I love museums, so on a weekend trip to Hershey and Harrisburg, I made the stop with my girlfriend…read moreand 11-year-old son. We found parking right outside of the museum - $8 for two hours. The State Capitol building is right next door, so it would be easy to combine the two and make a whole day of it. We went to the NJ State Museum in Trenton last spring, and this museum was a lot better. It helps that they charge admission in PA, whereas they do not in NJ, and the money is used to create a clean, informative and well-curated museum. Like NJ, this is a hodgepodge museum of all things related to Pennsylvania, including companies and products created in the state, its Native American and prehistoric histories, notable PA residents, and of most interest to my son, animal dioramas to rival those in the Mammal Halls of the Museum of Natural History in NYC. This museum is big with a ton of interesting things to read and see. For a Saturday in November, it was not that crowded at all. Overall, it's definitely worth seeing at least once and definitely worth the very cheap cost of admission.

The museum is a cool place and has cool stuff it's fun to look at the stuff yelp is making me have…read more85 characters 5 stars

A Celebration of Color, A delightful evening fundraiser at Susquehanna Art Museum featuring the…read moredebut solo exhibition, "If Herr Street Could Talk" of a Harrisburg High School 2004 graduate, Alteronce Gumby, a contemporary artist. It's great to support local talent and connect with friends at art fundraising events.

The museum is a bit small but the works are nice. Very friendly person, who took the $10 payment…read morefor entry, was very helpful/informative too. There was also a person on the 2nd floor that helped provide some info about some of the artwork we saw up there. The museum was still very quiet when I visited on a late Saturday morning (around 11am).

As a pacifist, I don't love visiting war sites, BUT I do enjoy history and wanted to check this…read moretop-rated museum out while visiting the area. Here's my experience. 1) Admission: Park in the free lot, enjoy the outdoor sculptures, and then walk inside. Admission is free. Staff will guide you to a table where you'll chose a free I.D. card that tells you the story of a soldier in one of several American wars. The World War II story is their most popular. 2) Exhibits: The main exhibit is tasteful and focuses on the history of the U.S. military, which I appreciated. It's a lot of reading, but they also have lots of artifacts, stations to interact with, and a fun parachute game. Space: There are clean restrooms, a gift shop, and other exhibits with photos, etc.

Hidden Gem I've been driving past the Army Heritage Center…read morefor years and had no idea it was so much more than the helicopters and tanks on the walking trail.  I spent the day at the AHC and learned they are one of the premier locations of Army Archives in the United States. In addition to the curated museum items on display they have climate controlled archival information and research from the birth of the US Army.  Additionally, they have a whole building dedicated to the restoration of items, similar to the Smithsonian. It is quite an impressive operation. A few of the items they have stored range from items from the battle of Little BigHorn to Gen Omar Bradley's uniform. It is amazing such a massive collection of historical items are right in our "community". The staff at the AHC are very knowledgeable and do a great job curating exhibits and discussing topics with visitors.  Very impressed and highly recommend visiting the AHC for a day.

If you're sans kids and looking for something different on the 3rd Friday of the month, Whitaker…read moreCenter's Night Shift is it. For $10 (cash preferred) you get admission, a drink voucher, and two hours to play with science exhibits... with a beer or wine in hand. Think Night at the Museum meets a cash bar. 100% yes. Adventure Buddy's highlight was the RaceIT exhibit, where he built and raced cars -- only to lose to my championship Houpe-De-Ville (sorry, not sorry). My favorite? The Hurricane Chamber that blasted winds up to 91mph. Cool? More like cold. I almost lost my contact lenses. Totally worth it. Even though the exhibits are geared toward kids, there's something magical about rediscovering them as an adult. Nostalgia hits, curiosity kicks in, and the 21+ crowd makes the vibe peaceful, playful, and fun. Between touching a tornado, watching turtles migrate across Earth, and laughing at ourselves while sipping drinks, it was an inexpensive, unique date night during 3rd in the Burg. Highly recommend pawning off the crotchgoblins with grandma and checking it out.

Great place to bring kids for an indoor activity. Our kids 5 and 3 really enjoyed it. The dinosaur…read moreexhibit was really nicely done with moving dinosaurs. Lots of interactive things for the kids and adults to do. On the upper floor there was a cute play area for kids under 6 that included a shopping area, doctor zone, construction and building area. Everyone was really nice and space was clean. It was not busy which made it nice. We parked in the structure nearby and they did not validate and you have to pay using a QR code. We will definitely be back with the kids next time we need a nice indoor activity.

This was an amazing free event posted in December 2025. I spent over an hour from the trains…read moredisplay, to the cooking classes, and the fort couture such a beautiful festive time at Fort Hunter.

My friend had her wedding here, it was so pretty. Lots of…read moreparking & the park was very well cared for.

This museum is more so a rich man's afterthought. It is from someone who shot and killed animals in…read moreAfrica or in the US. There are rhinos, lions, a full size elephant, giraffe, lots of cats, bears, moose, and more. So basically someone went to kill animals in another part of the world and decided they couldn't keep their dead animals anymore. The new premise that turns it into a teaching experience is good. It is two floors. My kids did love seeing the animals. I did think it was fun but it was a little weird at the same time. It was a little hard to find on Messiahs campus. It isn't labeled very well on the outside. Maybe check it out once and move on.

The Oakes Museum of Natural History is a unique museum experience for the family, classroom, or…read moregroup featuring more than 40,000 specimens. The 10,000-square foot museum is home to a collection of Smithsonian quality African and North American mammals, birds, eggs, fish, seashells, minerals, insects, and fossils.

We just enjoyed "Talking Tombstones" a cemetery walk with a theatre element, presented by the…read moreMechanicsburg Museum! Period costume actors portrayed cemetery residents. Each character shared stories of their lives in Mechanicsburg, with plenty of anecdotes about the town and eachother. It was entertaining and educational. It gave me a human perspective of the history of this area. There is a lecture presentation of "Talking Tombstones" on Sunday October 27, 2024 at 2:00pm at the museum. Call : 717-697-6088 for tickets.

Nice little museum dedicated to the history of the Cumberland Valley Railroad in Mechanicsburg, PA…read more Small displays of equipment, posters, schedules and information. Working model train display was a blast for the kids. Other displays include local advertising cards, early Jubilee Day flyer, stationary and paintings. Quilts from the mid 1800's. Maintenance equipment, such as a crowbar, stop sign, tie turner & spike hammer. It consists of a Passenger station, freight station and telegraph office. There is an A to Z exhibit.

This building is an absolute stunner. They do offer free tours. The history of it is fascinating…read more It's pretty easy to navigate with plenty of directional signs and an employee at the main desk who is happy to help. The rotunda alone is fabulous. There's a cafeteria with plenty of options and a stand alone coffee bar as well. If you don't take the time to go inside you are definitely missing out. The grounds are also beautiful with a stunning fountain that may be dyed for certain months - aka pink for breast cancer awareness. There's plenty of parking options nearby. An absolute must see if you're in the area.

Lovely time at the guided-tour of the Capitol Building…read more Free 30-minute guided tours are available throughout the day between 8:30am and 4pm on weekdays, but are less frequent on weekends an holidays. Be sure to check their website to reserve a spot. After entering through the Rotunda area on North 3rd Street you will have to go through a TSA-style metal detector. You can then wait in that area for your tour to begin. There are bathrooms and a coat rack in this area if needed. Our tour guide was great. She took us through the building, offering some interesting facts of the different sections: main rotunda, House of Reps, Senate an Supreme Court. Photography is allowed but video is NOT. Great experience. Highly recommended to all visiting the area.

Place is big and clean on the out side was closed day I stoped.next time I am in town I will try…read moreagain but looked interesting on the out side building

The museum is staffed by friendly volunteers, many of whom are former firefighters, who are…read moreknowledgeable and eager to teach. The museum itself includes original artifacts, replicas, and live demonstrations. It is compact and can be easily toured in 1-2 hours.