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Northeast USA Museums and Culture

    Varnum Memorial Armory, Rhode Island

  6 Main St. - East Greenwich, RI           
From July 1918 to January 1996, the Varnum Armory in East Greenwich, RI, housed units from the Rhode Island State and National Guard. Built in 1913 and completed in 1914, the Varnum Continentals had the Armory built in the Medieval architectural style. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and contains an extensive Military & Naval Museum.
    National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington DC
   - Washington, DC           
National Museum of Women in the Arts, the only museum in the world dedicated exclusively to recognizing the contributions of women artists.
    Historic Richmond Town, New York State
  441 Clarke Avenue - Staten Island, NY             
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Historic Richmond Town is a living history museum located in Staten Island, New York. It is a complex of buildings and structures that have been carefully preserved to give visitors a glimpse into the past and a better understanding of the history and culture of Staten Island and New York City. The museum features over 30 historical structures, including a colonial-era courthouse, a one-room schoolhouse, and a variety of homes and businesses that were once located throughout Staten Island. Visitors can experience what life was like in the past through interactive exhibits, tours, and living history demonstrations. The museum is also home to the Staten Island Historical Society, which is dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of Staten Island and its residents. The society's collections include artifacts, documents, and photographs that provide a glimpse into the lives of the people who lived on Staten Island throughout history.
The museum is open to visitors throughout the year and offers a variety of programs, events, and activities for visitors of all ages. Visitors can take a tour of the museum's buildings and structures, participate in hands-on activities, attend lectures and workshops, and explore the museum's gardens and grounds. The Decker Farm is also part of the museum's property, where visitors can enjoy the bountiful harvests of produce from its well-maintained and beautiful organic fields, and learn about the farming practices used in the past.
In Historic Richmond Town, visitors can live vicariously through history and really gain a feel for the true American experience. It's a great place to bring friends and family to create memories that will last a lifetime. With its rich history, beautiful architecture, and engaging programs, it's easy to see why visitors keep coming back to this unique and historic museum.
    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!
    Wright Museum, New Hampshire
  77 Center Street - Wolfeboro, NH           
The Wright Museum consists of three distinct sections: a home front gallery and theater, a two-story Visitor's Center, and the museum's military wing, which houses exhibits devoted to all branches of the armed services. Among the highlights of the museum's military exhibition is a large collection of fully-operational vintage military vehicles, including a 42-ton Pershing tank - the only known surviving example from the 1945 crossing at Remagen Bridge.
Twice a year, we make this collection available for rides for the general public. 2012 will mark the 15th year that the Wright Museum will host its annual Family Day event. The cost of admission includes two vehicle rides, a BBQ lunch, and much more.
    Battleship New Jersey, New Jersey
  62 Battleship Place - Camden, NJ             
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America's most decorated Battleship is now the area's most exciting museum, open for tours, events and overnight encampments. Exploring “BB62” is experiencing history in a whole new way. Not only do you see exhibits of artifacts from the ship’s past, but you are put into the exhibit as you go through the tour route. Sit in the chair from which Admiral Halsey commanded the fleet. Stretch out on the bunks where the sailors slept. Climb into the 16” gun turret and learn how the projectiles were loaded.
    Providence Children's Museum, Rhode Island
  100 South Street - Providence, RI           
The mission of Providence Children's Museum is to inspire and celebrate learning through active play and exploration.
The Museum welcomes children and adults of all backgrounds and from all communities. Its focus is on serving southern New England children, ages 1 to 11, and the adults who care for them.
    Irish American Heritage Museum, New York State
  2267 Rte 145 - East Durham, NY           
A non-profit with an educational mission to preserve and tell the story of the contributions of the Irish people and their culture in America, inspiring individuals to examine the importance of their own heritage as part of the American cultural mosaic. As such, the Museum is unique in America, where almost 40 million individuals claim Irish ancestry. It is committed to the basic tenet that preserving one’s heritage is vital to providing a cultural and historical foundation to future generations of Americans.
The Museum was an integral force in requiring instruction in New York State’s public schools about the Irish Famine of 1845-1853. Further, we are the first Museum of its kind here in America to have exhibited at the National Library in Dublin.
    Columbia County Museum, New York State
  5 Albany Ave - Kinderhook, NY            
The Columbia County Historical Society is a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the history and culture of Columbia County, New York.
It is the Society's goal to encourage understanding, knowledge, and preservation of the County's heritage through the acquisition and conservation of historic lands, buildings, objects and documents, and through the sponsorship of research, publications, exhibitions, and educational programs.
    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.
    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.
    1719 William Trent House Museum, New Jersey
  15 Market St. - Trenton, NJ           
William Trent House, built between 1716 - 1719, is a National Historic Landmark and was the country seat of William Trent, a Philadelphia merchant and his family. It is the oldest building in New Jersey's capital city and once home to the man for whom the city is named.
When you visit the William Trent House, you are literally stepping back in time. You will gain amazing insight into the many layers of colonial life during the early 18th century.
