I’ll take you to the Museum…
Strange but true: in the US, more museums, cafes than Starbucks and McDonalds combined.
Since the 90-ies of the last century, the number of Museum complexes in the United States has doubled. If twenty years ago there were 17 500, today their number exceeded 35 000. This is according to the Institute of Museum and library services in the country.
For comparison: in the country approximately 11,000 Starbucks, and about 14,000 McDonald’s. In General, we can safely say that cultural values have long since won coffee with rolls. Moreover, according to the statistics of Americans go to museums more often than on sports matches — almost 900 million against 480 million.
A trifle, but nice
Many are now surprised shook his head — where are the museums? In this situation they should be literally at every step.
The fact that many of them are not large, they are not located on the Central streets of major cities, as the same Starbucks. Approximately 15,000 museums in the country is stable, declare the income less than $10,000 per year. Usually it is a private institutionlocated in the province. This, by the way, the first thing I was very surprised when I moved to the United States. So driving on a rural road somewhere in the godforsaken state and suddenly the sign “Museum”. Are usually open to local residents, the money it brings, but the joy of communicating with a rare visitor to the rife.
Not far behind the inhabitants of the provinces, usually, and city hall. Almost any tiny American town you’ll find something on the history of this place. Local love to give these institutions their personal belongings, there are often lessons from history to local schoolchildren.
The Charleston Museum. flickr.com/cc/Travis
Many museums are historic houses, preserved in its original form, with all the utensils and decoration. And often, they store the works of Left-handers.
Strange but true — if you count museums per capita, rural counties, without a doubt, will become a leader. A typical example is Storey County in Nevada. Four thousand persons, there are as many as eleven museums.
If you take the number, the leaders of the major cities of the country. And cultural capital of the USA can be called not new York, as many now think, and Los Angeles. In the parish of LA — 681 Museum, while in the Big Apple “only” 414.
In large cities, the Museum is a decent source of income. Many of them generate revenue more than a million dollars a year, which is not surprising with such attendance. So, a Museum dedicated to the events of 11 September 2001 opened in 2014. However, since then it has managed to visit more than four million residents and tourists. However, three quarters of their income the average American Museum spends to educate students.
A total of all such institutions spend on school trips and various events related to children approximately two billion dollars a year. This is lost profit, but a significant contribution to the educational process. Usually by the end of school the average American graduate has time to visit all the museums of the city, sometimes several times.
The Charleston Museum. flickr.com/cc/Travis
The oldest Museum in the country is located in South Carolina the Charleston Museum. It was founded in 1773 and opened to the public in 1824. By the way, the famous Museum of natural history (new York) was opened much later, already in 1869.
Only a short time these institutions were dedicated or the history of the area where located, or some particular event, or biography of a particular person. Pretty quickly the Americans realized that the exhibits can talk about anything. So today in the museums of the USA, you can see almost everything. There are a variety of exhibits from vintage cars to military equipment, from vacuum cleaners to children’s toys and so on.
So there is a beer Museum in Massachusetts, which is now stored beer cans and other containers for the beverage, brought from different parts of the world. The Museum staff are ready to conduct the tour only if you call and schedule in advance. There is a Museum devoted to bananas (CA), and the Museum where all the exhibits are made of hair.
With a tiny is in the Williamsburg (new York). It contains artifacts of the Big Apple.
Where to go
If large museums do not need to advertise, the small definitely need to be told. Below is a brief overview of the most interesting.
National wildlife, Jackson, Wyoming.
alh1/flickr.com/cc
There is an establishment on the rock. Nine galleries and more than five thousand works of art on the relationship between people and the world around us. Among the exhibits there are, for example, Dating back to 2500 BC
Art Museum, Princeton University, Princeton, new Jersey.
Peter Miller/flickr.com/cc
There are more than 92,000 works of art from around the world. The access to them is free. On Thursdays the Museum is open until 10 PM, and on Saturdays and Sundays, visitors can get a free tour.
Colonial quarter, Saint Augustine, FL.
Jasperdo/flickr.com/cc
This living history Museum, located in the northeastern part of Florida, gives visitors the opportunity to experience how people lived in Europe in the 16-18 centuries. You can not just wander around and take part in interactive activities. For an additional fee, visitors can also visit The Colonial Crew Revue, a kind of show, which takes place in the outdoor amphitheater on Fridays and Saturdays. There you can dine wings and wine from the barrel — all in the best traditions of antiquity.
Baseball hall of fame, Cooperstown, new York.
Amy Meredith/flickr.com/cc
Despite the fact that this Museum is located in a small town, every year it is visited by approximately 300 000 visitors. Much to say about the exhibits is not necessary, but it is worth adding that here you can learn about women in baseball, African American baseball experience. It is full of unique artifacts, for example, of rare shoes and balls,
The house-Museum of Mark TWAIN, Hannibal, Missouri.
Kent Kanouse/flickr.com/cc
Among the exhibits — a collection of personal items of the writer: his jacket, letters, and first editions of books and the first illustrations for the works of Tom and his friend Huck.
In General, everything in the Museum, especially because in the US they for every taste.
