by Freyda Tartak

Created on: September 28, 2009   Last Updated: September 29, 2009

Planning a day at the museum should include a few decisions regarding what you hope to gain from the visit and how much time you plan to spend there. This way, the experience can be made more exciting and less overwhelming. Attending a museum is often accompanied by eager anticipation at the thought of absorbing something that will stimulate you and engage you on a deeper level. Deciding where to begin and what the must see areas are can help make the experience as rewarding as you hope it to be.

Define Your Goals

Determining why you have decided to spend your time at this particular venue is an important first step in determining how best to use the time while you are there. Large museums are often broken up into smaller galleries. If it is a multi-level or even multi-building facility it is likely to have been segmented according to some sort of grouping.

Knowing exactly how much time you have to spend there and what you most want to see will help determine the starting point. It will also help narrow down the visit to one that will be more enjoyable and less tiring than an ad hoc approach. If you only have three or four hours and you need at least that much to cover just one floor, it is probably a good idea to figure out which areas are okay to breeze through this time around.

Trust The Museum Staff

The museum curator has spent a lot more time with their collection than you have (unless, of course, you were the one to donate it). Accepting this fact, it is a good idea to find out what their recommendations for a plan of attack are. With map in hand and expert advice on your side it is possible to see exactly what you came for and still have time for a few nice surprises along the way.

If the reason you came is tucked away on level B2 and you start way up on the fourth floor, chances are you might completely run out of both time and steam even before you hit level two. Keep in mind that museums want to see you again. So, they try to fill their halls with a variety of interesting things. Unless they are small, they try to encourage the idea that when you come again you won't be bored by staring at the same thing. In other words, you're not supposed to see everything in one go, so don't even try.

Accommodate For Kids

If you are planning the museum visit for the kids keep their attention spans in mind. But, don't forget why you are going in the first place. Many museums have taken great strides in encouraging kids to want to visit again and again. They have incorporated interactive areas. These are spots where kids are meant to linger. There are drawers to be pulled out, sand to play in, colouring to be done. Some have set up dress-up and fun house mirrors.

Used wisely, these areas can be a powerful incentive to keep kids interested and focused on being where they are, as opposed to crying about being bored. But, if you hit those spots too early you can forget about seeing the rest of the museum. If you wait too long, you'll all be too tired to get the most out of it. By the end of the visit, the kids may appreciate it but, all you'll want to do is leave. So, they won't really get to enjoy their play time and everybody will walk out feeling sore.

Instead, it is a good idea to take advantage of interactive areas as ideal rest stops. After a little while, when you decide it is time to move on to a different exhibit, consider using this trick: "If we stay too long here we won't have a chance to come back at the end." With a bit of planning and relying on the advice of experts you can make the most out of what can otherwise be a frustrating, disappointing, and tiring experience.

Learn more about this author, Freyda Tartak.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.