Museums

While on a week’s holiday touring Durham County, England, we spent the weekend at Beamish, an open-air living museum representing life in northern England during the height of the Industrial Revolution. The highlight of our visit was the DLI (Durham Light Infantry) display.

The Sword of Goujian is a state treasure in China today with some scholars even calling it as the legendary King Arthur's Excalibur of the east.

It was a beautiful sunny November day, and I was thrilled. Having been a fan and loving her artwork for many years, I was going to visit La Casa Azul, Frida Kahlo's house in Mexico City.

Chocolate Nation is a museum with multimedia exhibits on the history of chocolate-making, plus hands-on workshops and tastings. It is the biggest Belgian chocolate museum in the world.

The "6 Best Art Museums in Los Angeles" lists a variety of local art museums to appeal to many different tastes in art, from LACMA and the Huntington Gallery to MOCA, plus several more art museums.

The Dead Sea Scrolls have to go down as one of the most incredible and exciting discoveries in the last 2000 years! Israel is home to an amazing museum in which you can experience history first-hand.

The Breakers Mansion is a stunning example of the Gilded Age summer cottages that were built by some of America's wealthiest families and is a must see on any visit to Newport, Rhode Island.

The Roswell UFO Museum in New Mexico is perhaps the most famous 'landing' site for aliens in the world. In 1947 some sort of airborne craft crash-landed in the desert near Roswell Air Force Base, hence the name.

Curious about what to do in Edinburgh? Check out the Edinburgh castle. Edinburgh Castle is an iconic landmark of Scotland, and its storied history is very interesting. Here's everything you need to know.

Explore the village of Eyam in Derbyshire. Witness the legacy of the 17th-Century Plague. Hear how the villagers self-isolated, as Eyam suffered a high death toll but stopped the spread of disease to other areas. The weight of history hangs heavily in this thought-provoking and inspiring village.

The amazing Cullen Sculpture Garden is on an acre of land between the Museum of Fine Arts and the Glassell School of Art in Houston, Texas. Admission is free!

Oklahoma's Muscle Car Ranch provides a nostalgic trip down memory lane with old cars, motorcycles, signs, and structures. This is truly one of Oklahoma's most fascinating open-air museums.

The Orange Show Foundation is an homage to the imagination and creativity of Jeff McKissack. Built on Houston's east side, you must see this to believe it!

Any trip to Udon Thani is incomplete without seeing the Thai-Chinese Cultural Center. Located near the center of Udon City's nightlife, the Cultural Center has displays about the history of the Thai-Chinese community in Udon. It also has a small Chinese-style garden with a pond of colorful fish.

Amsterdam has an impressive number and range of museums, as well as its own Museum Quarter. The challenge is choosing which ones to explore. Read on to find out about 10 of the best and start making your list. One trip will not be enough. You will be left wanting to plan a return visit to see more.

Where can you find The Twist in Norway? Find out why this beautiful building, designed by the Danish star architects at Bjarke Ingels Group and located in Kistefos, is a must-see for art and architecture lovers.

If you are ever in Moline, Illinois, and would like to learn about the farming history and view modern-day equipment plus antique items, visit the John Deer Pavilion. What John Deere started is fantastic, and now is used worldwide. Admission is free!

The West Pasco Historical Society Museum, located in New Port Richey, contains a vast collection of artifacts and antiques on display documenting over 100 years of life here on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

The elegant and richly furnished Pittock Mansion, now a historic house museum, sits up high on a hill overlooking Portland, Mount Hood, and the Cascade mountains. See photos and videos.

This Houston gallery features modernist artists from the 1900s to the present day.

See a fantastic array of beautifully handcrafted hearses at the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston, from the 1800s to ones carrying Presidents, etc.

A fantastic and informative museum shows vintage farming equipment and artifacts dating back to Katy, Texas, from pioneer times up to modern times. Admission is free!

The exterior of this stainless-steel parallelogram building is impressive. What is inside our Contemporary Arts Museum Houston can be even more so!

