They have a lot of taxidermied animals. Polar bears, snakes, ect They have a small gift shop. The…read moreemployees and volunteers that give tours are very nice!

I don't know who enjoys this museum more- the kids or me! The first time we went there was a great…read moreexhibit on nocturnal animals ;however, the second time that was closed. I love the taxidermied animals and a great learning experience for kids for different terrains and the animals and plants that grown within them. There are tables to investigate more and many books and information! I have yet to be in the planetarium as they are limited in show times. My kids really enjoy the kids room too- kitchen area, puppets, blocks galore. A safe and fun space for kids of all ages (probably best for those under 6). Most employees very nice - one lady was getting on kids in kids area to clean up behind themselves in a strict manner. Cute gift shop for local gifts. I would love to see an upgrade to the outside of the building to be more welcoming and maybe something's done outside -- garden, bird houses, etc. For it to represent all of York County a few upgrades would be great!!

Beautiful gallery and amazing collections. We came in on Wednesday evening and discovered that…read moreentry was free. The front desk person was friendly and helpful. She explained the lay out of the gallery and we were on our way. We explored each floor and were met with incredible, thought provoking, pieces. I'm so glad that we found this space and we're able to spend time here.

We just happened to be in Charoltte for Fomo! So all the museums were free. Bechtler was by far my…read morefavoite. Such extensive collections that really dispayed the African American culture. I was very impressed and moved by the paintings on display.

A photography gallery in Uptown, right next to the 7th Street LYNX Station. When I arrived, the…read moreplace was quite desolate. The security guard had me wait in the lobby while he went in to the gallery to turn the lights on. I got the impression that there wasn't a whole lot going on here. It's a good thing that it's free, because 30 minutes of looking at pictures wouldn't have been worth much. And even at 30 minutes, I was still moving pretty slow. When I visited, the exhibit was "Streetwise", a collection of pictures of America's troubled 60's. Capturing images of not just our troubled times, including Boston's "Combat Zone" and close-ups of the Black Panthers, there were also shots of just regular people and places. All in black and white, which gave it a feel of being very like a documentary. Pictures of the pictures are not permitted, but I took that as meaning not taking a picture of the individual pictures. Instead, my wide shot of the gallery doesn't give away the detail but helps you see what you're going to see there. I might come back for the next exhibit, but I think this is a "See it once" kind of thing.

I had never been to The Light Factory and saw there was a very interesting reception called A…read moreShared Elegy. I was so happy I made it out to see what it was all about since I live so close by. Great intimate space, the artist were so insightful and the crowd genuinely appreciated the artist panel and the photography. It was very well curated. Great space, seasoned artists. Well done.

Came to the Museum for Father's Day since entrance for Dads was free today. Was excellent to see…read morethe Caravaggio special exhibit, so my fee was a bit higher $25. But my college age son got a student rate and my husband was free. Nice perk, they also do this on Mother's Day, in case you didn't know for next year. I didn't take too many photos of the artwork. The special exhibit is quite large and there is a lot to see. There are two floors full of different types of art and sculptures. Really has so much to see here. I love where the Mint is located, too. Across the street is a green space with a few restaurants and a beautiful church that we visited while waiting for the museum to open at 1pm. Sunday. The entrance fee is good for two consecutive days so if you are staying close by, go back and walk through again. Lots to see. There is also a restaurant attached to the building that was very busy. They had live music as well.

It's been 3 years since my last visit so Donna & I went on a Saturday morning to check out the…read moreBaroque art exhibit. It was good with lots of interesting works by various artists. Nice that if you're a Bank of America credit card holder you get $10 off during the first weekend of each month.

I've been to Waxhaw 4 times now. This past visit was the first time I had been able to visit the…read moreMuseum of the Waxhaws. They seem to be open only two days a week and for a while I think it was just simply closed. But it was open this past weekend so my family and I went. Little did we know that they were having a living history event. We pulled in and saw people in costumes from different eras. It turned out to be really cool. We got to see the museum plus weapons demonstrations, cooking demonstrations in an historic cabin and more. It was a lot of fun. Plus there was the chance to learn a bit about the history of the region. From pre-colonial native history to revolutionary war era and beyond. It was fascinating.

