VISIT
Crystal Bridges Museum
Bentonville, Arkansas
Visited September 2013
The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is a gem of a museum located in a stream filled ravine on 120 acres in the Ozarks of Northwest Arkansas. Founded by the Walmart family, designed by architect Moshe Safdie, and opened on November 11, 2011, this museum is definitely worth taking a side trip to visit. I spent several hours in the galleries and walking trails and could have easily spent several more. This is the type of museum that displays something for eveveryone and if I lived nearby I would definitely visit often.
HIghlights:
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FREE (permanent collection, trails and parking)
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Walking trails (dog friendly)
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Outdoor art & water features
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Cafe & Museum store
The Harry S. Truman Museum Library and Museum
Independence, Missouri
Visited September 2013
This is the first presidential museum that I've visited, so I feel I don't have a whole lot to compare this to without having visited others yet. There was definitely a lot of information presented in mostly permanent exhibition format, not surprisingly. Countless artifacts from Truman's time as local and later global politician... I was lucky to visit while a Thomas Hart Benton exhibit was displayed.
Highlights:
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Excellent collection of unique American history artifacts
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Good value & lots of parking
Mother Jones Memorial
Mount Olive, Illinois
Visited September 2013
This was a stop I stumbled across by seeing a roadside sign along the drive from Chicago to St. Louis. A few miles off the highway, down corn row lined country roads, lies the cemeteries. It feels like one any given day one visits, they are getting a taste of the current timeline that is labor history.
Highlights:
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Interactive display that is always changing
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FREE
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Off the beaten path