10 Tips to visit a Museum like a pro!

Every wonder how pro’s visit a museum? Here are my pro tips on how to visit a musuem!

Do you ever get bored at museums? Do you walk in, and you’re overwhelmed by the number of people? The amount of stuff to look at? Here are my tips on how to visit a museum, and yes, there are different ways to do it! This is how I do it and some tips on how you can get the best experince possible.

Pick a museum to visit based on your interests.

• This might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s crazy that people go to museums that they have absolutely no interest in attending. This happens for a couple reasons. You might be on vacation someplace where there is a museum you feel you have to go to, but there is nothing there that calls to you. Or are you going to a museum with someone else who wants to go? A museum is hard to enjoy if you don’t want to be there! So find something in that museum that interests you, even if it’s one exhibit!

Get there when it opens!

• I generally will not visit a museum unless I can get there right when it opens, even if they have timed entry. Here is the thing, as the day goes on, more and more people will be in there. This means that you may not get to see what you want, feel rushed, or wait in line to see the ‘big deal stuff. Example: The average wait to see the Mona Lisa at the Louve is 3 hours! When my husband and I went to the louvre, we got timed entry tickets for the first slot of the day. We walked in and went straight to the Mona Lisa. There was no one there! We got to stand and enjoy it in silence. I also wanted to see the winged victory. This is a large statue standing alone on a vast staircase. Not only did I see it in peace, but there was not even anyone on the stairs. Getting there early means that you can see the things you want without the wait; you can prioritize what you want to see. Because the museum will be emptier, you can get through a little faster and have time in your day for something else. We walked the entire Louve in 3hrs!

Do your research

• Figure out what you want to see in that specific museum. Also, take a look at things like peak hours, if they have a coat check or lockers, whether there is a cafe, do they allow strollers, cameras, or bags? Nothing is worse than traveling to a museum only to not be able to enter because you didn’t check out the guidelines beforehand. I also look for the coat check because I do most of my traveling in the winter, and carrying a coat around is a bummer. Many house museums and older museums are not accessible for wheelchairs or strollers; these may also have a lot of stairs, so knowing before you go with tiny kids or people who might not be able to do stairs is good to know.
• If there is something you are really excited about, find out if there is a tour. Lots of museums do behind-the-scenes tours, and they are awesome. They will also go into depth about specific aspects of history they cover. These are not held every day, so you do have to plan ahead, but they can be well worth it! I made a special trip to Louisiana once because the house I wanted to visit only gave one tour a month!

Set reasonable expectations

• You are never going to see everything in a single museum visit. NEVER! If you want to spend time reading every single plaque and sign, great, there are some very hard-working people who put that together for you, but it’s just not possible to see everything in a day. As someone who has worked in a museum, I can tell you that even in the smallest museums, you will miss stuff. I worked at a house museum, and after 6 months, I was still finding things that I had not seen or learned things I did not know before. Go into a museum with an understanding that you are only going to get the highlights and then decide what is most important to you.

Pack your bag, or don’t

• Bring in the minimal amount that you need. Going solo, just a wallet, will do. Going with kids, take just what you need to get through the visit. You will only be able to bring water in with you. I also tend to skip the big camera; a phone will due. Your bag will be scanned and searched, so be prepared.

Pick you Party

• Who you go to a museum with is as important as what museum you go to. If I am really excited about an exhibit or museum, I will go by myself. Finding people who move at the same pace as you and have similar interests can be hard. Nothing is worse than wanting to move a little slower and having people waiting for you or vice versa. The only person that I will go to a museum with and have no expectation of pressure is my husband. But he knows me, and if I move faster or slower than him (within reason), he lets me be. If I am going with a big group, I change my expectations. Big groups, to me, are more about being social than anything else.

Visit the gift shop.

• Museum gift shops are the best! I know they can be pricey, but they do bring in a significant amount of money to keep the museum running, especially if the museum is free to attend. They also have one-of-a-kind items, art and books you can not get anyplace else, and some random stuff you never knew you wanted. If I get nothing else, I will always get a postcard. They are going to get a better picture than I ever could. I write the date that I was there and then I have a book of postcards. It’s small and doesn’t clutter up the house, it fits in a suitcase, and it supports the museum.

Wear comfortable but respectable clothing

• Hear me out on this one. You are entering a place that took years to build and that people have poured their hearts and souls into maintaining. Exhibits take a long time and a lot of effort to create. I make sure to dress at least in clean clothes, with no sweats and no active wear. I do often wear sneakers, but I try and dress to offer the respect I feel that a museum deserves. You are going to be on your feet; I walk an average of 12000 steps when I visit a museum, so it’s okay to dress comfortably. But try and keep your clever shirts and workout gear at home.

Eat before you go

• When you visit a musuem food and drink are not allowed inside. Moreover, many museums and tours have a path that starts in one spot and lets out at another. You can’t leave the path in the middle. Eat before you get in there, use the restroom at the beginning, then you can enjoy your visit a little more. I also find that European museums have excellent cafes somewhere on the grounds. Many US museums do as well; the Smithsonian specifically does. They are at the end typically, so eat first!

Be kind, have good Museum edicit

• This one might seem obvious, but oh man! Please let the people in the wheelchairs get on the elevator first; please let people who are asking questions ask them even if they seem silly. Let the kids do the interactive exhibits first. Step aside or let people pass you who are moving faster than you. Stay off your phone, and if you have to make a call, don’t put it on speaker. Basically, if you would not do it in a church/synagogue/mosque/temple, don’t do it in a museum.
• PLEASE keep your comments kind and open-minded; you don’t know who is listening. You have no idea what something means to someone else, and they don’t know what it means to you. I cried in the National Museum Museum of African American History and Culture, looking at a broken piece of stained glass. It was from Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing took place on September 15, 1963. 4 little girls were killed in that attack by the KKK (Denise McNair, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Addie Mae Collins). I probably looked crazy, but I felt it. That is what museums are for. So please be kind.

Museums are there for you to enjoy! This is how all of the researchers, historians, and archaeologists make sure that the work that we do is shared. There is no point in doing this work if we don’t make it accessible to everyone. Everyone gets something else from a museum visit. The most important thing is to have fun and learn something new!! 

Related Posts Coming Soon: Visiting Musuems with Kids, My Top 5 Musuems