The following article is written by Paul Orselli, Director of Exhibits at the Long Island Children's Museum
Visiting Museums with your Mouse
Computer mouse, that is. Visiting a museum is a great activity anytime, but
you can also visit museums around the world by using the internet. Some of my favorite sites are listed below.
The Internet is a great place to start if you are planning a trip to a city you have never visited before. Check out the
MuseumLink's Museum of Museums
to find museums located by geographic location.
If you know you are interested in visiting a certain type of museum, like a science museum, or children's museum, for example you should check out the excellent resources of the following organizations. Not only can you find basic information like hours and location, but also specific tips on how to make a visit to an art museum more enjoyable.
Visit a Children's Museum by The Association of Children's Museums.
aym.org/visit-a-museum.htm
Visit a Science Museum by The Association of Science-Technology Centers
tryscience.org/fieldtrips/fieldtrip_home.html
The Art Museums Network
amn.org
Study Funology at a Museum Web Site!
One of the most interesting interactive sites in the world is San Francisco's Exploratorium. As you might expect, their web site is packed with interesting science activities you can do at home, virtual exhibits, even their own take-off of the Iron Chef called Iron Scientist.
exploratorium.edu
The new Long Island Children's Museum opens in early 2002, but you can check out plans for the new building and fun web-based activities at:
licm.org
One of my new favorite museums is The City Museum in St. Louis. Their web site is as idiosyncratic as the museum itself!
citymuseum.org
A Museum About What?
My father always says, It takes all kinds to make up a world. If you need any further proof of that statement check out some of my favorite weird and wacky museum sites:
The Museum of Jurassic Technology
citymuseum.org
Cockroach Museum
pestshop.com/cockroach.html
Virtual Museums
Last but not least, there are virtual museums, that is displays and collections that exist only on the web, not in actual museum buildings. Try out some of these electronic museums:
Museum of Dirt
planet.com/dirtweb/mainmenu.html
Cyber Toaster Museum
toaster.org
The Sheboygan Art Museum
art-museum.org/mainmenu.html
Like any museum visit, the most enjoyable experiences are taken in small doses...
so you can visit again and again!
Paul Orselli
PS. And don't forget the Museum Page at Longisland.com which can be reached at
longisland.com/museums
- Janet Tempel