I went here for my great great brothers sisters grandmas dads great great moms birthday and let me…read moretell you.... This place STANK!! There was poop on the walls in the bathroom, there was dirt all over the floor, the mean lady at the counter said my great great brothers sisters grandmas dads great great mom couldn't bring her wheel chair in. I will NEVER go here again, full of racism.

This is a small elegant museum, free to enter. It captures the history and evolution of Charlotte…read moreand North Carolina pretty well. It's a single floor, takes about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on how much time you spend on each topic. Lots of images, maps, explanation of milestone moments for the city and the state that shaped it over centuries. The two key events I remember from visit are Charlotte's role in ending segregation and the city became the a leader in banking world. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Charlotte for the first time.

Magnificent free museum. The front desk check-in lady was incredibly flattering, she thought I was…read moreactually playing in the Charlotte FC game when she asked why I was in town, and me being in town "for the game" was delightfully read by her as me playing in the game, which was an "I wish" moment. Number of people who think I look like a MLS player that are not my mommy: we're up to one now, but men remember every compliment they receive (most don't get that many) so obviously I will remember this forever. The museum has a large footprint in the building for being an overall relatively small museum. There is a lot of empty floor space which is for vibes I guess, or the Southern deep fried ambiance that you need adequate room to maneuver yourself around the wide open walkways when Bojangles is sufficiently well-loved around these parts. The museum is very similar to the STL Gateway Arch Museum, in terms of set up, focus on limited time periods, lewks, and content depth. This free museum is an introduction to a very interesting, historically rich city that gives you a taste of the history (but isn't a dissertation on every little thing) and gets you excited about the future of the city based on some key moments in modernity. While the state government was very particular about which bathroom you used up until it was repealed in 2020, CLT had originally passed local protections that the state got threatened by and made an international spectacle of for years of high profile constitutional litigation and appeals. If you read somewhat fast you can get through the entire museum in under 30 minutes; it is closer in size to the Bechtler rather than the Mint. It is well situated on S. Tryon (the city so far has resisted the obvious name change to Trigon, for all my Teen Titans bros, bro-ettes, and non-binary brxs) to hop, skip, or frogger across the street to the Bechtler and Mint for further museum experiences nearby. They have weird hours and occasional closure days (put actually tell you about it in advance) so be sure to check their webpage to plan ahead for when you can drop in. The gift shoppe is very small but every purchase helps support the free museum so I picked up a shirt for my next volunteer shift at the food bank this week. When you visit here too I am sure you will want to contribute something (voluntarily) to help support the free museum. That is when you know you have a free museum that actually works as intended. A great place to start to realise why Charlotte is one of my favourite American cities, and it could be one of yours too.

It was like I was transported back to the 90s. The walls are literally works of art. My friends and…read moreI had a blast going through the different rooms, taking photos together and whatnot. I have a cute photo of me pretending to be sub-zero in front of the Finish Him/Mortal Kombat area. It is a quick visit. You only really need an hour in there. Also, there is parking in the front and a little lot in the back. I highly recommend stopping by.

This weekend was all that ‼ This brought back so many…read morememories and the owner Jessica captured everything from the 90's in this space for sure . We enjoyed our time here & my peeps definitely understood the assignment lol . We were in character and gear . This was so fun and very nostalgic taking me back to the 90s which to me was the best time to be alive . This was the hi light of my weekend ,take friends with you that love taking pictures & love being in the moment .

