To ask if you visit museums?

[Aloezebra]

Slightly shamelessly doing a bit of anecdotal “research” for my degree but also just generally interesting in people’s opinions because it’s a topic I love!

Do you go to museums/galleries? If yes, why and if no why not?

Also do are you more likely to go if there’s some sort of activity for your kids to do?

No of course not, hence why I said anecdotal “research”. I’m asking because I’m interested generally in peoples experiences and what they do and don’t enjoy, I’m quite clearly not planning on quoting mumsnet user “blood and fire” in a postgraduate dissertation

Sometimes all it takes is an activity where they have to find stuff - something in painting,...

Looking for dogs was our fallback.

As adults, I think our enjoyment of some of the museums and galleries we've visited have been much enhanced by learning a bit beforehand - DH and I watched various Great courses series before visiting Florence, Rome, Athens etc.

Often the best is when the objects make a connection to people in some way. Two different examples from Athens - In the national archaeological museum (if you've not been, go - and then go back again, one visit is nowhere near enough) among the breathtaking Mycenaean gold, after you've 'gazed on the face of Agamemnon' - there's a little golden baby sized suit. The last clothes of a loved child of powerful parents who couldn't save him ? Or in the agora museum noticing a heap of pot shards, ostraka, all incised with the same name by the same hand, and you read the name and realise, blow me down, someone was vote-rigging getting rid of Themistocles. The stories become real people, real politics.

it's in the basement and we discovered by accident while waiting for our slot for the wonderlab...

I’m quite clearly not planning on quoting mumsnet user “blood and fire” in a postgraduate dissertation 😂

Regularly.

I tend to prefer to explore on my own but am not averse to an audio guide.

Hate The conversational ones though ie. presenter A asking inane question to presenter B.

i will sometimes borrow a kid for a kids type activity.

I think museum going is learnt behavior. I’m surprised at how little cultural stuff like this done of my similarly educated / affluent friends do and by extension don’t expose their children either. We live in london and there is so much on offer and most of it is free.

We didn’t have much cash when I was a kid but did loads of NT/ Eng Heritage other museums so it is engrained in me. My siblings also continue to visit stuff with their families.

I actually have a 16yo gallery buddy (who lines me up to take him to all the exhibitions he wants to see as I can usually get him and me in free with my various heritage memberships and he knows his parents won’t be that keen.

I tend to prefer to explore on my own but am not averse to an audio guide.

I do like audio guides - I was surprised how much but they tend to give a lot of background information but yes some are better than others.

I do, but I've got to be honest I find most of them pretty boring 😬 I tend to go with other family members if it's somewhere they want to go.

The ones I find more interesting tend to be more interactive and have films showing etc, rather than just exhibits in cases.

Near to the pension museum is a national trust property called Wray Castle that has lots of hands on activites for children

Ooh, thank you, Sirzy, I shall look out for it next time I'm in Cumbria!

Yes, I totally get this. I like the acitivties to be linked too, I think perhaps it's because my child is quite young (3 years old) but I find that the free play nicely breaks up the visits and act as a destination for him through the rooms when it's a place we know well. So we might wonder around a room and look at the things on display, and then he has 10 or so minutes of free play with something related, like the dinosaurs, and then I can say "hey let's go and see the transport room and remember the brio set there" and we move to the next room and do it again. I do also like showing him the things on display and talking about them, but I've found that when there's free play activities along the way he has more enthusiasm for that part of it too. I think when he's a bit older I'll probably try and shift more to more closely related activities.

In new museums I like the free play because it means that I actually get to look at the exhibits for a few minutes without doing the "can see you a dog, can you see any fruit" mantra!

I think I was very lucky to grow up relatively near the Black County Museum - people in costume willing and able to bring the history to life.

We've randomly encountered days like that - more in historical sites - occasionally in museums and it's always a bonus.

I do like it when there's a film/actor projections when you get close to an exhibit that has some acting and facts told to you. I like less the onse with a room and tv/film playing on a loop - though on a long day having soem where to sit isn't always terrible.

Museums, yes! Galleries, no.

