History Museums
The Legacy Museum, Montgomery, Alabama
This isn’t an easy museum to take in, nor should it be; but it is a museum that every American should experience. The curators made this an immersive experience starting with the first room that accosts you with a wall of water to represent the beginning of a slave’s journey to the Americas. It goes from there all the way through the slave trade to the current state of incarceration. At the end, there are virtual booths set up to hear from real life prisoners.
The museum also includes a memorial to lynching victims where hanging boxes name the victims by state and county. To access this, you need to take a shuttle to the site, but it is worth it.
The National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis, Tennessee
Built around the motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, the Civil Rights Museum highlights the dedication and sacrifices of humans who struggled to create a safe and free world for all Americans. It looks at the history of the Civil Rights Movement as well as the impact it continues to have in today’s society.
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington DC
I went here on a beautiful spring day, which created a stark contrast between the clear blue skies and the somber darkness of the museum. This museum is set up so that there is no navigation; the whole museum is a journey. A heart wrenching and powerful journey into an unimaginable period of history.
Art Museums
Storm King Art Center, New Windsor, New York
If I’m traveling south without a tight timeline, I make sure to add Storm King into my itinerary. The land is expansive, so much so that you can rent a bike or take a shuttle around the grounds. The sculptures are set to work with the landscape, and I enjoy seeing them from afar and watching them grow massive as I approach them. This is a great place to bring a picnic and spend an afternoon among the art.
Mass MoCA, North Adams, Massachusetts
Built in and around a warehouse, Mass MoCA calls for you to look up, outside, around corners, and in stairwells. With rotating exhibits, concerts, and engaging art pieces, Mass MoCA invites people to visit often. This museum has helped transform North Adams into an artist’s town.
City Museum, St. Louis, Missouri
City Museum is for people like me who want to be a kid again in an adult sized place. It is also a place for kids, but not just for kids. A warehouse filled with interesting art scapes, slides & tunnels, there is so much to explore. To only play with adults, look for their City Nights events that are 21+.
Museum of Glass, Tacoma, Washington
Located in Dale Chihuly’s hometown, the Museum of Glass showcases many of his works, including a whole ceiling of his pieces. However, Chihuly has his own museum in Seattle, so this museum is about glass as an art form across all platforms. The museum also houses a hot shop where visitors can witness glass being made in real time. The building is visually engaging both inside and out.
Louisiana Modern Art Museum, Humlebaek, Denmark
Over 20 years later, I still think about my visit to this modern art museum north of Copenhagen. I remember the grand rooms that used light to play off the art; I remember the smell and sound of the ocean that set the stage for the outdoor sculptures; and I remember experiencing Annie Leibovitz’s photography for the first time.
Any picture that is not mine includes a link to original source.
Mac On the Map 
Leave a comment