Uniquely interesting places in northeast quarter of US
June 29, 2021 6:36 AM Subscribe
We are looking for more places like the City Museum in St. Louis for family vacations.
Our primary restriction is geographic. It has to be in the U.S. and north and east of St. Louis (could flex maybe 100 miles or so south but really prefer to go north).
Aside from that, what we're looking for is something that combines discovery with physicality. What we love about the City Museum is you never really know what's around the next turn plus the fun of climbing, sliding, etc. Target age is 10.
What we're NOT looking for are:
1. Great museums where you look at things, even if they are quirky or unique.
2. Museums where you can touch one or two things. Looking for a bit more adrenaline than that.
3. Hikes/general nature. We live in MN and have been doing a lot of hiking, kayaking, etc during the pandemic. If there is something beyond general time in nature, then that would be great.
Thanks so much!
Our primary restriction is geographic. It has to be in the U.S. and north and east of St. Louis (could flex maybe 100 miles or so south but really prefer to go north).
Aside from that, what we're looking for is something that combines discovery with physicality. What we love about the City Museum is you never really know what's around the next turn plus the fun of climbing, sliding, etc. Target age is 10.
What we're NOT looking for are:
1. Great museums where you look at things, even if they are quirky or unique.
2. Museums where you can touch one or two things. Looking for a bit more adrenaline than that.
3. Hikes/general nature. We live in MN and have been doing a lot of hiking, kayaking, etc during the pandemic. If there is something beyond general time in nature, then that would be great.
Thanks so much!
Best answer: Otherworld in Columbus, Ohio? I haven’t been, but it’s been in my back pocket for awhile.
posted by another zebra at 7:19 AM on June 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by another zebra at 7:19 AM on June 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
Berea, Kentucky is east and just a shade south of St Louis. The city has a ton of crafters and artisans and you can sign up for a weekend workshop class.
If one of the reasons you want to avoid the south is, well, the south, Berea College is and always has been tuition free and was the first integrated and coed school in the south. The reason Berea exists is because abolitionists wanted someplace different. It's just a neat place.
posted by phunniemee at 7:40 AM on June 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
If one of the reasons you want to avoid the south is, well, the south, Berea College is and always has been tuition free and was the first integrated and coed school in the south. The reason Berea exists is because abolitionists wanted someplace different. It's just a neat place.
posted by phunniemee at 7:40 AM on June 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
Best answer: 3 in and around Detroit that come close. I think these are less physical, but all interactive.
Ann Arbor Hands on Museum in Ann Arbor, MI. Lots of interactive exhibits about machines, light, magnets, a climbing wall, and more. Currently only accepting limited RSVPs but may be opening up more soon.
Greenfield Village in Dearborn MI. Limited scheduling info on their website as they don't reopen until July 5th. When open they often have hands on and interactive activities occurring around the village, like make a brass candleholder or beewax candle, ride in a Model T, and others.
Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum in Farmington Hills, MI. It's really more of an arcade, but a crazy fun afternoon if you are already in town. More here about the place.
posted by thatquietgirl at 11:19 AM on June 29, 2021
Ann Arbor Hands on Museum in Ann Arbor, MI. Lots of interactive exhibits about machines, light, magnets, a climbing wall, and more. Currently only accepting limited RSVPs but may be opening up more soon.
Greenfield Village in Dearborn MI. Limited scheduling info on their website as they don't reopen until July 5th. When open they often have hands on and interactive activities occurring around the village, like make a brass candleholder or beewax candle, ride in a Model T, and others.
Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum in Farmington Hills, MI. It's really more of an arcade, but a crazy fun afternoon if you are already in town. More here about the place.
posted by thatquietgirl at 11:19 AM on June 29, 2021
And I accidentally cut this one somehow.
Michigan Science Center in Detroit, MI. Apparently now closed due to the recent flooding, but also full of interactive exhibits. I recall the walk-in kaleidoscope being a big hit along with the space gallery for my niece and nephew when they were around that age.
posted by thatquietgirl at 11:48 AM on June 29, 2021
Michigan Science Center in Detroit, MI. Apparently now closed due to the recent flooding, but also full of interactive exhibits. I recall the walk-in kaleidoscope being a big hit along with the space gallery for my niece and nephew when they were around that age.
posted by thatquietgirl at 11:48 AM on June 29, 2021
Best answer: Meow Wolf in Santa Fe defies description, in a very City Museum kind of way.
posted by mcstayinskool at 12:27 PM on June 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by mcstayinskool at 12:27 PM on June 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester NY would fit the bill. It's definitely North and East of STL, but pretty far from MN.
posted by TrialByMedia at 12:38 PM on June 29, 2021
posted by TrialByMedia at 12:38 PM on June 29, 2021
Best answer: Art OMI, a sculpture park in the Hudson Valley. It's much smaller than Storm King (which I find sort of fussy, though I love some of the pieces there and I've known 10-year-olds who've enjoyed it), and it has more contemporary & whimsical stuff. It's *very* well laid out--coming around a corner or over a bluff, I had no idea what I was going to see, and it usually made me scratch my head or laugh or both.
Also: Color Factory.
(Also: this is a trick question; nothing is as cool as the City Museum!)
posted by miles per flower at 12:49 PM on June 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
Also: Color Factory.
(Also: this is a trick question; nothing is as cool as the City Museum!)
posted by miles per flower at 12:49 PM on June 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
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posted by SPrintF at 6:58 AM on June 29, 2021