Various museums both mothers and kids can enjoy

STORY
AND PHOTOGRAPHY

NISARAT SITASUWAN

ART AT THE MUSÈE D’ORSAY

If impressionist art is something you like, there’s no better place for it than the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, France.

Initially a central train station, Musée d’Orsay is a spacious museum with an impressive 18^th-20^th century art collection. You can enjoy sculptures, paintings, and various items. Highlights include Van Gogh paintings, a Degas sculpture, and gorgeous paintings by Monet and Renoir. Teenagers would certainly love them, while younger ones would enjoy sculptures in various sizes in the main hall. Some sculptures are housed in glass boxes, and you would be tempted to take a close look at them.  

In addition to art, the Musée d’Orsay also features a cafeteria and terrace with a view of the Seine and Paris. There’s also a really cool art bookstore which includes children’s art books. You can practically spend a whole day here.  

Visit tips: Musée d’Orsay is open from 9:30AM to 6PM daily, except Mondays, and late night on Thursdays until 9:45PM. It is closed on 1 May and 25 December. Admission is 14 euros per adult and free for visitors under 18 years old. Visit www.musee-orsay.fr.

Similar museums in other places: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA, and Tate Britain, London, UK.  

Other museums in the same city: The Louvre, one of the biggest art museums in the world, and Musée du Quai Branly, a museum about arts and civilisations of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas.

LISTENING TO THE MUSIC
AT THE HAUS DER MUSIK

Teenagers love music. Well, actually, we all do — the difference is just in the genre and style. 

Vienna, Austria is the capital of classical music, where the world’s greatest musicians like Mozart, Strauss, Beethoven and Haydn once lived and performed. Today, you can still see these musicians’ influence everywhere in Vienna. However, there’s more to Vienna than classical and waltz music.  

Haus der Musik is an interactive sound museum which provides a new approach to music. It is the birthplace of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the most prominent orchestra of the capital city of music.
Here, you can also learn about the world’s greatest composers and hear your name as an original composition by Mozart. It’s a musical adventure that everyone will love.

Kids who can play the piano and guitar will certainly have a great time here.  

Visit tips: Haus der Musik is open daily (closed on Mondays) at 10AM-6PM, and until 9:45PM on Thursdays. It is closed on 1 May and 25 December. Tickets are 13 euros per adult, 6 euros per child (under 12) and free for those under 3. Visit www.hdm.at.

Similar museums in other places: The Musical Instruments Museum in Brussels, Belgium, and the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, USA.

Other museums in the same city: The MuseumsQuartier, one of the largest districts for contemporary art, and the Hofburg Imperial Palace, a great place for history lovers.

Haus der Musik is an interactive sound museum which provides a new approach to music

EXPLORING DINOSAURS AT THE FIELD MUSEUM

Kids are crazy about dinosaurs, and this can range from Barney the Purple Dinosaur to the ferocious T-Rex. It’s not a surprise for kids to memorise so many types of dinosaur at a young age. 

So while mothers might not be to keen on playing football with their sons, spending time with dinosaurs is another way to bond with the boys.

The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, USA, and is more than 100 years old. There are more than 40 million artifacts and specimens here, and the museum is home to Sue, the largest, most complete and best-preserved–around 90 percent–Tyrannosaurus Rex ever unearthed. Children will go wild when they meet Sue. Through hands-on interactive stations and multimedia presentations, kids and adults can learn about the world’s natural history in an immersive experience.

Adults will feel like they are kids once again as they dig up dinosaur fossils with their children. The experience will wake up your childhood dream of discovering a new dinosaur species!  

Visit tips: The Field Museum is open daily at 9AM-5PM. It is closed on Christmas Day. Admission is 26 US dollars per adult and 19 US dollars per child. For more information, visit www.fieldmuseum.org. 

Similar museums in other places: The Natural History Museum in London, UK, and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, USA.

Other museums in the same city: The Art Institute of Chicago, one of the best art museums in the USA, and the Museum of Science and Industry, the largest science centre in the Western Hemisphere.

A DAUGHTER’S FAVOURITE AT THE YOKOHAMA DOLL MUSEUM

Mothers and daughters can bond over dolls, and it’s a dream to be surrounded by thousands of dolls. Even boys will enjoy this experience.

The Yokohama Doll Museum in Yokohama, Japan features thousands of dolls belonging to Hideko Oono, donated to the city of Yokohama. There are Japanese dolls and other dolls from all around the world, including old school ones that will make mothers think about their childhood days. Here’s a place where mothers can talk about their memories while enjoying various dolls, creating a beautiful moment to remember.

Visit tips: The Yokohama Doll Museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday at 9.30AM to 5PM. Admission is 400 yen per adult and 200 yen per student. For more information, visit www.doll-museum.jp. 

Similar museums in other places: The Toy Worlds Museum in Basel, Switzerland, and the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Japan.

Other museums in the same area: The Cup Noodles Museum in Yokohama, Miraikan or the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Odaiba.