As someone who almost got their degree in Linguistics, this is like an archaeological museum of the…read morewritten word and was such an incredibly pleasant surprise! Honestly, the caliber of content was fantastic and on par with the type of museum you would expect to find in a big metropolis. They do an excellent job of densely populating the small space with great displays and exhibits, each dedicated to a specific theme that is either historically/geographically based. Even though there is a lot of information to absorb, they do a wonderful job of making each section flow into one another and making sure each one is respectively distinct and specifically informational. I love the little quiz boxes they have spaced around to test your knowledge of how well you've been paying attention! There are also great pamphletsto give greater contextual information for certain displays. The 10min intro film to the Museum of the Alphabet is a must! You learn about the museum's origins and purpose and it gives you an idea of what to expect on your tour. It is a Christian-based foundation/mission, but as someone who is agnostic, I did not feel it was overtly religious at all, which I appreciated. They incorporate various relevant religions into the history and importance of certain languages, as well, and do an excellent job of perspective. I spent over an hour exploring this place and was just wowed with the massive history of the written word and the work a lot of these people do to preserve many oral-only languages of indigenous peoples who do not have a written language from becoming extinct from anthropological history! It's incredible how alphabets are still being created today. The Alphabet Tree at the entrance is so intricate and informative and traces back each language group to their origins, like ancestral genetics of languages; I was really fascinated by this one! Definitely worth checking out if you are in or near Waxhaw. It's also a great little quicktrip at 40mins or less drive from Charlotte and close enough to downtown Waxhaw to shop, eat, drink before or after. If you are a nerd (like me) and/or have an interest in linguistics, you will instantly be in heaven here. If you are just mildly curious, you will leave with a newfound and deep-seated appreciation for the written word! The staff here are great and super helpful, especially if you have any questions or need better/more in depth explanations for all or any of the exhibits. There is no admission charge, but a donation is highly encouraged with a jar by the registration logbook. Even if you donate just $5, you will easily get more than your money's worth.

I rarely give a five star rating, but in this case the Alphabet Museum is most likely the best of…read moreclass. It is simply amazingly detailed, and tied into the work that JAARS does, really stands out as something special. We have been here on at least three previous occasions, leaving with the feeling that is was just too much and we did not really understand what it was about. This visit we asked for a guide or guided tour so that our 11 year old granddaughter would appreciate it. This was the way to go, and we are so happy that we arranged for the guide. Arriving, early, we were met, saw a film on JAARS and were taken on a tour. For a small building they sure pack in a lot of displays, items and information. Am sorry that I do not remember our guide but she had done work in New Guinea and her two husbands, one deceased, were part of JAARS. So with our missionary, linguist-talented guide we spend at least two hours taking in the displays. Why a guide is important is that she gives meaning to what you are looking at as well as how it relates to JAARS. My wife and I were simply blown away, we know understood how it all pulled together and will be returning to further explore the displays. In essence, JAARS is an organization of pilots, linguists, cultural anthropologists and other supporting people who find and travel to isolated tribes around the world that do not have a written language. Tribes, traditionally, use oral history to record events and the tribe's story. JAARS linguists live with these peoples, listening to them talk and figuring out what words they use, along with how they are pronounced. Then they craft an alphabet for that language and create a dictionary. Ultimately, as this is a Christian-based organization, they translate the Bible into their language, teaching the people how to read their now written language while learning about the Bible. Fascinating! The displays are, in effect, history reports of various language groups and JAARS encounter with them. Artifacts, the language, photos bring their mission alive. Arrange a tour. Once you have an understanding of the displays, you will be back, better equipped to learn more. A must for children in school and for your adult friends and visitors.

Cool place to go spend some time. They have a nice planetarium show which my son loved. We love to…read morelook at the Megalodon mouth and the Mastodon. They always have different shows or exhibits that come through. I was overjoyed at the Disney Costumes exhibit that came at the end of last year! We have gone to the Children's museum across the street to let the kids get some energy out, then gone to the State museum so they can be a little calmer and more focused. Great to do on rainy or super hot days so being inside is still fun.

We took advantage of the CoolPASS offered by Experience Columbia, SC getting us access to the South…read moreCarolina State Museum, EdVenture Children's Museum, and the Riverbanks Zoo & Gardens and thoroughly enjoyed the weekend! Great dollar value if you're interested in all locations mentioned. The museum was easy to find and offered plenty of parking in a lot shared with the EdVenture Children's Museum. They had many exhibits that our 7 & 12 year old enjoyed but they thoroughly enjoyed the second floor galleries with the dinosaur exhibit and the habitat exhibits. Staff was very friendly and helpful when fielding our questions. They also enjoyed seeing the the history of SC through the years represented through artifacts and the changes from the colony, war, and industrialization of the city with mills and the railroad. They also have a planetarium and a 4D shows offered throughout the day. Highly recommend adding this to your itinerary if you are in the Columbia area! The selection of exhibits were fun to see and educational.