Reading Public Museum

Came to the planetarium to watch the laser show. We saw the 7pm sonic and 10 pm Pink Floyd show.

Sonic was amazing! The music, the visuals, so so cool.

Pink Floyd was cool but super mellow and imagines strictly trippy.

I would describe Sonic as Molly and Pink Floyd as shrooms.

The seats were not that comfortable so that could be worked on.

Wish they would bring the show back to NYC.

This museum has tons to see and is even better because it is more of a local museum (so not super traffic heavy). Free parking and plenty of interesting things to see. I went for their version of the bodies exhibit and was not disappointed! It may be graphic for younger children, but it's extremely fascinating!!!

This museum is pretty awesome. It is a small museum, but they make good use of the space. I go here to visit and for classes. They also have a planetarium across the parking lot and you can purchase tickets for shows there at the registration. They also have a gift shop for you to purchase souvenirs, snacks, drinks, toys, etc., etc. Every once in a while they change up their exhibits. I went to the human body exhibit, the dinosaur exhibit, and the aerospace exhibit. The human body exhibit has real human cadavers as well, which was very interesting. Also there is also a park surrounding the museum aswell, might want to check that out, too. The park also has historical significance as well, you can see some old structures as you walk. Some exhibits have been there for a very long time, such as the ancient Egypt exhibit where there is a mummy named Nefrina. Overall, I recommend you visit this museum at least once in your life if you live nearby or afar. It is a great experience.

This my go to spot in West Reading to entertain the grandkids. The kid friendly exhibits change several times a year and are an excellent way for them to blow off steam. This time they had an exhibit featuring Harley Davidson motorcycles. One on display was the motorcycle ridden by Peter Fonda in Born to be Wild.
Past exhibits included Teenage Ninja Turtles and Thomas Trains. There are also plenty of interesting things for adults. They have a seasonal display of Christmas trees decorated with ornaments from around the world. A modern art exhibit is also at the museum for the next couple of months.

While visiting relatives in the area, we found this highly rated on both Trip Advisor and Yelp. The most interesting exhibit - to our group - was ancient Egyptian artifacts, including a complete mummy! Also, a Native American exhibit was interesting. This included a small section on Inca/Mayan artifacts. Of some interest was some Pennsylvania Dutch artifacts, and medieval armor and weapons.
On the downside, an entire wing was devoted to art from mostly obscure artists, surprising that an organization with an obviously limited budget would spring for such, especially since it had little-to-no connection to the area. A couple rooms with stuffed animals - in this day and age? It had 2 traveling/temporary exhibits - Lego, which was mainly a series of replicas of famous buildings. All 3 of us were disappointed - we were expecting 'more'. The other was an exhibit of clothes worn or similar to those worn by Katherine Hepburn. Underwhelming. C'mon folks - how does this rate 4 or 5 stars??

Review is for museum only. I've been to larger museums in larger cities with significant collections. I didn't even know that Reading had a museum! Was pleasantly surprised. For those that visit larger museums in other cities may think the collection is a little hodge-podge, but I think the museum was designed to appeal to a broader audience of visitors (v/s say the MoMA). So, here you will some Native American art, PA-specific artists, Contemporary Art, Asian, Egyptian, African, Incan, etc. You can easily spend two hours here in the museum alone. If you live in Central PA, I recommend you visit this local gem at least once. It's pretty kid friendly.

I have visiting this museum since childhood and it gets better every time. The permanent collection used to be housed in such a
Boring fashion. In the last 5 years they have really stepped up their presentation of these fabulous artifacts especially the PA German room and the "mummy". The moving of the animatronic founder to the ground floor was a wise move and he makes more sense there in order to free up space for traveling exhibits. The exhibits they have gotten in recently included, Marilyn Monroe, Dora & Diego, war posters and Presidential photographs. This museum is unique in that it includes a planetarium. Consider a membership if you are local as they have reciprocal visits with other science and art museums. Their cafe is really a bit of a joke especially compared to the Allentown museum's cafe. Don't forget to plan time to walk the acres of grounds along the creek!

I hidden gem in Reading. Just the right size with some thing for everyone. They have old masters to an interactive room for kids.
I hidden gem in Reading. Just the right size with some thing for everyone. They have old masters to an interactive room for kids in addition to some great modern art.
The gift shop has a nice selection and there's a small snack bar. It's a beautiful location where you can walk along the river and the grounds and also go to the planetarium for the back of the property. I try to go a few times a year

The museum has been gradually improving over the years and I must say- it's a great place right now. It's definitely one of if not the best place to take kids of interactive and educational exhibits. They change exhibits regularly and keep it interesting. A museum visit pairs well with a stroll on Penn Ave afterward for dinner or ice cream. The nearby trails and gardens are also excellent if your looking for fresh air or a nice stroll/run!

A shining gem in the center of Berks, the museum has a planetarium, a beautiful venue on the stream, plus new and classic exhibits. Don't miss the mummy, shrunken head or "The Balloon" when you go.