State Museum of Pennsylvania - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania - Museum

The State Museum of Pennsylvania is situated next to the State Capitol building in North Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The opening hours are 9am to 5pm Tuesday to Saturday, 12pm to 5pm on Sundays and it remains closed on Mondays. There is on street parking available in the streets surrounding the museum as well as garages located a few blocks away.

Over 300,000 people visit the museum annually to learn more of the history and culture of Pennsylvania and how it fits in to the nation's history. It was founded in 1905 moving to its current location at Third and North Streets in 1965, and is one of 26 sites on the Pennsylvania Trail of History. Administered by the \t "_blank" Pennsylvania Historical andMuseum Commission , the museum has collections and program areas such asArchaeology, Community and Domestic Life, Fine Arts, Industry &Technology, Military & Political History, Paleontology and Geology,Popular Culture and Zoology/Botany.

There are four floors filled with exhibits and activities depicting the history of Pennsylvania and going back to earth's creation as well as a Planetarium. The archaeological gallery shows hundreds of examples of Native American artefacts and shows how man has progressed in Pennsylvania. Visitors can follow the evolution of Native American culture from the retreat of the North American Ice Sheet to the first contact with Europeans.

Several artifacts and paintings are on show in the Civil War gallery, with the highlight perhaps being Pickett's Charge painted by Peter Frederick. The most popular exhibition is the Hall of Mammals, which is a set of 13 life-size dioramas of mammals native to Pennsylvania, and explains how these animals hunt, raise their young and build their homes. There is also the Paleontology and Geology section, which shows visitors more about Pennsylvania millions of years ago and the prehistoric animals that lived here.

Industry and technology is also covered by another exhibition explaining much about the development of communications, power and transport, and has a real 1920 Harley Davidson motorcycle. There are over 3 million objects at the museum with more items relating to Pennsylvania being collected all the time. Throughout the year the museum puts on different exhibitions based on specific subjects, and also educational programs for school students.

The museum can be hired for parties, meetings, drama productions, wedding ceremonies and receptions. The Memorial Hall can accommodate up to 200 guests, whilst the Village Square area can be used for smaller gatherings. There is also an auditorium equipped with a large screen for power point presentations and a sound system.

A snack bar with vending machines is located on the ground floor, and visitors should note that food and drinks are not permitted in any of the galleries. Rest rooms are located on each floor and there is a no smoking policy enforced in all areas of the building. On the ground floor is a shop serving as a sales outlet for merchandise produced by craft artisans based in Pennsylvania and local students as well as unique educational items, souvenirs, games and toys.