The Lollipop Road

Posts Tagged ‘museum’

On one of our visits to Nassau earlier this year we ventured out to the Pirates of Nassau Museum in downtown Nassau. An easy three block walk from the cruise terminal, the museum is conveniently located near the British Colonial Hilton at the corner of King and George Streets. The walk and museum are stroller friendly so long as you can make a few fancy maneuvers and have a partner for some heavy lifting on and off curbs and up and down a few stairs (there is a lift in the main part of the museum).

At a hefty $12 admission fee for adults and a more reasonable $6 for kids 4-17, this museum is a bit overpriced for what you get. As you enter, the mood is set by the dark, spooky atmosphere and a life sized pirate ship that acts as the first backdrop for the self-guided tour through the history of pirating in the Bahamas. Again, the museum is very dark, so a little light won’t hurt if you have young kids or want to read the placards without straining.

Winding through the museum will take less than 30 minutes. Each “room” showcases a piece of pirate life, life onboard a pirate ship and pirating history in and around Nassau. The highlight of the tour is a pitch dark curtained room with a pirate show (highlighted by lightning and the obligatory moaning) that might scare younger kids – although our four year old thought it was cool. The self-guided tour ends in a small room exhibiting a few artifacts from the era.

For kids under the age of 6, the best part of the entire museum just might be the courtyard. With a stockade, larger than life pirate and cannons to climb on, the kids spent as much time here as they did in the entire museum. There are tables where you rest and have a small snack and restrooms are conveniently located nearby. Making your way to the small gift you’ll find a disappointing and pricey selection of “piratefinalia”.

For a family with young kids (under the age of 6) or teens, this museum isn’t going to be the highlight of your trip to Nasaau. For those in between, it is a good (albeit pricey) way to spend a hot or rainy afternoon. Set your expectations low and you’ll be pleasantly surprised. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9AM-6PM and Sunday 9AM-Noon. Be sure to check their website for holiday closures before heading out.

Disclosure

Of all the trips that I’ve made to New York City, surprisingly, I had never made it to the American Museum of Natural History until now.  Tucked away in a shaded area of Central Park West, this iconic institution that began in 1869 has seen better days.  Although there have been extensive efforts to renovate and revitalize the museum, it seems that the terrace fountains outside hold greater interest for families than the exhibits inside on a hot summer day.

I began my visit by checking out the Arthur Ross Terrace adjacent to the Rose Center for Earth and Space.  There were at least twenty familes gathered around the squirting fountains, taking comfort from the humid New York heat.  Facing me was the giant (and impressive) walls of glass that surround the soaring white sphere making up the 10-year young Center for Earth and Space.  I couldn’t wait to get inside.

Entering through the newest part of the museum, I immediately noticed the baron landscape, perhaps what one would call simplicity in design.  I presented my media pass to a less than friendly staffer who offered little help, not even a map.  I didn’t really have the chance to ask questions either because she immediately returned to her conversation with fellow employees as if I were a bug trying to infiltrate her net.  The experience was going downhill rather fast.

I made my way around the scant exhibits, up and down floors before making a path to the Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth.  In stark contrast to the main museums dated appearance, this exhibit is clean and modern with various geological specimens that make for some cool photos.  The kids seemed to be congregating in this area, staring in amazement at the impressive colors surrounding them.  This would be the highlight of the museum.

Wandering back down the corridor, I browsed the Hall of Mammals, Ocean Life and Biodiversity.  With the exception of the latter, these were dated exhibits with little to attract and hold a childs attention.  The Hall of Biodiversity, opened in 1998 offers some cool specimens, but limited in the age range it will attract.

The Hall of Meteorites and Hall of Minerals on the second floor hold a bit more interest.  The remaining exhibit floors consist of more of the same dated, stuffed, plastic, uninspiring exhibits that make kids yawn.  Not to be missed, however, is the largest freestanding dinosaur in the world, located in the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall on the second floor.

Felling a bit bored and dusty, I made my way to the planentarium for a Journey to the Stars.  I was crowded into a waiting area with 100 other people and not nearly enough seats.  We stared at the monitors showing educational introductions as more people crowded into the waiting area.  Finally the doors opened to reveal a large round projection room with comfortable seats that when dark would make for a great napping place.

This promising production would have been engaging but for the narrator, Whoopi Goldberg.  Her monotone narration was just enough to lull me to sleep and dozens of kids and teens into boredom.  I’m not joking – as we left, the buzz amongst the kids and families was just how boring this program actually was.  Seems like such a waste for the most advanced star projector in the world.

If the admission to this museum were free, perhaps there would be little to complain about, but at $16 for adults and $9 for children (2-12), I expected more as did many of the families visiting that afternoon.  I suppose in the end it really was no surprise that I hadn’t been here before.  If you’ve done everything in New York and want to occupy a rainy afternoon, I suppose this might be a good place to do it.  Focus on the exhibits I recommend above and forget the rest.  Oh, they also have an IMAX, so you really can’t miss with that.  On hot summer days, stick with playing in the terrace fountains and use the money saved on admission to treat the kids to ice cream.

Disclosure

When searching out budget friendly family travel, free is usually an offer we don’t refuse. We’ve taken advantage of free admission at National Parks, museums, train rides and other kid-friendly attractions – the cheaper the better, right?. However, I recently had the opportunity to visit the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City during their free public entry (Friday 4-8 PM) where free was an offer that I definitely should have refused. After all, getting kids into a museum is hard enough already – you don’t need to give them more reasons to hate it!.

I arrived around 4:30 PM after a pleasant ride to the Top of the Rock. At first blush, it appeared to be a bit crowded, but it wasn’t until I hit the exhibits that the full reality set in. If you aren’t familiar with MoMA, there are 6 floors connected by rather narrow escalators. On this particular evening, the escalators were packed solid with a constant flow of visitors, like a colony of ants relocating their nest. Breaking into their formation or stepping out of line risked a trampling by the human species.

Against my better judgment, I did break formation at the second floor, but was quickly repelled back into the conga line making its way steadily upward. Fearful of what awaited on the next two floors, I made the safer decision to exit on the upper floors – I prefer the Masterpieces anyhow. Weaving through the maze of ants foraging for food left little room to set out a picnic. It occurred to me at that moment that it was nearly impossible to actually enjoy and appreciate the incredible works of art that hung on the wall while dodging the throngs of visitors snapping photos and staring aimlessly as if the paintings would come to life if they stared just long enough.

Sparsely interspersed were those visitors who were trying to truly appreciate the museum; for them I felt especially sympathetic. It was at that point that I firmly concluded that free isn’t always fun. Heading to the exit like prey escaping from the ant’s nest, I struggled to disguise myself, re-enter the queue and escape without detection. Whew, it felt so good to be out in the oppressively humid streets of Manhattan again.

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