    National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC
   - Washington, DC           
Generations of remarkable Americans are kept in the company of their fellow citizens at the National Portrait Gallery. The Gallery presents the wonderful diversity of individuals who have left–and are leaving–their mark on our country and our culture. Through the visual and performing arts, we celebrate leaders such as George Washington and Martin Luther King Jr., artists such as Mary Cassatt and George Gershwin, activists such as Sequoyah and Rosa Parks, and icons of pop culture such as Babe Ruth and Marilyn Monroe. They all link us to our past, our present, and our future. For anyone fascinated by famous Americans and their stories, the National Portrait Gallery is a must-visit destination.
    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.
    Culinary Arts Museum, Rhode Island
  315 Harborside Boulevard - Johnson & Wales University - Providence, RI           
The Culinary Arts Museum at Johnson & Wales University is the premier museum devoted to the preservation of the history of the culinary and hospitality industries.
    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.
    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.
    The Pocono Indian Museum, Pennsylvania
  Route 209 - Bushkill, PA           
The Pocono Indian Museum is the only museum in Northeastern Pennsylvania dedicated to showing the history of the Delaware Indian. The museum will both inform and, perhaps, shock you. It will show the North American history of man in Northeastern Pennsylvania from 10,500 B.C. to the contact period with European man prior to the American Revolution. It will show the Delaware Indian's peaceful coexistence with other Indians. And, it will show you the shocking and short 100 years it took the white man to virtually eliminate almost all traces of the Indian's existence.
The Pocono Indian Museum traces the history of the Delawares through displays of ancient artifacts, weapons, and tools that form chronological commentary on life among the Indians for thousands of years.
    Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village, Delaware
  866 North DuPont Highway - Dover, DE           
For the child who believes milk comes from the grocery store instead of a cow, for the woman who remembers using a cornsheller on her grandmother's farm, the family who takes twentieth century technological advances and the farmer for granted, the Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village offers a memorable and educational experience. By preserving the quickly fading agricultural heritage of Delaware and the Delmarva Peninsula, the Museum stands as an important legacy for future generations.
    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.
    Drug Enforcement Administration Museum, Virginia
  700 Army Navy Drive - Arlington, VA            
The mission of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Museum and Visitors Center is to educate the American public on the history of drugs, drug addiction and drug law enforcement in the United States through engaging and state-of-the-art exhibits, displays, interactive stations and educational outreach programs.
    Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Virginia
  2800 Grove Avenue - Richmond, VA             
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The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts houses a remarkable permanent collection of more than twenty-two thousand works of art from almost every major world culture. Especially noteworthy are the museum’s collections of Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Modern and Contemporary American art donated by Sydney and Frances Lewis; French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art and British sporting art given by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon; American art acquired through the J. Harwood and Louise B. Cochrane Fund; The Lillian Thomas Pratt Collection of Fabergé jeweled objects; and The Jerome and Rita Gans Collection of English Silver. The museum’s holdings of South Asian, Himalayan, and African art are among the finest in the nation.
    African Art Museum of Maryland, Maryland
  5430 Vantage Point Road - P.O. Box 1105 - Columbia, MD           
African Art Museum of Maryland encourages an understanding of African art and culture. The Museum accomplishes this educational objective through numerous activities including exhibits, lectures, workshops, tours to Africa and the development and execution of a vigorous in-museum and outreach program for the public and private primary and secondary schools. The museum's audiences consist of the community at large to include youth, seniors, the disabled and the underserved segments of the population. African art exhibited by the African Art Museum of Maryland includes masks, sculptured figures, textiles, basketry, jewelry, household items, and musical instruments. The Museum is located in Historic Oakland, a restored nineteenth century manor in Columbia, Md. Oakland is owned by the Columbia Association and is operated as a community and social center. Support for AAMM is derived from individual and corporate donations, memberships, various foundations, and grants from government agencies.
    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.
    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.
    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.
    Baltimore Tattoo Museum, Maryland
  1534 Eastern Ave. - Baltimore, MD           
The Baltimore Tattoo Museum hopes that what you see at the museum will inspire you to come check out the history of electric tattooing, and if you dare, get a tattoo yourself!
    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.
    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.
    Children's Museum, New Hampshire
  280 Marcy Street - Portsmouth, NH             
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Founded in 1983 in Portsmouth, the Children's Museum of New Hampshire relocated to Dover in 2008. It offers a blend of art, science and cultural experiences for families. At the heart of our mission is a commitment to offering access to all children and families by minimizing barriers that prevent fair and meaningful educational and cultural opportunities. Since its inception, the Museum has served over 2 million people from New Hampshire and beyond. The Children's Museum is New Hampshire's most visited educational and cultural institution. In our three years in Dover, the Museum has reached over 280,000 students and families from 110 New Hampshire towns and cities, communities throughout New England, and visitors from all over the world. 50% of our visitors came in free or with reduced admission, and 24% are from underserved audiences.