History is such a huge fascination of mine and many of my hobbies are "historical" in nature. If I've ever got some time spare, or am in a new town/city and looking for something to do, the first thing I will always consider is a museum. I find them so interesting, and am actually able to say I have a find of my own which is currently display in the local Country museum and another being recorded/processed by the British Museum. I also never get bored of museums - I can visit the same one multiple times and it's equally as interesting every time I visit.

Galleries I don't tend to visit as I'm just not really that into art. I can appreciate it and I create it sometimes, but it doesn't grip my fascination and awe in the same way that history does.

Your point about museum going being learnt behaviour really interested me, as you then followed on to describe your childhood as very similar to mine. It's a point which hadn't really occurred to me.

My family's idea of a day out for as far back as I can remember was either a castle somewhere, a museum, a NT property (or English Heritage), or a countryside walk. Camping holidays were also common. I'm in my 20s but was raised on Famous Five books and fresh air and I'm wondering if that's why I enjoy visiting museums so much - because I always have done.

This is something I would love to see in the sector, I’m going to a late at a science centre local to me this month and I can’t WAIT! Drinking & getting to play around in a science centre without having to feel guilty about the queue of small children who want to do the interactive things waiting behind me

These answers are fantastic thank you so much, I’m going to put together a bit of a list of museums with good children’s activities to look into a bit more!

Your point about museum going being learnt behaviour really interested me, as you then followed on to describe your childhood as very similar to mine. It's a point which hadn't really occurred to me.

This is a fantastic point, if you don’t grow up with museums, threshold fear or just generally not seeing museums as “for you” can be a huge invisible barrier and as others have pointed out, if you don’t go to museums you’re often not really involved in the conversation as to why not because you’re not in the places where the data is collected - mailing lists, surveys, etc

That must only be a part of it though there is only a couple of years between me and my sister, the childhood trips to museums seem to have had polar opposite effects on both of us! She avoids them as much as possible!

@Sirzy my siblings and I have a similar view on cycling, we went on a lot of family bike rides as children and as an I HATE it! I’m the youngest and always struggled to keep up, my older siblings enjoy it because their experiences were different although we were always doing it together

I agree about the learnt behaviour. My dad loved history so would take me as a child, my partner only went to them on school trips and doesn't enjoy them like I do (I am annoying though and like to read everything 😬)

Yes, I love museums.
Doesn't apply as no kids.

Yes, and no. While I do take my kids to museum, I'd much rather go by myself so I can properly read everything

I took my children (6 & 8) the Museum of Carpet in Kidderminster recently. It was on a weekday, so pretty quiet. They got to use a spinning wheel, designed carpets that were projected onto the floor, dressed up in different costumes to portray different types of people within the carpet industry. We watched a retired carpet factory worker fire up the looms... They were able to try hand weaving, put together puzzles of iconic carpet designs (really!) and work out how hungry they'd be a different parts of the week if they were weavers. Wasn't expecting much, but really enjoyed the visit and it lasted nearly three hours because the children were so engaged. The guides were very friendly and helpful, but didn't dumb down.

Colouring in is fine, but we like lots of interaction if possible. It helps children to connect better with whatever they are studying (home schooled). They love a good worksheet and a tick list, but if they are provided, please make sure that all of the items that need to be found are actually present. It's so frustrating when it isn't mentioned before you've spent 20 minutes looking for a particular exhibit that's not on display!

Places with outdoor spaces and physical activities will also always get our vote because running about and burning off excess energy means they enjoy the inside stuff more because they are then less distracted.

Yep, this is exactly why so many museums have after hours opening, or friday night lates, or whatever the individual museum brands it as. Adults only, interesting talks, opportunity to walk round with a glass of wine.

If the PP is a major donor, maybe suggest your museum starts doing these? They seem to make plenty of money.

I also love special touring exhibitions - although tickets can be costly. We've enjoyed exhibitions on The Titanic, Tutankhamen, Terracotta Army and Pompeii.

My niece and nephews avoid castles like the plague. They spent their childhood visiting every ruined castle their parents could get to, usually multiple times.