Category Archives: Art & Cultural Museums

Buffalo Bill Historical Center: Guns & More

  By Anne Patrone | October 5, 2011 - 9:11 am | , , , , , , , ,
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Statue of Buffalo Bill

I’ll admit I was skeptical when my mother told me the highlight of her Western trip through Wyoming was the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming. But like a good daughter, I took my boys there for a short visit since we had already had a trail ride at the Bill Cody Ranch earlier in the afternoon.

We showed up at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center two hours before closing to go through a museum and interactive historical center that we could have easily spent an entire day at. With five permanent exhibits devoted to various subjects such as Western art and the Plains Indians, an enormous firearms collection, and an entire wing devoted to Cody’s namesake, William “Buffalo Bill” Cody, we had to pick and choose to maximize our time at the museum.

Since we were in Cody, Wyoming, it made sense to start off our visit in the area devoted to the man known as “Buffalo Bill.”

Bill Cody earned his nickname from killing over 4000 bison to feed the men on the Kansas Railroad. Apparently Bill Comstock had the same nickname so the two engaged in a “bison duel” to settle who could officially call himself “Buffalo Bill.” 
Buffalo coat and the gun Buffalo Bill used
Bill Cody won by killing 69 bison to Comstock’s 49.
Also in this area were the silver saddles, costumes, and posters that Buffalo Bill used in his Wild West shows, which toured throughout the United States and Europe.
Posters from Buffalo Bill’s show
We then ventured into what many consider the highlight of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center – the Cody Firearms Museum. As fans (and I’ll admit players) of Modern Warfare and Call of Duty, this was heaven for my boys. 
Guns and more guns
Hailed as having one of the largest firearm collections in the world, the Cody Firearms Museum boasts over 3500 firearms on over two floors. With guns and rifles from every American-fought war and/or skirmish, the boys examined guns from the American Revolution up to more recent machine guns.
A timeline of rifles
 Entire walls were devoted to gun manufacturers such as Smith & Wesson and Colt.
The gun that “won the West” – the Colt
And, of course, my boys had to try out their shooting skills . . . 
Trying out the rifles in an arcade game
With time running out, we chose to spend out last few minutes at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center learning about Yellowstone National Park. I truly wish we had seen this exhibit BEFORE we had ventured into Yellowstone because we learned more about our first national park in a half-hour than we did in a half a day of driving around the park.
Uniquely designed in a spiral pattern, the Draper Museum of Natural History condenses Yellowstone into manageable and kid-size chunks with interactive displays and hands-on exhibits. I truly wish we had seen this exhibit BEFORE we had ventured into Yellowstone. 
Want to know what a beaver lodge looks like on the inside? Or how your hand compares to a wolf’s paw? On the Alpine to Plains Trail inside the museum, my guys learned about the animals and plants that make up each unique environment within Yellowstone. 
Inside a mock-up of a beaver dam
Do I wish we had been able to spend more time at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center? Of course . . . because my mother’s always right!  

Institute of Texan Cultures – Not as Stuffy as it Sounds

  By Anne Patrone | July 5, 2011 - 10:00 am | , , , , ,
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Institute for Texas Cultures Cattle Drive Exhibit

Cattle Drive Exhibit

The Institute of Texas Cultures, run by the University of Texas at San Antonio and affiliated with the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC may sound like a real yawner for kids . . . but it’s not.

When I was a child, I remember visiting the museum (although that’s not quite the right word for what it is . . . ) several times with my parents.  So when we decided to go on a San Antonio mini-vacation, I knew this was one of the spots we would visit.

Located in Hemisphere Park, the Institute of Texan Cultures is a museum/historical recreation/learning center devoted to the different cultures of the people of Texas.  No matter what your nationality or background, there’s a section of the museum devoted to that immigrant group.

From Native American to Mexican to Swedish, Czech, German, Japanese and African – there’s a display which showcases these ethnicities and their contributions to Texas.

Institute Texas Cultures Czech kitchen

Czech kitchen

Since our family’s background tends to be a mishmash of European (Czech, German, Polish, English, Irish, Norwegian, Danish, and a smattering of either Native American or Mexican), we gravitated towards those areas, while still learning about other cultures.

At the Institute of Texan Culturesthere were also volunteers scattered throughout the museum demonstrating skills from the past or from their heritage.  The boys enjoyed watching (and helping) a volunteer weave a rug in one section of the building,

Institute Texas Cultures Weaving demonstration

Weaving demonstration

then learning about grinding corn for tortillas in another.

Being boys, my guys particularly enjoyed the display devoted to Texas cattle drives with a diorama containing a chuck wagon, life-size longhorn, and a real-life cowboy explaining how the steers were driven from South Texas to the stockyards of Ft. Worth.

And although it may sound hokey, I really enjoyed (and okay, got a little choked up) during a video presentation that underscored the main theme of the Institute of Texan Cultures – that no matter what your nationality or where you were born, if you live in Texas (and I’m still claiming my citizenship, no matter what my address), then you’re a Texan.

Finding Treasures at the National Museum of American History

  By Anne Patrone | June 15, 2011 - 9:00 am | , , , ,
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Dumbo Car from Disney Land

Visiting the National Museum of American History is a lot like sifting through a beloved grandmother’s attic. Treasures are everywhere and you never know what you’re going to find hidden in some corner.

There are the childhood favorites like Kermit the Frog, a Dumbo car from a Disney Land ride, or Judy Garland’s ruby red slippers from The Wizard of Oz all found in the  “National Treasures of Popular Culture” exhibit.

