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New York State Museum
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- Good for Kids:
- Yes
13 reviews for New York State Museum
If there are a few memories that stand out from my childhood, trips to the NYS Museum is one of them. It was a default place for my mom to take my brother, myself, and whatever friends/family we had in tow.
Now that I live right "up the hill", my girlfriend and I typically try to make it every 6 months or so to see the traveling exhibitions. The 9/11 exhibit is pretty moving, but I can see it as a good teaching tool for people who are too young to remember it, or weren't alive when it happened.
I also never appreciated all the interesting exhibits on New York State as a child. There is so much history here that we take for granted. The museum is definitely one of the cultural gems of the area, and each resident of the Capital District should make it there at some point.
Definitely a fan! This *free museum is the perfect place to spend a Saturday with the family! Probably not something you'd do too often but a great mix of local history and fun.
*Donations suggested.
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It's worth coming here once, but only once because the exhibits NEVER change. With the exception of the 9/11 area, everything is almost exactly the same as it was when I was 8 and forced to come here on school trips. Repressed memories, anyone?
That said, the 9/11 exhibit is definitely worth checking out. However, the brilliant curators placed it next to the Sesame Street exhibit. This means that you get to hear the 'Sesame Street' theme song and show clips on a video loop while you observe tragic footage and touching memorials.
A good friend of mine and I come here annually just to make fun of all the crappy exhibits from the 70's and 80's. The New York City section is so obsolete that it's laughable. Highlight of our last trip: the postcard of the Legislative Building in the gift shop that has a homeless person passed out in front of it.
4* Museum + Free = 5* Museum
Young master Daniel B. loved the museum even when the Carousel was under repair. Now that it is fully operational, this place is always on the short list of rainy day out-of-the-house kid activities.
Be forewarned, there is a very moving World Trade Center memorial, for which I was completely unprepared. It's a difficult thing to try and explain to a 4 year old, but I did the best I could. He had nightmares that were tangentially related to the exhibit for a couple of weeks, but they seem to have gone away.
That said, there is also a special area just for kids, and very young kids too. With activities, books, and more interactive exhibits.
It is good to take advantage of my tax dollars at work.
Looking for free entertainment when its raining in Albany?
Check out the NY State Museum on Madison Avenue!
Its free, its fun, and educational. There is an amazing rock and mineral collection for rock junkies, cool artifacts and a Mastodon skeleton found just over in Cohoes, NY. Native American village replicas are among my favorite, along with the fossils exhibit.
Ride the Carousel on the 8th floor, and check out the library to.
While you are there, if your hungry grab a sub at Subway located on the same floor as the Carousel.
Check out local art shows as well, during the fall, they play free horror films gearing up for Halloween, and kids can wear there costumes too.
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I had a great time at the New York State Museum last weekend. They had a gorgeous exhibit of bronze statues, lots of creepy taxidermied animals that are indiginous to North America, and some cool exhibits on native Americans.
I skipped the exhibit on rocks and minerals, because it reminded me of how sick and pathetic it is to be 26-years-old and not married or engaged (nothing like a 10lb chunk of pyrite to crush your spirits), but I adored the exhibit of artwork by Joan Steiner, in which she creates dioramas out of lots of little everyday items (rice cakes, clothes pins, match sticks... you name it). It was truly awesome.
This museum is a great FREE place to visit. Bring the kids. Bring the neighbours. Bring the neighbours kids.
PS: I was only kidding about the pyrite and wanting to be engaged. It was actually the amethyst geodes that truly got me down. ;-)
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This is a really good way to kill an entire afternoon.
There is a ton of history, tons of models and pictures, and several floors filled with information. Take your tourist friends here - or just go on a weekend. It's great.
Parking will suck (and badly) on an event weekend, though.
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Just went today and it is indeed free (with suggested donation) and much improved over the last time I was there. The 4th floor where my lovely wife and I were married and had our wedding reception is now exhibits (hanging planes) and a carousel. A really nice tribute to September 11th, top 10 sports moments in NY history, Indian exhibits, and a history of the adirondacks round out the exhibits...good stuff.
If I were to deduct a star, it would be for the Subway Cafe, which is just a Subway where they make you fill your own soda, but don't allow refills...what is that all about?
we love this museum. kenz and i have been coming since she was 3. i have read every single caption to every exhibit in the entire place (yes. even all of the stones, rocks and minerals. listening to me attempt the scientific names is always a good time.)
i love the rotating art shows that allow us views into other worlds without leaving albany (not that i mind leaving albany, just that sometimes we can't).
thru the years we have had different fave's that we Had to Visit Now!:
the whale bones (still a must see every time)
the mastadonts (kenz used to go to the museum club after school and knew the facts of the young male in the front lobby by heart.)
the naked native americans (tho that is usually more of a Boy thing)
the long house and the spooky old lady telling tales
the childrens museum section - always fun new activities in this room. and the bugs on the walls are Great!!
the 911 section we spent a Lot of time visiting and i would try to read the timeline to her without crying (never made it)
oh. and the museum store. lots of fun stuff to beg mom to buy you here.
but our absolute favorite part is the top floor. with the coup de grace being the carousel. if you go in the late afternoon just before it closes, the almost mystical/magical light gently falling on you as it slides behind the horizon combines with the old time carousel music to transport you into the halcyon days of youth (even if you never had this particular one, you will find some memory that tugs). the wonderful feelings that surround you make you want this moment to suspend itself in time so that the feeling of pure joy you are experiencing will last forever.
oh. and the escalators are fun too. (warning: you may get dizzy if you run down them without slowing . or try to run up the down side.)
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This was one good thing when I was living in Albany. It's a fairly decent sized museum and there are lots of exhibits that are fun and interesting to see.
This is a good-sized, fun museum to bring anyone visiting Albany to see. Hell, it's fun to go by yourself and revisit your favorite exhibits! It's free to get into, and the museum encompasses all the fun facts and history about NY-- the prehistoric geography of the state , the rocks commonly found here, the Native American histories, the post-colonial industries, the animals of NY, and the growth of NY's urban environments are all included in this fun little place! Stop by here, grab a bite to eat for lunch at some of the great places nearby, and you have a fun, low-stress afternoon!
A top-notch museum, and for free! It's part of the massive plaza of state buildings downtown. If you're looking for a cheap way to kill an afternoon in Albany, you could do much worse. The state museum has got great exhibitions on the history of New York, nature displays, a part of the original Sesame Street set, and there's always new and interesting revolving exhibitions. Recently they had an exhibit of antique emergency vehicles and one of pop art borrowed from the Whitney. And you have to love the mastodont in the lobby. New York State knows how to take care of its peeps.
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The only museum I liked as a kid growing up. The children's section is incredibly thorough and engaging with lots of activities. I loved the dinosaur exhibit as a kid, and the bites of old New York history like the firetruck and I think was a train car and such. This is one of the best things to do in Albany period, and it has extra space for performances and camps. I haven't been in a long time but I'm sure the exhibits still hold up their end, and next time I travel back I'm definitely going there (what's not to love about empire state plaza?)
