American Craft Museum

Advantages: Beautiful structure, respectful approach, serves to honor our Native peoples
Disadvantages: Long past due

...collection of fine Native arts and crafts. Prices are high, generally ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. The Roanoke Museum Store on the second level offers books, posters, music, less expensive craft items, and other merchandise that tends to be less demanding on the pocketbook. Mitsitam Café Hungry visitors will be pleasantly surprised by the museum's cafeteria, which is surely unique in DC's museum district. Like the foods served at the NMAI's inaugural party, menu items served at the Mitsitam ("let's eat" in a local tribal language) are largely indigenous to the Americas and inspired by Native American tradition. Hence, one can visit Mitsitam and indulge in a pulled buffalo barbeque sandwich, glazed salmon seasoned with juniper, tamales, cornbread made with blue cornmeal, or pumpkin soup. Inspiration may come from... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: WARNING- LONG REVIEW. Loads to see and do for adults and kids.
Disadvantages: WARNING LONG REVIEW. Poor disabled facilites and cafe.

...such instruments and their craft then it is a fascinating display but I prefer not to let my little ones near the items for fear they might damage them in some way. Instead it's onto the Wildlife gallery which features more taxidermy, not perhaps the best of museums if you're a little faint hearted, many examples of wild animals including a tiger, hyena, young okapi & giraffe, chimpanzee, baboon……this gallery also features Alfred the gorilla who once held fame as a resident of Bristol Zoo, alongside examples of endangered and extinct creatures including a Quagga (a form of zebra) There are also many examples of British wildlife including birds, butterflies and even badgers. I find this gallery both disturbing due to the fact that these were once living creatures but also fascinating, reading the information on the animals and their habitats, seeing up... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Good facilities, lots to see, free admission
Disadvantages: There's only one lift

...in the museum covering 3 floors. These are archaeology, arts, ceramics, community history and natural history. Throughout, there are interactive things to do, especially for the younger visitors. There are computers scattered about with touchscreens, various craft things to do such as rubbing over fossils, and there are many items that you can actually touch. Archaeology ----------------- Did you know that there has been 12 000 years of human habitation in Staffordshire ? I didn't until I visited the museum, and I expect that most people from the actual area don't either. The museum staff have excavated, examined and indexed all the items that they have found in the area. You will find artifacts from prehistoric times as well as Roman, medieval and post- medieval relics. To be truthful, this wasn't my favourite part of the museum, but if you... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful