A vast collection of any thing can start a museum. A museum in Stratford, Connecticut has been exhibiting rubbish for 16 years now, and counting. In Japan, they have a museum dedicated to parasites, featuring a 300ft-long tapeworm. And in Husavik, Iceland, they’ve “erected” a building solely for penises. Incidentally, this is reportedly the world’s only phallological museum.
There is such variety of museums to see. While the previously mentioned museums may strike you as deeply interesting and most provocative, millions of people flock to the same sorts of museums.
Currently, The Louvre in Paris holds the distinction as the world’s most visited art museum, followed by the British Museum in London, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. You would miss out a lot if you were to skip those three when in town just because you don’t like crowds or you think art is overrated.
Instead of avoiding such popular museums, guarantee a better visit to each one by following these stress-free and boredom-proof tips.
Plan ahead.
Museums have varying schedules. You don’t want to head out to the city only to find out that the doors have closed, just five minutes before you arrived. So make sure you know the schedules of whatever museum you intend to visit.
Also included in your planning should be the exhibits. Some museums hold special exhibits of rare collections. If you like rare gems or ancient artefacts or modern art from celebrated new artists, keep a look out for such one-off exhibits. Some museums, like the Art Gallery of NSW, hold free talks and films on Wednesdays; this should make your museum visit far more diverse.
Go when fewer people visit.
Indeed, even the most visited museums, The Louvre, for instance, have rare moments when it is less crowded; you’ll be able to snap artworks without asking someone to move their head, and you’ll be able to walk through the exhibits with ease and have a look at most paintings or collections all by yourself.
Some museums close late in the evening at certain days. Evenings might have fewer people so consider going to your favourite museum at night.
Visit museums that you and everyone else you will be with are interested to see.
Right, not everyone in your group might appreciate looking at Spam (Minnesota has a Spam museum) or dog collars (a museum in Kent, UK). So before you take the entire family off to a museum for an entirely different weekend, make sure it is the kind that they’ll enjoy.
So visit the museum’s website first to see if there are engaging exhibits designed for kids. As a side recommendation, brush up on details about certain collections of paintings so you’re able to add to your kids’ knowledge.
Choose only certain exhibits.
There is no need to take a tour of the entire museum, especially when it is massive. Pick exhibits that will appeal to everyone. Know where each exhibit is located in the museum. And create a visit that is not going to get you to wander around aimlessly; that sort of tour is only good for when you go alone and have nothing else planned out for the day.
Save money by knowing museum policies.
Some museums are free for certain people. We’re not talking about just kids; most museums in Paris, for instance, provide free entrance for residents of the European Union who are also under 26 years old and a museum in Sydney devoted to Chinese art offers free entrance at certain days.
And if you truly don’t want to shell out cash for visiting, go to museums that are for free: the Art Gallery of NSW, The Rocks Discovery Museum in Sydney, Tate Modern in London, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.