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Northeast USA Museums and Culture

    Whippany Railway Museum, New Jersey

  1 Railroad Plaza Route 10 West & Whippany Road  - Whippany, NJ            
At the Whippany Railway Museum, you can enjoy an operating O-gauge model railroad layout, railroad artifacts, a gift shop, and outdoor railroad equipment. The Museum is open once a week on Sundays ONLY, from April through October, from 12:00PM to 4:00PM. Admission is $0.50 for children and $1.00 for adults.
    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.
    Northlandz, New Jersey
  495 U.S. 202 - Flemington, NJ           
Northlandz is a 16 acre world class attraction developed by Bruce and his wife Jean. Included in this complex is a doll museum, La Peep Doll House, a 2,000 pipe theater pipe organ (which Bruce plays) and art galleries throughout. The building is reflective of the couples lifelong commitment to art, expression, and creativity.
    Lower East Side Tenement Museum, New York State
  91 Orchard Street - New York, NY            
Many Americans can trace their ancestral roots to immigration through the New York system. The Lower East Side Tenement Museum offers an opportunity to understand directly what their families went through. This Manhattan museum delivers a remarkable re-creation of New York City’s past. Apart from the traditional glass-housed displays, the museum goes above and beyond, featuring several reconstructed apartments that show the day-to-day life of New York immigrants. Complete with actors and actresses, these apartments allow visitors to assume the role of a newly arrived immigrant and interact as if they were really there. The tours of the apartments even give visitors the opportunity to handle the household objects and completely blur the line between yesterday and today. Summer 2012 goes a step further with a walking tour of the Lower East Side, providing a firsthand account of the when’s, where’s and why’s of immigrants in Manhattan. Another feature during the summer will be a series of educational lectures from today’s immigrants, providing a fresh perspective on the reasons for immigration and the hardships of migration. Unlike many more traditional museums, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum is a fully interactive experience that must be seen to be believed. Easily accessed from all of New York, one must make the time to find out exactly where their families came from.
    Hudson River Maritime Museum, New York State
  50 Rondout Landing - Kingston, NY           
The Hudson River Maritime Museum is the only museum in New York State exclusively preserving the maritime history of the Hudson River, its tributaries, and the industries dependent on the river. Founded in 1980 by members of the "Steamship Alexander Hamilton Society," the National Maritime Historical Society, and local historians, the Museum is located in the Historic Rondout Waterfront at Kingston, NY, once the major port between New York City and Albany.
    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.
    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.
    Alice Austen House Museum, New York State
  2 Hylan Boulevard (Bay Street) - Staten Island, NY            
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Are you familiar with the work of Alice Austen? Even if the name doesn’t ring a bell, her photography and cultural impact is second-to-none and continues to be the definition of stunning work. The Alice Austen House Museum in Staten Island pays homage to Austen’s work by showcasing her vast talents and restoring her home to an era gone by. When visiting this Staten Island museum, patrons will find themselves admiring the beautiful gardens and simple Victorian design that defines the house that was Alice Austen’s life. By stepping between the doors, you enter in to the private life of this powerfully observant woman and the chronicles of how Austen led her own life via her own testimonials and the documentations of those around her. Hundreds of pictures that Austen took in her lifetime surround you and demand your attention at every turn, complimented by the works of those inspired by her. In Spring 2012, this Staten Island museum featured “Foreclosed” which was a documentation of the American housing crisis. A stunning look between Austen’s work and the modern pieces, “Foreclosed” is a great example of what New York City museums offer, a slice of life.
    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.
    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.
    Textile Museum, The, Washington DC
   - Washington, DC           
The Textile Museum is dedicated to furthering the understanding of mankind's creative achievements in the textile arts. As a museum, it is committed to its role as a center of excellence in the scholarly research, conservation, interpretation and exhibition of textiles, with particular concern for the artistic, technical and cultural significance of its collections.
    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.
    The Newport Historical Society, Rhode Island
  82 Touro Street - Newport, RI           
The Newport Historical Society was chartered in 1854 to collect and preserve books, manuscripts, and objects pertaining to Newport’s history. Its manuscripts, portraits, silver, furniture, decorative arts, and genealogical collection are nationally recognized.
    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.
    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.
    Quonset Air Museum, Rhode Island
  488 Eccleston Ave. - North Kingston, RI
          
The mission of the Quonset Air Museum (QAM) is to preserve, interpret and prsent Rhode Island's aviation through thorugh collections, research, education and exhibits.
    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."
    Independence Seaport Museum, Pennsylvania
  211 South Columbus Blvd. & Walnut St. - Philadelphia, PA            
Independence Seaport Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Museum is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
Independence Seaport Museum Tickets include admission to Independence Seaport Museum's Galleries, Cruiser Olympia and WWII Submarine Becuna.
    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.
    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.
    The Brick Store Museum, Maine
  117 Main Street - Kennebunk, ME           
The mission of The Brick Store Museum is to preserve the rich heritage of the Kennebunks for year-round residents, seasonal visitors and future generations through the collection, preservation, interpretation and exhibition of its material culture.
History - William Lord was born at Kennebunk Landing in 1799, the third son of Tobias Lord and Hephzibah Conant Lord. As a merchant and ship owner, Lord became one of Kennebunk’s most important patriarchs and citizens. In 1820 he married Sarah Cleaves of Biddeford, and they lived in what was then the Jonas Clark house at 20 Summer Street. It sits high on the hill and is now known as the William Lord Mansion, a private residence. It was here that Lord and his wife raised their large family of 10 children.
    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.
    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.
    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.
    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.
    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.
    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.
    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.
    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.