Take some time to learn more about the unique culture and history of the Lancaster area by visiting some of the top museums. When you explore the many exhibits, displays, and artifacts on display at the area's museums, you will uncover all of the many aspects of the area that make it so unique and special.
The Lancaster Museum of Art is located in the heart of downtown Lancaster at 135 N Lime Street. The museum sits in the beautiful Greek-revival style mansion of Clement B. Grubb, built in 1845. The building itself is a work of art, with marble and cast iron fireplaces, ionic columns, oval staircases, and more. This is the perfect setting for enjoying the fifteen to seventeen unique art exhibitions by local, national, and international artists on display here regularly. Permanent exhibits include contemporary works including paintings, drawings, photography, ceramics, sculpture, and more.
The Landis Valley Museum is a popular living history museum located just outside of the downtown Lancaster area at 2451 Kissel Hill Road. The museum first opened in 1925 and continues its tradition of preserving the rural German traditions of the area through its unique museum experience. Here, you can view over 75,000 artifacts covering the history of the area. Walk across the museum's 100 acres and tour the nineteenth century hotel, log homes, barns and stables, a schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop, a firehouse, a bank, and a smokehouse. As you stroll across the grounds, staff dressed in period costumes are on-hand to provide you with demonstrations on black-smithing, tool-making, canning, clock-making, and other aspects of daily life in the area from colonial times through the mid-twentieth century.
The North Museum of Natural History and Sciences gives adults and kids alike the chance to learn more about the world around them. This dynamic museum takes in interactive approach to the sciences, allowing you to learn how tornadoes, tidal waves, and event robotic technology works with hands-on exhibits. The museum's regular exhibits cover the environment, outer space, rocks and minerals, dinosaurs, and Native Americans. You will want to take some to enjoy a presentation at the museum's planetarium, the largest of its kind in the region. Beginning on February 20, you can catch the temporary exhibit of Charlie and Kiwi's Evolutionary Adventure, which takes you back to the time of the dinosaurs and walks you through the the animal kingdom's development through today. This museum is located at 208 Buchanan Drive in Lancaster.
The Demuth Museum and Garden is devoted to showcasing the works of the great American artist Charles Demuth and to developing awareness and appreciation of his life story. This great modernist artist created thousands of works of art and studied art around the globe despite suffering from lameness and severe diabetes. The museum is located in Demuth's childhood home, which has been restored to its historical elegance and is filled with Demuth's art. You can gaze out the windows of the home and onto the beautifully landscaped grounds that inspired many of Demuth's pieces.
Lancaster is rich with culture and history. Take some time to learn more about the many aspects of Lancaster that make it such a special location.