The Rothko Chapel on the Menil campus in Houston, Texas, is a place of quiet reflection. It is also solely dedicated to showcasing the art of Mark Rothko.

A surprising discovery of WWII memorabilia is in the West Houston Airport Museum. Commemorative Air Force events are also held at the airport on occasion. See photos here.

A charming little pocket park in the heart of Katy, TX. The historic M-K-T railroad depot and caboose are located at this small but impressive museum/visitor center.

Cypress Top Historic Park is a small urban park consisting of a homestead, Humble Gas Station, General Merchandise Store and more, all on just 2.4 acres.

Meet 85-year-old artist Ken Pridgeon, Sr. at the Fallen Warriors Memorial Gallery in Houston. He paints images of Texans who died in service to their country.

Learn about Bayou Bend Gardens, the Azalea Trail, the Hogg Family, Miss Ima Hogg, and her contribution to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, legacy and more.

Enjoy this year-round environment with tropical plants, waterfalls & butterflies. These beautiful insects fly freely throughout this lovely space in the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

If you like to see model trains including seasonal displays, visit the Memorial City Mall in Houston. The Houston Tinplate Operators Society operates them.

The Katy Veterans Memorial Museum has a fantastic collection of maps, uniforms, artifacts, etc., covering all wars in which the U.S. has participated.

The Rosenberg Railroad Museum is fantastic! Watch moving trains pass, picnic on the grounds, and see an 1879 rail car, 1972 caboose, Tower 17, and more.

The collection of Fantasy Coffins at the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston shows how the Ga people from Ghana choose to honor & bury their deceased.

The Houston Maritime Museum contains ship models, relics, and artifacts from all around the globe. Learn the history, plus current events like oil drilling, shipping, etc.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science Sugar Land building was once a prison. The museum contains a variety of displays to entice young and old alike.

There is much to see and learn inside the Houston Fire Museum. It contains many artifacts and lots of information about the early years of firefighting. The museum even has a playroom for kids.

The Czech Center Museum in Houston teaches people about the Czech Republic and Slovakia. See artifacts, art, clothing, etc., in a venue space that can be used for various functions such as meetings, weddings, etc.

The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum provides visitors with a unique opportunity to experience one of the most historic lighthouses on Florida’s east coast.

Read descriptions and see photos of masterful landscape paintings in the Museum of Fine Arts Houston plus information about the famous artists who painted them.

Did you realize that many famous writers have hailed from Ireland? Unsurprisingly, several of them were born and/or lived in Ireland's capital, Dublin, which boasts its own Writers' Museum. Learn more about some of these famous, Nobel Prize-winning scribes.

Tips for enjoying Miniatur Wunderland, the most popular tourist attraction in Germany and the biggest model railroad in the world.

DakshinaChitra is a museum dedicated to South Indian culture and architecture on the East Coast Road near Chennai. It showcases several model houses used by different communities.

The Mark Twain House and Museum offers visitors a fascinating glimpse into the life and times of one of America’s most beloved authors.

When in Dublin, you'll probably want to visit some museums, especially on a rainy day. Here are three of the best museums to visit in Dublin.

Aquariums offer a close-up look at magnificent creatures we would never see outside of a book. Enjoy these beautiful photos as I give you an inside peek at the sites you will see at Kentucky's Newport Aquarium.

Only a 30-minute drive from Derry, Fort Dunree Military Museum on Donegal's Inishowen Peninsula is a fascinating site to visit. Dunree, Dun Fhraoigh as Gaeilge means “Fort of the Heather” and suggests that this site has been an important defensive site throughout Ireland's history.

The Royal Collection Trust presents Queen Victoria's Palace at Buckingham Palace. Learn more about this exhibition's highlights.

Traveling between Tokyo and Nagoya? Don’t forget to pop by the Hamamatsu Museum of Musical Instruments, one of the most fascinating museums in Japan.

The John Adams and John Quincy Adams birthplaces were two of my favorite places to visit in the Boston area.