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Northeast USA Museums and Culture

    Please Touch Museums, Pennsylvania

  210 North 21st Street - Philadelphia, PA            
Please Touch Museum, the children’s museum of Philadelphia. Please Touch is designed for families with young children and since 1976, has dedicated itself to enriching the lives of children by creating learning opportunities through play.
Let your child be your guide as they interact with our museum exhibits, take part in museum activities or enjoy one of our interactive theater performances.
    Lambert Castle Museum, New Jersey
  3 Valley Road - Paterson, NJ           
The Lambert Castle Museum is open most afternoons. The Castle grounds, the Garret Mountain Reservation and Rifle Camp Park are open Everyday from dawn to dusk!
    Queens Museum Of Art, New York State
  Flushing Meadows Corona Park - Queens, NY              
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One of the crowning points of the Flushing Meadows Corona Park is the centerpiece building which houses the Queens Museum of Art. Easily accessible from all of New York City, the museum was constructed with the intent of presenting high quality visual art to the people of New York and helping to achieve a better understanding of the city’s diversity and magnitude. When you visit the museum, make sure that you allow yourself time to enjoy one of their many activities in a frequently changing roster of exhibitions. Long term exhibitions include The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass, A Watershed Moment, which looks at the New York City water supply system and of course the Partnership Gallery which gives aspiring cultural and non-profit partners space to mount their own works and exhibitions. The Queens Museum of Art is also a museum dedicated to helping the community and giving back to those around them by offering several school-based tours and lectures to enhance young minds. If you care about enriching New York and having an opportunity to enjoy the finest work Queens has to offer, then you must take a trip into the Queens Museum of Art.
    Neversink Valley Area Museum, New York State
  2095 Hood Rd - off Rte 209 - Cuddebackville, NY           
The mission of the Neversink Valley Area Museum, a non-profit organization, is to preserve, document and interpret the history of the Neversink River Valley of Orange County, from its beginnings to the present, through exhibitions, educational programs and publications for children and adults.
    Cranbury Museum, New Jersey
  4 Park Place East - Cranbury, NJ           
The Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society was organized in 1967 and incorporated on November 17, 1970. It is governed by an Executive Board, composed of officers, trustees and committee chairpersons.
Its museum was originally built in 1834 by Dr. Garret P. Voorhees, with additional rooms added added from 1850 to 1862 by the Isaac Snedeker Family. The Historical Society acquired the house in May, 1972 and volunteers transformed it in six months from a simple house into a museum.
The many original architectural elements, (including window sashes with early glass, wide pine floor boards, original paint), its collections of 18th and 19th century furnishings, Indian artifacts, and local memorabilia, radiate a sense of Cranbury past. Follow on Twitter: @cranburyhistory
    American Swedish Historical Museum, Pennsylvania
  1900 Pattison Avenue - Philadelphia, PA            
The American Swedish Historical Museum in South Philadelphia is the oldest Swedish Museum in the United States. Founded in 1926, the Museum has been dedicated to preserving and promoting Swedish and Swedish-American cultural heritage and traditions for nearly 80 years. The Museum is a place where Swedes, Swedish-Americans, and people of all nationalities who appreciate Swedish contributions to history, art, architecture, music, science and technology can come together.
    Franklin Institute Science Museum, Pennsylvania
  222 North 20th Street - Philadelphia, PA             
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"Resources for Science Learning" are activities and ideas for inspiring scientific curiosity at home, in school, or wherever you are. Find out about the Center for Innovation in Science Learning and its program offerings for learners and for educators.
    Nova Jersey Children's Museum, New Jersey
  599 Valley Health Plaza - Paramus, NJ           
A great place to celebrate your child's birthday party! Toddlers and preschoolers love the interactive, hands-on exhibits, including a real fire truck, a real helicopter, cool fossil/dinosaur cave, play ballet studio, kids' medieval castle, and much, much more. Ask about special party activities, special birthday favors, and fun birthday party themes!
    FDR Presidential Library and Museum, New York State
  4079 Albany Post Road - New Hyde, NY             
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The Library's mission is to foster research and education on the life and times of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, and their continuing impact on contemporary life. Our work is carried out by four major areas: Archives, Museum, Education and Public Programs.
    Varnum House Museum, Rhode Island
  57 Pierce St. - East. Greenwich, RI           
This mansion was built in 1773 by James Mitchell Varnum, a lawyer who entered the Revolutionary War and served as one of General George Washington's Continental Army Brigadier Generals. Varnum was later Major General in command of the entire Rhode Island Militia. The museum is furnished with period furniture and features many historic artifacts.
    Seashore Trolley Museum, Maine
  195 Log Cabin Road - Kennebunkport, ME            
Founded in 1939 with one open trolley car, No. 31 from the Biddeford & Saco Railroad Company. Over the years thousands of members have followed the founding fathers by helping the Museum grow to be the premier electric railway museum in the world. Today, our collection contains over 250 transit vehicles, most of them trolleys, from all over the United States, Canada, and many other countries. We are the oldest, and largest electric railway museum in the world.
