe inspiring to listen to thanks to the incredible acoustics of the building.
Vienna is easily my favorite city in Europe, and I adore it, so if you need some more suggestions for what to check out while you're there, feel free to ask.
E.g. If the Lipizzaner stallions are in town, the Spanish Riding School regularly holds morning training sessions which are often open to the public, and you can also book a tour there to see behind the scenes as well. And even if they don't have a scheduled training session open to the public, you could try just popping by and begging your way in to viewing one, like we did. ;) The Imperial Crypt is also really awesome and worth checking out too. And there are a bajillion classical concert venues there that are amazing.
I'm doing and/or did most of these things! Imperial Crypt wasn't on my list at all though, I'll keep it in mind - I have a conference for the next 3 days and then Friday I'm planning to go to a bunch of bookstores, and Sunday I'm spending the day playing escape rooms with friends who will be in the city, but I still need to fill Thursday and Saturday (i'm going to the Riding School on Thursday but I'm not exactly sure what I got a ticket for, if it's watching training or a tour or what)
Nice! Sounds like you're having a great time, and planned your trip pretty well already.
The Capuchin Church itself isn't the most impressive, but the sarcophagi in the Imperial Crypt below it definitely are, and are incredible works of art in their own right. And if you're acquainted with the history of the Habsburgs and Holy Roman Empire it's pretty cool to see the final resting place of so many Emperors, Empresses, Kings, Queens, Archdukes, and Archduchesses.
And if you need some more things to do without requiring any extra planning, you absolutely can't go wrong by visiting any of the other museums around that same area. The Kunsthistorisches (Fine Arts), Naturhistorisches (Natural History), Weltmuseum (Anthropology), Albertina (Contemporary Art), Leopold (Austrian Art), and mumok (Modern Art) are all within a stone's throw of each other. So you can pretty much take your pick for whatever subjects interest you most. The sheer density and quality of the museums there is one of the reasons I love that city so damn much. :P
p.s. The Austrian National Library is also very close by, is stunningly gorgeous, and has several interesting museum exhibits in it as well.
Damn definitely the most unique museum I’ve seen in this entire thread! And that really does sound magical as hell. Before this current era of technology, seeing a whole collection of holograms must have been a super-memorable experience. Thanks for sharing!
The Museu de Inhotim in Minas Gerais, Brazil, is a large farm that was converted into a large scale landscaping[1] project by Burle Max that's one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. It's like... He collaborate with nature while making it a work of art at the same time. So while it is artificial it also feels completely natural.
Inhotim is also a museum made of several buildings that integrate with the nature surrounding it. The focus is Brazilian contemporary art, but not necessarily totally current art. It's "contemporary" more as in a movement or style than time. That is probably because many pieces are actually built and not something you can easily replace. Many of the artists represented there are widely respected in Brazil, and some are the kind you hear about in college or school.
Because the place is so big, there are small open cars operated by the museum to help you get around it.
It is mostly art that is unconventional and weird, and a lot of them are meant to be experienced instead of being just looked at. It's basically an ADHD-friendly museum so it's pretty much the only museum I ever enjoyed.
One instalation is also a pool you can actually swim in.
One of my favorite pieces is a tube that goes deep into the Earth. So if you put your ear to the opening on the ground you hear "the sound of the Earth". I mean not really, it is not that deep, but it's pretty cool anyway.
[1] Translating from "paisagismo" which I'm not sure is correct. "Landscaping" makes me think of something much less artistic
Super cool! Just looked up pictures and it is indeed beautiful and natural. Apparently it’s one of the largest open-air museums in the whole world, so you weren’t kidding about the size. Thanks, adding it to my list for sure!
I haven't been to a ton of Museums, but previous favorites probably would have been Science and Industry in Chicago and then maybe the Forney Automotive Museum in Denver. That said everything has now been superceded by Bovington Tank Museum in Bovington, UK.
I am completely enamored with tanks and Bovington was pretty much the best two days of my life.
The fact that the 'Tank Collection' page on their website has a page 2 is impressive, lol.
Smithsonian Air Space Museum, both the one in DC proper and the hangar in Dulles, VA. I feel like the space program is one of the few things that I, as an American, can be proud of guilt-free. Sure it was all started with the intent of outdoing the Soviets during the Cold War, but it's just nice to have something in our history I can be proud of without a ton of baggage. And one of my absolute favorite things ever is the giant Apollo-Soyuz docking display they have at the DC museum. Just these massive space vehicles docked together for a peaceful exchange, hanging overhead.
I wish I had more time and less anxiety about large social gatherings, because I'd love to visit those two museums more often.
The Getty in Los Angeles is pretty amazing. From the funicular ride up the hill to the interiors done as part of the setting of the artworks, to the gardens, and even the restaurant! First rate.
If you like cars, the Petersen(also in LA) is a great experience.
It's very small but the collection is high quality: The Cantor on the grounds of Stanford University in Palo Alto is worth a stop if you are in the area.
