The past month brought two events that I knew must make their way onto my blog: The openings of The American Writers Museum in Chicago and The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss museum in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Now I know museums can sometimes be a snooze fest, especially to kids, but these two sound really pretty cool. From what I am reading in the press, you don’t have to be a book geek like me to consider putting these on your itinerary if you are ever in the respective neighborhoods.
They are definitely on my check-out list for the family when we are next in Chicago and Western Mass. I’ll post our in-person reactions at some point, but for now, a quick overview of why these are sounding good:
Seven years in the making, The American Writers Museum opened in May 2017. It seems to aim not just at celebrating writers, but to illuminate the writing process, and inspire visitors to try their hand at the craft as well. I would love to stand under the Word Waterfall with my boys, visit the Children’s Gallery, check-out the interactive Hometown Authors Kiosk and see with our own eyes the 120-foot-long scroll on which Jack Kerouac penned On the Road. (This is a temporary feature, as it is on a 6-month loan to the museum.) Boston-based museum designer, Andrew Anway, has been getting kudos for the many innovative and interactive elements he has used to bring a challenging topic to life.
The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss museum in Springfield, MA, opened a few short weeks ago and is billed as the first and only museum dedicated to the work of Theodore Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss. It boasts bi-lingual exhibits and programming, and two floors of original artifacts and activities geared toward encouraging children to read and have fun. The $25 adult ticket fee sounds high, but buys you access to several other museums in Springfield as well. (See the on-site review from The Boston Globe.) So, put this on the list of “places you’ll go” with your Things 1, 2, 3 as the case may be, sometime!
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