The mission of the Museum is to present a living history of public transportation relevant to North American life through community-related educational programs. The Museum shall collect, restore, preserve, exhibit and demonstrate the operation of significant transit vehicles with emphasis upon traditional streetcar and interurban service, including rapid transit, trackless trolley and bus service with select world wide comparative representation. The Museum shall provide a repository for artifacts and information of an educational and historic nature relating to the origin and development of the transit industry and its contribution to modern society.
    Virginia Museum of Transportation, Virginia
  303 Norfolk Avenue - Roanoke, VA           
Come experience the only remaining examples of the N&W's legendary success at the Virginia Museum of Transportation: the N&W Class A 1218 and the Class J 611. In our Rail Yard, explore historic steam and diesel engines, cabooses, and other rail equipment as modern trains rumble past. Inside the Museum, enjoy model trains, hands-on exhibits, and stroll among our antique automobiles, and truck and bus exhibits.
    Beavertail Lighthouse Museum, Rhode Island
  Beavertail Road - P.O. Box 83 - Jamestown, RI           
Discover Jamestown's most visited landmark with its panoramic views of Narragansett Bay. Located on the southernmost tip of Jamestown, Rhode Island, the Beavertail Lighthouse museum features a collection of information, artifacts, and conversation about the history and site of the third-oldest lighthouse in North America. Come and enjoy New England hospitality as you engage with lighthouse history and with interesting elements of Narragansett Bay’s maritime science, technology, art, and culture.
    The Marine Museum, Massachusetts
  70 Water Street - Fall River, MA           
Here you will see one of the world's largest TITANIC exhibit. A 28 foot detailed model is the centerpiece in the collection of artifacts and memorabilia. The famous R. M. S. Titanic, so carefully designed to be called "unsinkable", on her maiden voyage took 1500 people with her to a watery grave on April 14, 1912. The museum's collection includes photographs taken by the Wood's Hole Oceanographic Institution, a recorded account of the tragedy by a Titanic survivor, and a video tape of the vessel's discovery. The Marine Museum's newest exhibit, The Andrea Dora, is now open. This exhibit includes photographs, videos, artifacts and a model of the Italian liner which sank off the coast of Nantucket in the summer of 1956.
    National Firearms Museum, Virginia
  11250 Waples Mill Road - Fairfax, VA            
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The mission of the National Firearms Museum is to develop and manage educational programs that promote appreciation, understanding, and participation in gun collecting, and the preservation of the heritage of firearms through collection, conservation, exhibition and research as part of a nationally recognized museum in America.
    Koshland Science Museum, Washington DC
   - Washington, DC           
Opened to the public in April 2004, the new Marian Koshland Science Museum uses engaging, interactive exhibits to bring to life the numerous reports conducted by the prestigious National Academies every year.
    Seabee Museum and Memorial Park, Rhode Island
   - Davisville, RI           
From its founding, the Seabee Museum and Memorial Park has stood on its own, collecting grants from federal, public, and private sectors. The majority of funding received to date has been from the MCB-6 Association, other Seabees, the Rhode Island State Preservation and Historical Society, the Federal HUD Office, and a Federal Grant from the Department of Defense (allowing Seabee Reserves to perform a full summer training program here). While this may sound significant, it’s only a small percentage of the bricks and mortar required to complete this tribute to the "Original Home of the Seabees."
    Jewish Museum of Maryland, Maryland
  15 Lloyd Street - Baltimore, MD            
Here at the JMM, visitors can uncover the roots of Jewish history in our landmark historic sites – the Lloyd Street Synagogue, built in 1845, now the nation’s third oldest surviving synagogue and B’nai Israel Synagogue, built in 1876 and still home to a vibrant congregation. Our Museum Campus includes three exhibition galleries featuring fascinating and diverse exhibitions that explore in depth, the Jewish American experience. The Museum offers a wide range of programs and special events for children, adults, and families as well as a research library and family history center. We invite students of all ages to experience the rich vitality of Jewish culture and heritage on and off-site through our education programs.
    Reginald F. Lewis Museum, Maryland
  830 E. Pratt Street - Baltimore, MD            
Mission: To be the premier experience and best resource for information and inspiration about the lives of African American Marylanders. The museum seeks to realize its mission by collecting, preserving, interpreting, documenting and exhibiting the rich contributions of African American Marylanders from the state’s earliest history to the present and the future.
    National Great Blacks in Wax, Maryland
  1601-03 East North Avenue - Baltimore, MD             
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The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum is among the nations most dynamic cultural and educational institutions. Because it is a wax museum committed solely to the study and preservation of African American history, it is also among the most unique. Primarily, the presentation of life-size, life-like wax figures highlighting historical and contemporary personalities of African ancestry defines its uniqueness.
    USS Constitution Museum, Massachusetts
  P.O. Box 1812 - Boston, MA            
The USS Constitution Museum serves as the memory and educational voice of USS Constitution, by collecting, preserving, and interpreting the stories of "Old Ironsides" and the people associated with her. We seek to create a positive, memorable experience for both children and adults by inspiring within them a love for the freedom that Constitution symbolizes. We will share Constitution's contributions with a global audience, and we will strive to be the best museum possible based on scholarship and innovative ways of sharing Constitution's stories.
