Museums PA USA - Attractions

If you're looking for kid-friendly activities in Philadelphia, the Please Touch Museum is one of the best. Children can get hands-on learning experiences about urban settings, flight, water, history, imagination, and more. Be aware that the museum can get particularly busy on rainy days.

For more about the museum, visit http://www.pleasetouchmuseum.org/

Not for the faint of heart: A mix of gore and solid scientific research, this museum has a collection of "medical oddities" amassed over 200 years. Informative, disturbing and uplifting all at the same time.

This is a modern art museum. The architecture outside is also a great view. Many of the artists are from the 19th and 20th century including Picasso and Bogh.

To appreciate the full history of not only Johnstown, but also the historic flood that claimed 2000 lives in 1889, school children are often taken to this Museum. It has a water table to show how this could occur. When you purchase tickets for the Johnstown Flood Museum they are also good for the John and Sylvia Pasquerilla Heritage Discovery Center. This is a wonderful and truly enlightening spot for everyone.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art features over 200 galleries filled with treasures spanning continents and cultures, drawn from a collection of more than 400,000 works of art. The huge stone edifice of the museum, supported by majestic Doric columns, looks over the Schuylkill River. Scale the steps made famous in the 'Rocky' movies. Dine at the Museum Restaurant or walk in Fairmount Park, just behind the museum.

Do you love art? Than this is the place to be! I remember coming here for school field trips, but not really appreciating it until I got older. Now this is a great spot to take a date or for an excursion with friends!

Unlike many museums, the Liberty Museum faces a current problem instead of documenting the past. Three floors of displays and multi-media presentations are intended to reflect America's roots in freedom and equality and how it can be used today to confront bigotry and hatred. Glass is the medium used in many of the works on display to reflect the delicate balance between freedom and persecution. The most notable piece of the art collection is "The Flame of Liberty," a 20-foot glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly. The museum is open 7 days a week from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but is closed on Mondays the remainder of the year.

If you're in Lewisburg, PA around Christmas time I highly suggest visiting the Packwood House Museum. Every year the museum puts on a themed display that open to the public on certain days. One of the oldest buildings in Lewisburg, the Packwood House is great place to take in the history of Central Pennsylvania. I have many fond memories of this little museum.

Philadelphia has been an important seaport town since the 1600s. The Seaport Museum traces this history through exhibits, demonstrations, and several ships on display, including a World War II submarine and the USS Olympia, Admiral Dewey's flagship in the Spanish-American War. The auditorium at the museum is also used for chamber music concerts.

This museum is a must-see for aviation buffs, as well as those with an interest in military history. With 35 civilian and military helicopters, autogiros and convertiplanes, the American Helicopter Museum has a well-rounded collection of impressive machines, including the V-22 Osprey. If you're looking for a thrill, try the 6-8 minute helicopter ride - USD35.00 per person. If you prefer the safety of land, stop into the library and browse the many historic documents and artifacts on display. Finish your trip with a stop at the gift shop, where you're sure to find that one-of-a-kind souvenir.

The Philadelphia Doll Museum is home to one of the world's premier collections of black dolls, with more than 300 dolls from the early 19th century on display. Other highlights include European and American folk arts, doll artists' dolls and a collection of European dolls and reproductions by Leo Moss. A gift store is open during museum hours.

The Museum of Mourning Art is less than 30 minutes from Philadelphia and explores the unusual history and artistic culture of grief. The museum features familiar death symbols, such as the skull and cross bones, that are found on books, clocks, engravings, bells, ceramics, tombstones and a variety of other objects related to death. A special exhibit features more than seventy pieces of mourning jewelry, worn as mementos of the deceased. Most notable is a special exhibit dedicated to George Washington and the national grief that gripped America.

Founded in 1976, the National Museum of Jewish American History explores the cultural, economic, political, and social evolution of Judaism in America. Exhibits like Creating American Jews examine the creation of Jewish identity in the U.S. by investigating the forces, positive and negative, that have given rise to the proud Jewish-American tradition. Other displays include notable Jewish-Americans, the explanation and roots of holidays, as well as monuments to the festive and lighthearted side of the faith. The museum also has a gift shop with postcards and other souvenirs.

Please Touch Museum is the country's first museum designed for children ages seven and younger. Please Touch is home to nine interactive exhibits including Barnyard Babies, Move It! and The Supermarket. Families can also take part in special gallery activities and catch a Please Touch Playhouse theater production.

The Rosenbach Museum & Library is cozily nestled away, much like many of its exhibits, in a residential area. The 19th Century townhouse boasts original manuscripts and handwritten copies of some of the world's most important literary works. The most highly prized of all the rarities on display is the original handwritten manuscript for James Joyce's 'Ulysses'. The museum celebrates 'Ulysses' every June 16th with the Bloomsday festival.