by Caryna St. John

Created on: July 21, 2009

Museums are some of the best resources of our communities. Whether you live in a small town with a local historical society or a big city with many world-class institutions to choose from, a museum visit can be a great experience with your family and friends.

Here are a few tips to make sure your visit is fun and memorable and not frustrating.

Start with planning and a little research. Nearly every museum has a website nowadays. Take a look to see what exhibitions are being shown, and whether there are extra charges for any of them.

Investigate how much the museum costs and whether there are any special discounts, which may be limited to certain days and times. It's no fun to get a surprise at the ticket counter, or to make the people behind you in line wait while you decide whether to get a ticket for the IMAX movie.

Are there any special events going on while you'll be there, either at the museum or in the neighborhood? Where will you park, and what options are there for eating if you'll be there long enough for a meal?

When you get to the museum, take a few minutes to orient yourself. If there's a bag check area, even if there's a small fee, take advantage of it. Your bags and coats will get very heavy after a few minutes.

In larger museums, you probably won't be able to see everything so think about what you most want to do. Choose a place to meet if your group gets separated. Look around to see what rules are posted. Do you need to turn off the ringer on your cell phone? Are pictures allowed? Rules about not touching are taken very seriously. Even the lightest of touches, which might not seem dangerous at all on a huge stone sculpture, can do irreversible damage when multiplied by thousands per year.

The best piece of advice for having a great museum visit? Talk to people! Although some of the staff may not be approachable, most people who work in museums do it because they love it and love talking to people about the museum and its collections.

Ask about favorite exhibits, best activities for kids, or questions about what you're seeing. Hundreds of hours of research and work go into designing exhibitions and activities, and there's usually a good reason for whatever you see. And if there's a way to give feedback, either on the internet or on paper, it's worth your while.

Museum staff members are very interested to know your reaction to what you've seen and done, especially if you give details. Your feedback helps improve the visit for the next family!

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