    Kreeger Museum, The, Washington DC
   - Washington, DC           
The Kreeger Museum is a private, non-profit art museum located in the former residence of David and Carmen Kreeger. Designed by renowned architect Philip Johnson, it showcases the Kreeger's permanent collection of 19th and 20th century paintings and sculptures.
    The Bennington Museum, Vermont
  West Main Street - Bennington, VT            
The mission of the Bennington Museum is to celebrate the history and heritage of the southern Vermont region, as well as serve as a venue for visual and performing arts that enrich our community and our world. Incorporated in 1852 as the Bennington Historical Association, the Bennington Museum is one of only a few accredited museums in the state of Vermont. The Association was founded to commemorate the pivotal 1777 Revolutionary War battle fought near the town. Following the dedication of the 306-foot-tall Bennington Battle Monument in 1891, the Association turned its attention to a more comprehensive preservation of history, art and material culture in southern Vermont and nearby areas.
After years of searching for a permanent home, the Association in 1923 acquired the beautiful, native stone structure that had served as the first St Francis De Sales Catholic Church from 1855 to 1892. Following some functional renovations, the museum opened to the public in 1928 as the Bennington Historical Museum.
    The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Connecticut
  600 Main St. - Hartford, CT             
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"We’re more than just the first public art institution in the United States. We were the first museum in America to begin collecting contemporary American art – resulting in our world renowned Hudson River School collection. We staged the first retrospective of Pablo Picasso in America; we were the first museum to both exhibit and purchase works by Surrealist artists – today almost every exhibition about Surrealism includes works borrowed from our collection. We were the first art museum to also have a theater – and we were the first to show Gertrude Stein’s Four Saints & 3 Acts – which we also produced."
    Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, Washington DC
  3900 Harewood Road, NE - Washington, DC           
Activities for Children
Children 0-5: Build with blocks; create art rubbings of saints, angels and nature; ring the bells; play dress up; and watch Bible stories under a tent.
Children 5-8: ring the bells; discover melody selections from Catholic hymnals; and create an electronic stained-glass window. Children 8 & up: participate in a scavenger hunt, available at the Admissions Desk.
    WV Museum of American Glass, West Virginia
  230 Main Avenue - Weston, WV            
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Imagine a museum dedicated to the region and nation's rich glass heritage. A place where examples of thousands of products can be viewed and compared and where the stories of people and processes come to life! The MAGWV provides this and much, much more.
    Historical Society of Delaware, Delaware
  505 Market Street - Wilmington, DE           
The Delaware History Center dominates the 500 block of Market Street Mall in downtown Wilmington and is composed of the Delaware History Museum, Old Town Hall, Willingtown Square, and Society's research library. Ample public parking is available at 4th and King Streets, 7th and King Streets, 6th and Shipley Streets, and at street meters.
The Delaware History Center is just a few blocks from the Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park, the First USA Riverfront Arts Center, and the Wilmington train station.
    John Brown Wax Museum, West Virginia
  168 High St. - Harpers Ferry, WV            
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Sunday, October 16, 1859, Brown, accompanied by about 20 men, all fully armed, crossed the Potomac into Virginia (now West Virginia) at Harper's Ferry. They overpowered the watchmen at the following locations: the Baltimore & Ohio railroad bridge, the United States armory and arsenal, and the rifle factory above the town on the Shenandoah. They placed guards at those points and at the street corners of the town. Brown established himself in the thick-walled brick building at the armory gate, one room of which was the quarters of the watchman and the other contained a fire-engine. He then sent six men, to seize the principal citizens in the neighborhood and incite those of African decent to rise and join in the insurrection.
    Peabody Museum of Natural History, Connecticut
  170 Whitney Avenue - New Haven, CT             
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The mission of the Peabody Museum is to serve Yale University by advancing our understanding of earth’s history through geological, biological, and anthropological research, and by communicating the results of this research to the widest possible audience through publication, exhibition, and educational programs.
Fundamental to this mission is stewardship of the Museum’s rich collections, which provide a remarkable record of the history of the earth, its life, and its cultures. Conservation, augmentation and use of these collections become increasingly urgent as modern threats to the diversity of life and culture continue to intensify.
    Submarine Force Museum, Connecticut
  1 Crystal Lake Rd - Groton, CT           
The Submarine Force Museum, located on the Thames River in Groton, Connecticut, maintains the world's finest collection of submarine artifacts. It is the only submarine museum operated by the United States Navy, and as such is the primary repository for artifacts, documents and photographs relating to U.S. Submarine Force history. The museum traces the development of the "Silent Service" from David Bushnell's Turtle, used in the Revolutionary War, to the Ohio and Virginia class submarines.
The museum's collections include more than 33,000 artifacts, 20,000 significant documents and 30,000 photographs. With so many holdings, the displays change frequently and a return visit will be a new experience. The 6,000 volume reference and research library is a world-renowned collection relative to the history of U.S. submarines and is open to anyone looking for information on submarines or submarine history.