San Francisco's Museum Of Modern Art isn't on the level of other MOMAs in the United States, but it's definitely worth it if you're in SF.
With admitted recency bias, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam was really cool. It had almost everything: artifacts, architecture, art.
At home in Denmark I'd go with either the Glyptotek in Copenhagen for similar reasons, or the Cold War Museum to the south, which features bunkers, defensive positions, command stations, and several kilometers of chalk tunnels underground. Super cool place.
Of the ones I've been to in the US I'd say the Metropolitan Museum of Art - just the sheer size of it is wild, and the exhibitions were complete in a way that I had never seen before. And then there was the Intrepid Museum which, again, American sized. I had never seen a submarine, so many fighter aircraft, the gigantic aircraft carrier, a spacecraft... mindblowing to my lil Scandinavian mind.
Honorable mentions: the Imperial War Museum in London although it's been too long for me to speak too much about it except I remember the great hall which kind of blows your mind when you walk in. The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum was great but pure horror, but I think everyone should go there if they get the chance. The guided tour is like no other. Never have and hopefully never will experience anything like it again.
Lol I never considered the museums in the states light overall be larger, but it makes sense. Are the museums in Europe generally smaller?
Those all seem super interesting, thanks!
Could be that it's just NYC that's bigger in general in terms of pretty much everything. But yes most museums here are way smaller than those two at least.
Being raised Catholic then going to the Vatican museum as an adult really reaffirmed my belief that the church doesn't deserve another cent from me. The museum and rooms were all over the top and showed generations of waste and splendor when people in the church struggle day to day. Later I went to service in St. Peter's Basilica, which is actually covered in gold, and almost laughed when they walked around looking for offerings.
Anyway, I don't know that it was my favorite, but it definitely stood out.
Ha, wow. That's definitely quite a memorable experience. I went there about a decade ago and felt similar things. Thanks for sharing!
I loved the Music Instrument Museum in Pheonix, AZ. They have a theramin and a balinese gamelan that you can play. They also have a 2 story tall string bass (the octobass).
https://mim.org/
Wow I had never even heard of some of those but they look/sound super cool!
I know this might not be as intended, but I recently visited a local museum and it's incredibly well done. Thoughtful displays, hands on activities for children and adults, and detailed writings about the local history back through to the paleozooic. They also have seasonal displays - currently, there's an entire exhibition of the works of Bob Ross!
I went with my son and we spent a pleasant hour on a Tuesday strolling around.
Dunn Museum
Yes! Local museums are very underappreciated! I've worked in some smaller museums before and the amount of people that walked in saying "I've lived here my whole life and never knew this was here" was shocking.
That one seems like a pretty cool one to have as a local museum.
The American History Museum in Washington D.C..
I can never choose between that one and the aerospace one, so the 3 or 4 times I’ve been to DC I just go to both, lol. Great museums!
I've never been able to enjoy the Air and Space Museum after a coworker in college called it "The War And Space Museum". When I went there afterwards I saw most of the exhibits as weapons instead of interesting technology.
Damn, that's a fair point. Though I'm sure some similar things could be said about the American History museum (and a lot of museums actually now that I think about it). I think a lot of it depends on how they frame the history and what stories they choose to tell.
I live in the area so I go to the American History museum a lot. There are some historical military uniforms there, but as part of displays of American life from different eras. The museum is about American life, not a display of weapons.
Fair point, didn’t mean any offense. I do enjoy the museum! Haven’t been there in quite a few years so feels like it’s about time to go back. I remember being awed by that gigantic flag the first time I went.
I didn't see your comment as offensive! At all.
My father drove a lot for work in the 70s and 80s. He bought every cheap car for work during that time, starting with the original teeny-tiny Honda Civic. It was an experience going to that museum and seeing a car my family owned as an exhibit.
Ha! That's definitely quite the experience! I worked in a museum a few years back that installed an exhibit on the 1990s and oh boy the comments we got from that were hilarious. A mix of excitement at seeing stuff you owned, to shock and denial thinking "I'm not that old! This shouldn't be in a museum yet!".
I also saw an exhibit there from a place I worked at in college.
Memory flashes from every sci-fi time traveling story flashed into my head.
Damn, hope I'm not monopolizing the thread, but I just remembered the archeological site of Pompeii and I take back all my answers, that one has to be my favorite. As someone who loves history, and especially Roman history, being able to walk in a literal Roman town was incredible. One of the most magical experiences of my life for sure. Highly recommend to anyone and everyone. It's the closest I've ever felt to being transported back in time. Something about walking on those streets, seeing the details in the sewer system, the amphitheater, the houses, really makes you feel like you're back 2000 years in the past. Hard feeling to replicate.
As a car guy, I second the above mentions of the Petersen Automotive Museum in L. A. & The Lane Motor Museum in Nashville!
I have to add the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan. Huge collection in many buildings. See it in the Fall and enjoy the tree colors as you walk between buildings.