state museum of pennsylvania

This is a great museum! The 3 floors were extremely interesting and well worth the money. Found out a lot about PA. Parking could have been easier to find but, u are downtown Harrisburg. and after you can walk to the Sturges Speakeasy and enjoy some lunch!

Due to time constraints, chose this over Whitaker Center to take my grand-daughter: it opens at 9am vs. 11:30 am (closed Mon. & Tues.) Much less expensive: Total cost for our visit was $20.* ($11 admission & $9. for 3 hrs. parking). Whitaker would have been closer to $50. We had no trouble finding metered parking spaces within a half-block of the entrance (Note: you need your license # to pay for parking at any kiosk; they take credit/debit cards.) *We didn't have time for the planetarium show, which adds $3./pp.)The "Curiosity Corner" area as you enter is enough to keep 2-6 year olds happy & engaged for several hours. It is well designed with a half dozen or so interactive "activity areas," surrounding a central tree cave with hand puppets, which leads into an interactive house, in which children can design the projected wall-coverings and take photos of themselves, which are then cleverly displayed on a framed wall picture. It wasn't very crowded the day we were there, but that could be a problem when busloads are arriving. Since I'm an amateur historian and have done research locally, I'll be back to visit their research library and spend the day studying the exhibits, but if you visit with young children, you won't have that luxury. For them, it's whatever can hold their attention visually (head to the third floor, natural history exhibits including a mastodon and dinosaur exhibits) or something they can engage in (such as the stereoscopes and screens in the Civil War exhibits...did you know children as young as 7 were sent into the front lines?).Much of the rest of the museum will be a fast paced blur of memories if you visit with young children, but I saw enough to appreciate the care that went into the selection and presentation of each exhibit and area. This is the permanent home of the commonwealth's charter, documenting Penn's land grant. It is only on display for a brief time each year, to limit exposure, so we were fortunate to see it.I'd allow 3-4 hours or so with young children, more for adults and older children. It's right next door to the Capitol complex, so you may want to combine touring that with your visit.

This is a nice place to take your guests who might be visiting from another state on a rainy dreary day. It's interesting enough to go other times as well, but a dreary rainy day is when I took some guests and it was the perfect afternoon. Its an interesting place.

For a relatively small museum, lots of options, from the rich history of Pennsylvania to period history, natural history, a planetarium, art, the decorative arts and more. We enjoyed a special exhibit on Alexander Wilson, naturalist, that was thorough yet small enough to easily manage while still allowing time to seeing the rest of the museum, some parts in detail, other parts just walking through to get a feel for it. This was a weekend visit to Harrisburg, and we would return to spend more time on future visits. Good for families, couples, friends and individual travelers alike.

Visited the museum during farm show week and really enjoyed it. The exhibits are fantastic and it's a great day out with the kids.

This museum is a total gem. It does an amazing job showcasing the important role Pennsylvania has played in American history, and it also captures the sequence of exciting innovations and discoveries in the state in such an artistic layout. You will not believe some of the items you find in the museum, and Mammal Hall is truly a place for reflection and meditation. I've visited tons of museums throughout the world and this is truly one of the best!

Yesterday, my daughter, her friend and I visited it for the first time in a number of years. We were surprised that they now charge (it was always free prior) and that they remodeled many of the exhibits. The price is still a deal for this little gem of a place ($7/adult and $3 for the planetarium. Military and AAA discounts are honored).They do such a great job of tying in the history, the plant/animal species found in the state, the Native Americans that call/called this state home, the role PA played in the industrial revolution, etc. They present it in such a manner that folks young and old would find it interesting. Two new features of the museum is the full sized mastodon and a planetarium. The mastodon is amazing, and certainly one of the highlights of the museum. It's wonderful that they now have a planetarium. The women who did the show was very interesting and did a great job. However, I was disappointed with the movie that's shown afterward. It seemed like one giant commercial, and certainly doesn't give us much hope that Earth will be around in the future. The gift shop is well stocked with interesting and fairly reasonable items. It's certainly worth a stop.There is meter parking found around the museum. It takes coins as well as debit/credit cards. I think it was $3/hour to park.

