Website: The Pennsylvania Military Museum
Season: Year-round
Cost: Adults 12 to 64: $6.00; Senior Discount: $5.50; Ages 3 to 11: $4.00; Children under 3: Free; Uniformed Military Personnel: Free Admission
Approximate Length of Visit: 1 - 1 1/2 hours
Recommended ages: It isn't child-oriented but this would be enjoyed by any child interested in the military.
My son has really been into the whole army thing lately. I heard about this museum and I thought it would be nice to take a drive in this direction for a change.
It took well over an hour for us to get there from north of Harrisburg. It looked promising when we arrived - the large tanks outside impressed my son.
However, I was a bit underwhelmed with the inside of the museum. Admittedly, I am underwhelmed with most museums outside of the Smithsonian and the big New York museums. Even the Philadelphia Museum of Art never excited me. This was smaller than I imagined and I'm still wondering if we didn't miss something - another floor or room? There were only about two large rooms and some narrow rooms/hallways. It seemed rather random and impersonal to me. The displays were mostly equipment related and not soldier related.
Outside of the museums, the grounds are beautiful and there are some lovely memorials.
They have a small gift shop and my son picked out a toy Army helicopter. Overall, he seemed to have enjoyed this activity. He is still talking about it and has asked to go back. Personally I wish we had planned something else in the area too since I didn't feel as if we got our drive's worth out of the museum. That is not the museum's fault. Live and learn - this is the first time we've travelled as a family in that direction and I wasn't adequately prepared.
On the way up, I thought about how lovely the drive was, with mostly mountains for scenery, with only the occasional peek of civilization around the exits on 322. On the way home, I was longing for more civilization. I yearned for the Cracker Barrels of Route 81 or the numerous restaurants and shops of Route 30. Next time I travel in that direction, or any new direction, I will make sure to do a bit more planning. I picked up some visitor information for that area at the museum and now I'm kicking myself for not adding something to this trip but, next time.
Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.
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