Information
Landmark: State Museum of PennsylvaniaCity: Harrisburg
Country: USA Pennsylvania
Continent: North America
State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, USA Pennsylvania, North America
Overview
In Harrisburg, at 300 North Street, the State Museum of Pennsylvania stands as the Commonwealth’s official museum, offering a sweeping look at its culture, history, and natural heritage-from ancient fossils to Civil War relics.The museum, founded in 1905 and settled into its brick-and-stone home in 1964, is run by the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.The museum invites visitors to explore Pennsylvania’s rich history and varied landscapes through hands-on exhibits and lively programs.The museum sits in a sleek, modern building downtown, just a short walk from Pennsylvania’s State Capitol, where the gold dome catches the afternoon sun.There’s plenty of room for permanent and rotating exhibits, a planetarium that can sweep you through the stars, and hands-on learning zones-each one built to welcome visitors of every age and curiosity.We’re open Wednesday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and on Sundays from noon until 4:30-just in time to catch the afternoon light spilling through the windows.We’re closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, when the shop stays dark and quiet behind its locked door.Tickets are priced to keep the museum open to everyone-$7 for adults, $6 for seniors, $5 for kids ages 1–11, and free for infants under a year.Active-duty service members, their families, members of the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation, and State Museum Affiliates also get in free.Group tours and educational programs can be booked ahead, with special rates for larger parties.The museum’s permanent exhibits bring Pennsylvania’s story to life, from ancient fossils buried in its soil to the bustle of present-day city streets.One of the highlights is Memorial Hall, where a towering bronze statue of William Penn stands at the center, his gaze fixed ahead, framed by sweeping murals that trace Pennsylvania’s story all the way to 1964.It’s a quiet, stirring welcome to the museum, like stepping through a doorway lined with cool stone.Pennsylvania Icons showcases over 350 artifacts, from weathered steel mill tools to vintage Hershey’s tins, capturing the state’s influence on America’s culture and history.The collection spans industrial tools, vivid artworks, political keepsakes, and cultural treasures like a hand-carved wooden mask.A Place for All explores Pennsylvania’s fight for integration and civil rights after World War II, weaving together three vivid stories of social change and equality-one marked by the sound of marching feet on city streets.Village Square feels like stepping onto a 19th‑century Pennsylvania street, with full‑scale shops, weathered front porches, and homes that pull you right into the bustle of everyday life from long ago.Objects of Valor celebrates Pennsylvania’s role in the Civil War, showcasing notable pieces like Peter F.’s vivid battlefield painting.Rothermel’s famed painting *Battle of Gettysburg: Pickett’s Charge* hangs beside worn canteens, dented bullets, and other relics from the soldiers and the fight.Anthropology & Archaeology Gallery: Step inside to discover Pennsylvania’s Indigenous cultures, from ancient arrowheads pulled from riverbanks to the rich traditions that shaped Native American heritage.Transportation & Industry: This exhibit brings to life the tools, machines, and rumbling freight trains that drove Pennsylvania’s industrial boom, highlighting the state’s place at the heart of America’s economy.Hall of Geology: Step inside to learn how the region took shape over millions of years, and see glittering quartz, rough chunks of coal, and ancient fossils unearthed in Pennsylvania.Life Through Time showcases prehistoric plants and animals, from towering ferns to the Marshalls Creek Mastodon-a remarkable fossil unearthed after centuries underground.Mammal Hall features lifelike dioramas showing Pennsylvania’s wildlife right where they belong-from shadowy pine forests to glistening marshes.Ecology Hall showcases Pennsylvania’s ecosystems and conservation work, drawing visitors into the state’s rich biodiversity-think forest trails alive with birdsong and wildflowers.Alongside its permanent displays, the museum features changing exhibits that spotlight particular themes or communities-for example, *Bannered Heroes*, which honors African American veterans from Pennsylvania and celebrates their service.Home Improvements showcases household pieces that capture the feel of early 20th‑century life-a worn oak rocking chair, a chipped enamel teapot, and other everyday treasures.Game Changers shines a spotlight on Pennsylvania women who’ve shaped history, from bold reformers to innovators whose names still echo in courthouse halls.Portraits of Identity shines a light on the history and culture of Harrisburg’s Asian American Pacific Islander community, from cherished festival dances to stories passed down through generations.Horse2Auto looks at how Pennsylvania moved from horse-drawn carriages to rumbling automobiles.Now through January 5, 2025, step into “Seeing Fallingwater,” a special exhibit honoring Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic home in the Pennsylvania woods-a UNESCO World Heritage Site where water spills over stone beneath cantilevered terraces.In 1984, a finely crafted model was made for the Museum of Modern Art, showing Wright’s vision of “organic architecture” through the striking, layered design of Fallingwater.At the museum’s planetarium, you can catch daily shows that dive into astronomy and the solar system, from glittering star fields to swirling gas giants, making it a captivating stop for visitors of any age.It’s $3 more per person to get into the planetarium, just enough for a cup of coffee.Curiosity Connection is an interactive play space made just for kids five and under, with bright blocks and soft mats inviting them to explore.You’ll find hands-on exhibits-a weathered farm truck, a buzzing assembly line, and a whimsical forest-that invite kids to learn by playing.You’ll find metered street parking around the museum, and several garages just a short walk away in downtown Harrisburg, where the faint echo of traffic hums through the streets.Accessibility: The State Museum of Pennsylvania is fully accessible, offering ramps, elevators, and other accommodations for visitors with disabilities.Educational programs at the museum include lively school tours, hands-on workshops, and special events that bring Pennsylvania’s history and science to life-like examining an old miner’s helmet up close.At the State Museum of Pennsylvania, you can wander from fossilized trilobites to Civil War relics, then step into exhibits on the state’s inventive spirit and modern technology.Families, students, historians, and anyone curious about Pennsylvania’s place in America’s story will find it the perfect spot-whether they’re tracing battlefields or leafing through old letters in a quiet museum.