The State Museum was a great, cheap way to spend a stormy day with the kids.. Ages 6 and 9.. Curiosity Connection was a huge hit. We could've spent all day just there, but the kids also had a blast exploring the museum. Plenty to see and do including a Planetarium!! Don't go on a Monday, it's closed on Monday..

I have loved this Museum since I was a child! From the Indian exhibit, antique vehicles, miniature exhibition, planitaryum and the accuracy of turn of the century homes.This Museum allows couples to marry the lovely of thier life while teaching everyone in attendance history. Now I ask what could be sweeter than that?

We visited on a cold Saturday afternoon and the place was completely deserted! We pretty much had the whole place to ourselves, which was really weird and kind of creepy. Admission is a little pricey for the quality of the exhibits. They are just old, but still very interesting. You just have to actually read them, rather than stare at a monitor or push a button to make it do something for you. Lighting was poor, especially in the town area, making some exhibits difficult to enjoy (overall lighting, not the artifact-protecting lighting). I liked the Civil War exhibits, especially the huge portrait of Picket's Charge and the room near the art exhibits. Good mix of exhibit topics, just needs some updating. Interesting building architecture as well.

Very interesting. Worth the admission price. Roxy's restaurant across the street was also very good. This museum does not have a cafeteria in it.

There is so much to see in Harrisburg, including what is possibly the most recognizable Capitol Building in the country. More on that in another review. The Museum, walking distance from the Capitol Building, is a great place with interactive exhibits and several floors crammed (tastefully) with "historia" of Pa: from life-sized models of the dinosaurs who once lived here to the aboriginal Native American exhibit (the authentic clothing is awesome!) to more up-to-date things, this is a great way to spend a few hours. It's also a popular place for school field trips, so bare that in mind if you are going during the week. There is a gift shop, of course, but no on-site parking. Parking garages are nearby and you may be able to find a street meter if the gods are willing... While in the area, if on a weekday, take a self-guided tour of the Capitol Bldg, you can sit in on the meetings if they are in session. Mosey down to the very nearby Susquehanna River where there is a paved path to walk along. If you have chosen a "game day" for Harrisburg Senators Baseball (farm team for the Washington Nationals) you might want to take in a game across the river (pedestrian bridge, or move your car to the "City Island" parking lot for a couple of bucks a pop). The stadium is a cool minor league "homey" place, tickets and food are inexpensive and the games are exciting. There are batting cages there as well as other attractions. This could be a very full day in Harrisburg, or a one-stop museum day, but I hope you enjoy your visit!

We liked this museum a lot. Our daughter was doing a paper on William Penn and the museum contained a plethora of information and artifacts to assist in this regards. There are three floors full of other artifacts well displayed and a nice moderately priced cafe to break up the day.

We came here to visit the planetarium which is on the third floor of the building, to see a special presentation "To The Moon And Back" which was well worth the additional $3 to see. The admission to the musesm is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors. Parking outside the building is $3 per hour on prepaid meters but you can park across the divided street for nothing. The second and first floors of the museum are expansve and built like an elaborate mansion might be, with a colossal two story statue of William Penn, the founder of the state, on display. There is a much smaller, and better detailed, rendition of Benjamin Franklin, who among many other accomplishments, helped found the first public hospital in the state. I enjoyed this museum every bit as much as any I've been to in Washington D.C., and without the hassle of spending half the day getting there and being subjected to handbag searches with a dirty stick and being eyed as if you are already convicted. There is also a party room and the Saturday we were there, there was a birthday party going on with colorful clowns doing activities with the kids that looked like lots of fun. Highly recommended for all ages.

a fairly new building; nice displays on three floors; elevator as well as escalators available; or stairs...start at the 3rd floor and work your way down;..currently there are two Civil War related exhibits; they are very good.some old time like dioramas with Native American displays; are BORING...some with exhibits of animals and birds seem very outdated and dark...really dark literally as well as figuratively.there is a small planetarium with three shows daily; a small gift shop; and I saw a cafe also.What there is except for those things I mentioned, is good...clean and working order.If in the area, I would recommend this.