to not like museums?

[deaddei]

Maybe it's because I don't like hoards of people all going in the same direction, wanting to go on the interactive exhibits at the same time..
I love the Imperial War museum,Museum of London and V and A, ,but dinosaurs,stuffed animals and anything scientific leave me cold. Maybe because the ones I like are more about social history and people.

[belgo]

Presumably you're an adult, in which case, it's up to you to decide what you do with your time.

But like you say, there are some fantastic museums around.

The bit I can't stand is the slow walk you do (or rather my dh does) when going round - I can only walk fast.

[LadyGlencoraPalliser]

I love going around museums - but agree with you about the crowds. And also, lovely as my children are, only DD2 actually enjoys the museum thing. DD1 looks bored, shrugs her shoulders a lot and would clearly rather be in Top Shop. DD3 complains of hunger and thirst and tries to demolish the exhibits. Not relaxing.

[deaddei]

It's when friends say "ooh we've taken the children to this museum or that exhibition"and I think I'd rather stick pins in my eye.
Thank goodness for school trips!

[belgo]

I've never taken my children to a museum. It would be a nightmare.

Apart from the toy museum in Belgium, where we just play with the lego.

[GrungeBlobPrimpants]

Well it's horses for courses isn't it? I could spend ages looking at stuff in the BM and V&A and a good social/local history museum, dh likes aircraft and tank museums. So one of us goes round bored to tears, the other engrossed. Dc's love the science museum and natural history museum - fortunately we do too. Best seen out of school hols though, I agree.

[Blu]

So you do like museums.

Just not the scientific ones.

I like museums, I don't like visiting the inside of historical houses (much)

[PuppyMonkey]

There's a dead good museum in Halifax. The Children's Museum. For kids there is nothing better on earth... I can't remember the blardy name of it....... it's got as garage, a house, and the entire inside of a human body. Brilliant.

[BonsoirAnna]

I don't like fusty, dusty, overcrowded museums.

Nice bright light well-designed ones with really good explanations for the exhibits (because I really, really hate audioguides) can be wonderful.

Picture galleries can be lovely for children who are attuned to finding the story within a picture.

[belgo]

yes I hate audio guides as well.

[belgo]

Bristol museum in Clifton is great, and free, with a very nice café. And it's not usually crowded - that is until Banksy displayed his artwork there.

[MillyR]

Puppymonkey - it is called Eureka.

[GrimmaTheNome]

You mean Eureka, Puppy?

Now that one I hated because it was overcrowded and incredibly noisy the day we took DD. She enjoyed it when she went back with the school later.

Some museums are great - Manchester Museum of Science and Industry is huge with lots of different bits, and its free and most of the hands-on stuff actually works.

But some are so disappointing - you come out feeling that they could have been done a lot better and FGS make sure the 'interactive' displays actually interact!

[Fennel]

I feel quite fondly towards museums as, even with several squabbly noisy toddlers, we've only ever had one bad museum experience (Railway museum in York, sooooo boring) and many many good ones. They always seem good places to let small children let off steam, especially on rainy days.

National Trust houses, however, I could live without those.

[CMOTdibbler]

I love museums, especially science and technology ones, and am really looking forward to going to the new V&A quilt exhibition.

Am really rather fond of the old stylee ones too - some of the new interactive galleries do my head in.

[PuppyMonkey]

Yes Grimma that's it! Eureka. Bit crowded when we went, but not overly so... in the school hols too.

I loved it because DD2 (aged two) could have a right good potter around in the kitchen drawers and trash the place to her heart's content! Her idea of heaven.

[UndercoverMuseumWorker]

Why do you hate audio guides? Would be of interest to know these things.

[OrmIrian]

Now I like museums. Expecially ones based around science and natural history. As an archaeologist by training I also find bones and stones fascinating. Things that more modern people have left behind can bore me a little .

My DCs quite enjoy them but tend to prefer ones they are familiar with so they can go straight to their favourite bits.

[WorzselMummage]

If you like social history I can really recommend the Pitt Rivers in Oxford .. You do have to walk past dinosaurs ans stuffed animals to get to it though I'm afraid bit it is well worth it.

[belgo]

UndercoverMuseumWorker - because audio guides require another level of concentration, when I want to look and appreciate the exhibits at my own pace.

And because the spongy head phones are gross.

[fishie]

i love museums of any and all sorts and so does ds, he is 4.5.

undercovermuseumworker i do loathe audio guides too because they make you go at the set pace and are rather isolating from other experiences, don't you find visitors often chat to each other and share info?

nothing beats really good captions and display boards. it is also very annoying when you are forced to buy a very expensive guidebook to get decent info.

[therealbanksy]

i love museums - especially when they have my artwork in them!

[belgo]

therealbanksy- but would you queue up for SIX HOURS to see your artwork?

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

dd adores museums and will look at every exhibit in minute detail while I can hear the slooooow tick of my watch barely moving time along.
We went to a tiny one last week in London. She spent 3 hours reading every tiny little sign and label. When she acknowledged that there was really nothing more to look at she asked to go to another museum. I nearly laid down on the marble floor to weep.

[UndercoverMuseumWorker]

OK, I'll agree on the headphones

We have a general audio guide and then one for school groups for a specific exhibition. My real experience is with the school one but it gives another level of information that there simply isn't enough room on the caption boards for. Students can pause the guide to watch video or listen to an audio excerpt in the exhibition and they do talk to each other. I guess it depends on how much depth you want to go into.

Its very hard to get the balance right between interactive displays and more traditional ones. Everybody wants something different

[happywomble]

I like most museums but get bored to tears in art galleries! (only exception being musee d'orsay paris)

I really enjoyed going to the Museum of London (great fire exhibition), and the Maritime Museum Falmouth. Blists hill open air museum in the midlands used to be fab..haven't been there for about 20 yrs though!

I'm finding as I get older I enjoy musuems more. I would never have chosen to spend a day in a museum pre children but now enjoy going round museums on the whole.