Archive | 2012

National Museum of the American Indian

On a recent trip for business and leisure, we visited the National Museum of the American Indian.  The building is absolutely exquisite.  The construction of the building has much meaning, and the small grounds around it are planted in various native species as well as traditional foods the rest of us associate with North America’s […]

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Old Sturbridge Village…Simple Machines

I had the pleasure of accompanying my son’s third grade class on a recent trip to Old  Sturbridge Village in search of simple machines. The class was reminded to be on the look out for simple machines and how they were used to make peoples lives easier, and to think of how these inventions relate […]

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Open Storage — the latest in Museum Exhibit Halls

Well, open storage is really more an answer to what to do with all the items buried in the back recesses of many museums – see the last scene in ‘Raider of the Lost Art’ if you are not sure what I mean.  While I’ve not been in too many museum basements, I have been […]

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Watervliet Heritage Museum

As part of a family genealogical search, I recently visited Watervliet Heritage Museum, a delightful Shaker site.  Hancock Shaker Village, and Pleasant Hill in Kentucky are likely the most familiar Shaker museums to vacationers.  These both are large, very well restored, and probably even easier to find! The Watervliet Shaker site, actually the movement’s first […]

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Witch: Evolving Perceptions

After reading several books on the subject, The Wolves of Andover & The  Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent,  Deliverance from Evil by Frances Hill ( while fictional, both are drawn from early America’s tragic historical character’s and events of the 1692 Witch Trials) I became intrigued and decided to visit the coastal village of Salem, […]

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The Berkshire Museum – “Art, history, natural science. Make surprising connections!”

The Berkshire Museum, located in Pittsfield, MA, is a hidden gem.  There are many of these small museums in New England – and probably elsewhere – founded by a local businessman and his family for the betterment of the surrounding community.  In the early 1900s, there were many well to do families who brought their […]

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Child’s View: Historic Deerfield

Guest Author: SerahRose Roth Herein lies the very first post of…going to museums with children!  Our test subject is the grand-daughter of Sharon & Rich.  She and I spent the afternoon at Historic Deerfield. Like the best historic villages, it’s a lovely place to walk.  But what felt unique was the mixing of old and […]

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Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory & Gardens

Delicate butterflies dance through the air in a flurry of movement and color.With a backdrop of tropical vegetation and flowering plants.Relax while you gaze into a charming Koi pond in the center. Lots of other interesting creatures too, such as birds, frogs and lizards. The Magic Wings Butterfly Museum boast  3,000 different butterflies and moths […]

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Eric Carle Museum

We packed a car load of kids and headed to the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst, MA. The author and illustrator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. A kid friendly Museum with beautiful illustrations for children and adults alike. With a hands on art studio where kids can create their very own masterpieces. A place where […]

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Dateline NYC: Met and Moma

Both the Met and the Moma (The Metoplitian museum of Art and Muesum of Modern Art for non-new yorkers) are so awesome and yet static that you really only go very rarely UNLESS – they have a special exhibit — and the Met’s exhibit of the Stein’s personal collection (as in Gertrude Stein, and her […]

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