Do you remember your first visit to a museum? You may have uncovered a passion for geology as a student on a field trip. Or realized you wanted to be a pilot while gazing up at the Spirit of St. Louis. Or maybe you started visiting museums with your children, and watched as they touched a rock from the moon or stared wide-eyed at a Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil.
Every year, millions of visitors pass through the doors of America's history, science and art museums. One of the principal goals of these institutions is to create lifelong memories of discovery for visitors.
Museums are an integral part of culture. What is your favorite museum story, memory or exhibit?
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# 10,962:
9:34 am PDT, Sep 2,Cheryl Mitchell, Florida
# 10,961:
9:19 am PDT, Sep 2,Rondal Spradling, Arizona
# 10,960:
9:16 am PDT, Sep 2,Dominick J. Di Noto, California
# 10,959:
9:10 am PDT, Sep 2,Tom Jackson, Colorado
# 10,958:
8:43 am PDT, Sep 2,Debra Drum, Nevada
# 10,957:
8:31 am PDT, Sep 2,Mary Boudreau, New Mexico
# 10,956:
8:28 am PDT, Sep 2,Michael Cardoza, California
# 10,955:
7:55 am PDT, Sep 2,Wendy Johannson, California
# 10,954:
7:28 am PDT, Sep 2,Temara Speaks, Colorado
# 10,953:
7:20 am PDT, Sep 2,Elizabeth Enright, Arizona
# 10,952:
6:19 am PDT, Sep 2,Patricia Hutchinson, West Virginia
# 10,951:
5:41 am PDT, Sep 2,Zachary Kienbaum, Michigan
# 10,950:
4:53 am PDT, Sep 2,Name not displayed, New York
# 10,949:
4:41 am PDT, Sep 2,MAGGIE ALSTON CLAUD, Connecticut
# 10,948:
4:10 am PDT, Sep 2,Name not displayed, New York
# 10,947:
3:34 am PDT, Sep 2,Andrea Laurie Alnwick, New York
# 10,946:
8:31 pm PDT, Sep 1,Raw Rii Roby, Arizona
# 10,945:
5:35 pm PDT, Sep 1,Julian B, Florida
# 10,944:
12:07 pm PDT, Sep 1,Thomas Cali, New York
# 10,943:
10:51 am PDT, Aug 31,Minna Snow, Ohio
My oldest museum memory is of impossibly hugh rearing elephants in a vast open space--the entrance hall of a Chicago museum. My 5-year-old heart almost stopped! I had never been so close to such power. And then a whole new view of the world's treasures stretched before me just beyond what seemed like a million glass windows.
# 10,942:
5:10 pm PDT, Aug 30,Lara Gabriel, North Carolina
# 10,941:
1:26 pm PDT, Aug 29,Name not displayed, Florida
# 10,940:
11:09 am PDT, Aug 29,Anna Perry, Michigan
# 10,939:
5:20 pm PDT, Aug 28,Jeremiah Ward, Arizona
# 10,938:
2:42 pm PDT, Aug 28,Erika Hansen, Washington
# 10,937:
6:08 am PDT, Aug 27,Name not displayed, New Jersey
# 10,936:
8:30 pm PDT, Aug 26,Jessica Jakubanis, New Mexico
# 10,935:
4:23 pm PDT, Aug 26,Ann DellaMonica, New York
# 10,934:
12:07 pm PDT, Aug 26,Kimberly Rowlett, Tennessee
Red Clay State Historic Park in TN has a Museum that is educational. Hunter art museum in Chattanooga Tn., has been inspirational of art creation in my life!
# 10,933:
11:05 am PDT, Aug 26,Jerilyn Seguin, Louisiana
# 10,932:
2:53 pm PDT, Aug 25,Dan Tobin, New York
The best exhibit I have ever seen is at The Wash, D.C. Phillips Collection. It includes Renoir's stunning Boating Party and many other Impressionists' works. I highly recommend visiting on Sundays when they have a complimentary piano recital in the afternoon.