Judy Garland’s slippers from The Wizard of Oz

You might also find valuable artwork like a painting of George Washington in “The Price of Freedom” exhibit or more humble (but no less important) cartoons on metal lunch boxes in the “Taking America to Lunch” exhibit.

Portrait of George Washington by Polk

A collection of Lunch Boxes near the Cafeteria

In the National Museum of American History’s “America on the Move” exhibit, we saw planes, trains . . .

A steam-powered train engine in the National Museum of American History

. . . and automobiles, including items relating to America’s famous Route 66. (You didn’t think we’d take a vacation and not have some reference to Route 66, did you?)

America on the Move in the National Museum of American History

But my favorite exhibit in the National Museum of American History?


For anyone who’s a foodie, a cook, or just someone who loves to eat, this is THE exhibit to visit while at the National Museum of American History.  Julia Child’s entire kitchen – her knives, her cookbooks, her stove, and her beautiful copper pans – was transported and reconstructed in the basement of the museum.  
Julia Child’s kitchen in the National Museum of American History

It is AMAZING!!!!!

And although the National Museum of American History didn’t make it into Frommer’s 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up, I highly recommend a visit to this child-friendly, interesting, and FUN museum when you’re in Washington DC. 


Visiting the Star-Spangled Banner on Flag Day

  By Anne Patrone | June 14, 2011 - 9:50 am | , , , , ,
2 Comments
Old Glory on Flag Day

Happy Flag Day!!

And how fitting that on Flag Day, I would post on our visit to the famous flag that started it all – the original Star-Spangled Banner in the National Museum of American History in Washington DC.
The museum has done a wonderful job of highlighting their treasure in a separate room with dim lighting and absolutely NO PHOTOGRAPHY ALLOWED!!
Outside the exhibit area, however, is a fabulous metal sculpture of representing the Star-Spangled Banner. Like the flag it’s meant to represent, it’s huge and quite dramatic.

The Star Spangled Banner at the National Museum of American History

Inside the darkened exhibit, the original flag that flew over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 and provided the inspiration for our National Anthem, has been carefully preserved.

As you stare at the Star-Spangled Banner and interact with the computer displays in a nearby area, our family found it amazing that the flag on exhibit (. . . and it is HUGE . . . ) is actually smaller than the original (by almost 8 feet!) because parts of the flag were cut off and given out as patriotic “souvenirs” by the family who owned it for several years.  In addition to the missing 8 feet of “broad stripes” there’s also a “bright” star that’s missing – location unknown . . .
So enjoy Old Glory on its special day . . . I’ll have more on our visit to the National Museum of American History in tomorrow’s post.
Photo of Star Spangled Banner Sculpture courtesy of krossbow via Flickr

Photo of American Flag courtesy of Tim Pearce via Flickr

National Museum of the American Indian – Kid-Friendly or Not?

  By Anne Patrone | May 4, 2011 - 11:00 am | , , , , ,
1 Comment
National Museum of the American Indian

I have to confess that were it not listed in Frommer’s 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up, I probably wouldn’t have visited the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC.  There are so many museums in Washington DC that are worthy of attention that it would take several visits to fully appreciate them all.

But . . . since the National Museum of the American Indian was on the “500 List” and it was conveniently located between the US Capitol and the National Air and Space Museum (both sites we were planning on visiting anyway), I thought we could manage at least a quick visit to see what made it so special.  In addition, a recent article in the NY Times by Kate Taylor (“Proposed Latino Museum Faces Hurdles”) peaked my curiosity about one of the more specialized museums on the National Mall.

So off we went . . .

The outside of the building is amazing and unique.  Made of limestone, the building has curves and waves which highlight the Native Americans’ relationship with nature.

Outside of National Museum of the American Indian

Unfortunately, (at least in my opinion), the building’s unique outside creates a huge amount of wasted space inside – as well as one of the most vertigo-inducing designs I’ve been in.  I literally had to stare at my feet and grip the handrail as I climbed the stairs to get to the upper gallery floors.

Interior of National Museum of the American Indian

As for the kid-friendliness of the National Museum of the American Indian . . . again, I’ve got mixed reviews.

My major beef is that for a place that’s supposed to be kid-friendly, it’s incredibly easy to lose one.  The first exhibit area that we went to, “Our Universes,” is dark – really dark.  Add in lots of curving walls and nooks where exhibits are placed and you’ll quickly lose sight of a little one – or a big one for that matter – if they’re not holding your hand.  I lost my youngest (always a horrible feeling . . .) only to find him standing next to an exhibit on games and a lacrosse stick some distance away.

Lacrosse stick

Heart pounding, I made him promise to stay in that spot AND DON’T MOVE until I could find his brother.  Although this area had samples and dioramas from tribes across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, there didn’t seem to be a logic to it.

Diorama in National Museum of the American Indian

That said, the next exhibit we went to “Our Peoples” was better lit and better organized.  This area is history told from the Native American viewpoint.  I have to admit, it made me feel very guilty for my European ancestors since it detailed the many ways (guns, disease, and resettlement) that the Native American tribes were nearly wiped out.  My sons, being boys, naturally gravitated to the enormous collection of guns displayed in the center of the exhibit.

Collection of guns (photo taken by my son!)

Museum-wise, I think I liked the Mashantucket Pequot Museum in CT (see my post:  Mystic & Mashantucket – A Great Weekend Trip) better than the National Museum of the American Indian.  More kid-friendly, more hands-on, and less political.

Forty-six places visited, 454 to go.