Checking out a museum in PA with the inlaws

[Big IV]

http://www.jaha.org/
http://www.jaha.org/FloodMuseum/history.html
http://www.nps.gov/jofl/

A few weeks ago at Thunder in the Valley Dino was playing historian and telling me and Nicola about the Johnstown flood. It sounded somewhat vaugely familiar but I couldn't really place it. Interesting. He mentioned that the museum was fairly good and that we should get together and ride over and check it out.
Sounded good.

This past weekend my in laws were in town. They were non-commital about what they wanted to do (usually are) and we wanted to take them and show them something up here that they might find interesting (which is hard to guess).

We wound up hopping the car and going to Johnstown.

Turns out that the museum doesn't open until 10:00, so we hung out on the steps and waited for half an hour. It opened. We shuffled in. And...wow.

It was really well presented. They are using a former Carniege Library for the museum which gives it a beautiful building with large open spaces. The center piece of the room is a 14 mile stretch of countryside in minature, the tour guide explained the history briefly but well and then showed the mini model going through with lights and sounds.
We went up stairs to watch an award winning documentary.
Then we were able to explore the museum at our leisure.

The museum was designed in part by the same folks that did the Holocaust museum in DC.

Buying admission to the museum (which was about 7 bucks a head, so cheap) also gave us admission to the new Heritage Discovery center and another historic local site.

The Heritage Discovery museum opened in 2008. One floor was a view of immigrant life in Johnstown (no mention of the flood) but details about mines and factories. One floor was local craft. One floor was a kids museum (which was fun). One floor was special events and upcoming exhibits. They also had a photo gallery of the steel factories days before they were closed.

We all enjoyed it and had a great time. Well laid out museums at a good price.

It is rare that we all enjoy something. My wife and I enjoy a good museum regularly. My father-in-law like history (and was playing with a new digital camera that he was fascinated by). My mother-in-law...actually had fun! wow.

So if you're in the area, or passing through the middle of PA, or just looking for a reason for a day trip I'd highly recommend it.


5 Cool dudes on these attractions. Links above!

[RP#62]

There also is an interpretive center just north of town off US219 at the site of the earthen dam that broke and caused it all.  If you're really upbeat and want to get depressed they have a great movie to watch. 
-RP

[Big IV]

I wanted to go to the earthen dam and check that out. But it sounded like a little more walking than my inlaws wanted to do. My father-in-law has some balance issues and shuffles along slowly but steadily. I'm suprised we got my mother-in-law out of the car as long as we did. Even when they were younger they thought vacation meant trapping your kids in a car and riding them past interesting things until they became car sick but never stopping to look.


I'll have to hop on the bike and head back out to the earthen dam when I get a free moment now that the in-laws are gone. If I could ever get a moment away from this homework!

[Varmintmist]

Remember to buy your booze in PA to help with the relief effort. There is a 10% temporary tax on all alchohol sold in PA to pay for the rebuilding.

Yeah yeah I know the flood happened in 1936, but there is your vision of temporary and the Governors.

[3fan4life]

Remember to buy your booze in PA to help with the relief effort. There is a 10% temporary tax on all alchohol sold in PA to pay for the rebuilding.

Yeah yeah I know the flood happened in 1936, but there is your vision of temporary and the Governors.

There is no such thing as a TEMPORARY TAX.