# 10,931:
12:03 pm PDT, Aug 25,Debbie Ray, Washington
# 10,930:
9:55 am PDT, Aug 25,Name not displayed, New York
# 10,929:
8:26 am PDT, Aug 25,Debbie Barrow, Florida
# 10,928:
6:20 am PDT, Aug 25,SHERYL REED, Massachusetts
My favotire museums - in Chicago - the Natural History Museum, & the Museum of Science & Industry, & ANYTHING Smithsonian.....
# 10,927:
5:53 am PDT, Aug 25,Peter Fish, United Kingdom
# 10,926:
12:27 am PDT, Aug 25,Kodjovi Hlomatsi, Togo
# 10,925:
9:30 pm PDT, Aug 24,Louise Neu, Maryland
# 10,924:
9:13 pm PDT, Aug 24,Kristin Kierig, Virginia
# 10,923:
7:46 pm PDT, Aug 24,Name not displayed, New York
# 10,922:
6:53 pm PDT, Aug 24,Name not displayed, New York
# 10,921:
5:06 pm PDT, Aug 24,Cindy Chase, New Jersey
# 10,920:
4:57 pm PDT, Aug 24,Mary Graczyk, Illinois
I live near Chicago, and some of my favorite memories growing up were my mum taking me to the museums there, and field trips were always exciting!
# 10,919:
4:20 pm PDT, Aug 24,Jessica Hernandez, California
# 10,918:
12:39 pm PDT, Aug 24,Chessa Peterson, Arizona
# 10,917:
12:07 pm PDT, Aug 24,Erin Cook, Arizona
# 10,916:
11:57 am PDT, Aug 24,BETTY LUNA, Idaho
# 10,915:
11:39 am PDT, Aug 24,Caro Liu, Pennsylvania
# 10,913:
10:43 am PDT, Aug 24,Esther Howell, Florida
# 10,912:
9:57 am PDT, Aug 24,J Foltz, Connecticut
# 10,911:
9:27 am PDT, Aug 24,Michael Pacholski Mpol, Ohio
Smithsonian it needs no explaination.
# 10,910:
9:02 am PDT, Aug 24,Donald Kaufman, Ohio
# 10,909:
8:49 am PDT, Aug 24,Suanne Martin, Tennessee
When I was young oh probably seven or eight, my family visited fabulous Washington DC. There are so many wonderful places to see there, and some of the finest museums and exhibits in the world.
I think the one that stuck in my mind the longest was the National Wax Museum. They had all these exhibits of famous moments in American history that were recreated using wax figures. At the gift shop, I got a illustrated book about the place, and I must have looked through it a million times. Each time I relived the excitement of my visit and enjoyed it all over again.
Please support museums of all kinds in our United States. It's vitally important for our children to have these places to go to and learn from. Thank You!
# 10,908:
8:33 am PDT, Aug 24,Cecilia Berg, Ohio
We love museums! My boys' (ages 11 and 8) favorite museums are the Hefner Zoology Museum at Miami University (where I just happen to work) and the Smithsonian! They can't wait to go back to DC to visit the museums, especially the Museum of Natural History.
# 10,907:
8:32 am PDT, Aug 24,AnnMarie Krok, New Jersey
# 10,906:
8:16 am PDT, Aug 24,Barbara Pfeifer-Woog, Wisconsin
# 10,905:
7:57 am PDT, Aug 24,Bonnie Mc Cune, Florida
# 10,904:
7:41 am PDT, Aug 24,Rafael Rivera, Florida
# 10,903:
7:36 am PDT, Aug 24,Tara Spies, Texas
My favorite collection is the Menil Collection in Houston, the biggest collection of surrealist art in the country.
# 10,902:
7:33 am PDT, Aug 24,Alexa Rothe, New York
# 10,901:
7:30 am PDT, Aug 24,Barbara Lundquist, Connecticut
Every year, millions of visitors pass through the doors of America's history, science and art museums. One of the principal goals of these institutions is to create lifelong memories of discovery for visitors.