- Details
- Written by Dr. Lori Verderame Dr. Lori Verderame
Most Americans have a favorite museum or two, and since the world’s museum professionals look to the United States for the best way to exhibit art, natural history, and other objects in museums, there is probably a great museum near your home or work.
There are also some very interesting museums in other parts of the world that make travel and learning about other cultures fun and fascinating.
As a regular traveler and lecturer on art, museums, and culture all around the globe, I feel some museums require a shout-out.
Here are some of my favorite places to view, explore, contemplate, and learn.
Tokyo, Japan: If you want to experience a museum that has been described by words like first, largest, and best … then travel to Tokyo and take in the newest art museum in the busy, crowded, vibrant Japanese city: the MORI TeamLab Digital Art Museum.
Located in the Odaiba district of Tokyo, the world’s first and largest digital art museum combines art, science, and images of the natural world for a visitor experience like no other.
The museum opened on June 21, 2018, and the exhibits are natural-world simulations generated by 520 computers and 470 high-tech projectors displayed in five sections: Borderless World, Forest, Future Park, Forest of Lamps, and Tea House.
It shows museum goers that the future is now.
Dublin, Ireland: The National Museum of Ireland offers a wide array of objects and exhibitions, ranging from archaeology featuring the winter solstice at the Newgrange site to 21st-century craft featuring fashion designer Ib Jorgensen.
Dublin is an early Viking city dating back to 841 AD that sits along the River Liffey and was named Dubh Linn for “black pool.” Dublin’s major museum features a fine collection of taxidermy animals that is always a winner with the kids and is known locally as The Dead Zoo.
Recent exhibitions at the National Museum of Ireland include “The Spanish Flu in Ireland,” “Irish Glass,” and “Mammals of the World.”
Trinidad, Cuba: Guanuhaya Archaeology Museum in the museum city of Trinidad is like most museums in this town, deemed Cuba’s museum city for its number of museums of all types. Trinidad is approximately a one-hour drive from the 19th-century port city of Cienfuegos.
As you navigate the town’s numerous cobblestone streets and enthusiastic street merchants, you’ll explore the old Spanish Colonial town that now focuses on tourism, which is Cuba’s numero uno industry.
Housed in a Spanish Colonial building, the Guanuhaya Archaeology Museum boasts ancient stone tools and weapons, pre-Columbian clay figural sculptures, and taxidermy animals. There’s even a 2,500-year-old skeleton on display!
Reykjavik, Iceland: The Icelandic Phallological Museum — that’s right — is a museum dedicated to all things and some art associated with the science of phallology. An unusual museum, the museum displays phalluses from many different species and other related artifacts.
A few tips to remember when you are in a museum anywhere in the world: “Hands off the exhibits” is a no-brainer.
Don’t forget that the smaller the purse or backpack, the better chance you have of holding onto it as you tour. It is also good to carry a small bag so you don’t run the risk of bumping your bag into a precious work of art.
If your language skills are rusty, keep your smartphone handy to translate exhibition labels or signage presented in foreign languages.
Allow extra time to view the displays and experience the museum to the fullest. Museums are a great way to immerse yourself in the local culture and get a taste of the history as you visit someplace new.
Dr. Lori Verderame is the director of www.DrLoriV.com and www.youtube.com/drloriv. She is the award-winning Ph.D. antiques appraiser and artifacts expert on History channel’s The Curse of Oak Island, about the world’s oldest treasure hunt. Dr. Lori presents her Antiques Appraisal Comedy Show with free appraisals nationwide. Visit www.DrLoriV.com/events or call (888) 431-1010.