The Design Museum was mentioned in a New York Times article about Gent that came out shortly before…read moremy trip to Belgium. I bookmarked it because we were planning to spend a full day in town. While I do enjoy a variety of museums, this particular one didn't really hold my interest. That's not to say it won't hold yours! If you're someone who loves a behind the scenes look at how things are made, or you want to know about different textiles and other materials, furniture design, etc. you will love this place. I saw some interesting things in an exhibition about fibres and plastics, but the museum as a whole didn't leave me wanting more. To each their own!

Right off the bat, I will admit I am not much of a "design" type. Certainly I have a style, and I…read moreknow what I admire, but maybe its not necessarily what is hip or up to the standards of the design community. That said, I also don't necessarily see why some things are so special when they don't appeal to me. But art is subjective, so I just have to remember it's always a matter of taste. As for the Design Museum in Gent, well, it's pretty fantastic. I visited when two specific exhibitions were on display: Pieter De Bruyne (Pioneer of Postmodernism) and Destrøy/Design (A selection from the collection of the Frac Nord-Pas de Calais). Both I liked, for different reasons, but the one thing they had in common was that they made the viewer think critically about the art. There is also a permanent exhibition, which I wasn't as fond of. Because it was all in Dutch, it was hard for me to figure out what the "point" was, or the common thread holding things together. A few pieces here and there caught my attention, but mostly I breezed through it. Still, if there is a special exhibit here, I recommend stopping by. I spent maybe 30-45 minutes here, but people who are more art-minded might linger through the four floors even longer.

This was one of the most interesting former hospital that I've visited to date. St John's Hospital…read morewas 500+ years old and restored to showcase its history as a hospital previously run by nuns but also housed one of the largest collection works by Hans Memling. This artist was hired to create art that could soothe the patients and paint St. Ursula's Shrine when her remains were originally interred here. Inside the relatively darkened hospital were displays on hospital instruments, historical patient mortality and top causes, its history, the nuns and more. A separate area housed all of Hans Memling paintings. It was the largest collection in one place and I found it to be Impressive. Inside the old chapel was his small but very detailed St Ursula's shrine. Very handy charging stations were located in lobby and inside the museum. Upstairs allowed visitors to see the cavernous attic which in the past helped circulate the air within the hospital. In addition, the Closer to Memling Experience took up one end with a bunch of couches and floor seating to watch the big screen showing of close ups and some animation of Memling's paintings. Very well done. Admission was included with the Musea Bruge Pass but also worth visiting on its own.

Saint John's Hospital is one of the oldest hospitals in Europe, dating back to the mid 12th…read morecentury. It is being renovated & we couldn't go inside. However, I understand there was one medieval ward, a church and the chapel. Next door, the hospital pharmacy and the Diksmuide attic, boasting one of Europe's oldest and most monumental roof support structures.

This gets three stars for being the only museum of Gent's history. I did learn quite a bit, but I…read morefound the setup to be very frustrating. I got the audio tour since I don't speak Flemish. Unfortunately, it turned out that for the most part, the audio tour just replicates the main placards in each room that are already in English. For the other pieces with audio excerpts, the tour is organized very poorly, where sometimes it just describes an object, and other times, the number is near a specific object, but the description is for the entire room. This really could have been done better. The woman at the front desk was very adamant that I lock up my bag, even though this didn't seem to be mandatory policy for the museum, and they charge for the lockers. Overall, this was not a great experience.

Regardless of the content of the collection, this is an all star museum. The galleries are…read morewelcoming, visually stimulating, creative, and interactive. I learned a lot about Gent (mostly from the interactive maps), and felt immersed in the story of the place throughout the visit. The biggest drawback was that all of the labels are in Dutch so it wasn't always easy to know much about the objects I was looking at. On the flipside, I wasn't expecting there to be much English and the fact that all of the large wall panels are in English made the trip very informative and allowed for me to follow along through the course of history. As an added bonus they have free wifi and a really great little cafe with outdoor seating.

Adornesdomein is a historic estate-turned-museum in historic downtown Bruges. Apparently a wealthy…read morefamily used to live here for many generations (and the current generation supposedly still lives on part of the estate). The museum is relatively small, but nice. You can learn a bit about the history, then walk through the private Jerusalem Chapel, enjoy the garden, purchase some snacks to enjoy in the parlor, and finally view the art museum. The art portion was a bit strange - it didn't really seem to have anything to do with the rest of the estate, and the paintings were very sexually explicit, which I didn't appreciate. But the rest of the short visit was enjoyable. Prices are not too terrible - around €8 for adults or €4 for visitors under 26. Overall an ok visit - not a Bruges must-do, but it's an option if you're in the area and want to explore inside.

This is truly a not to be missed museum experience. As many of you who follow me know I primarily…read morewrite food reviews yet on occasion something strikes me as specials and very worthy of a review. This is one of those things. In a former alms house next to a church this museum is in two parts around a courtyard with tables and a cafe. The first part of the exhibit was on the world famous "fun fairs" of Europe, Belgium in particular. These are traveling amusement activities that entail everything from rides, side shows, puppet shows, oddities, tarot card readers, etc. These are now UNESCO protected. The exhibits throughout are interactive and quite entertaining. The second portion, across the courtyard is a series of rooms, marked by the twelve months of the year, showing everyday life and accessories of 20th century Belgium. It is so well done and interesring and really captures daily living, events and traditions through this period of time. What I found fascinating is how much it paralleled life in the US with a few exceptions. For example they didn't have Halloween until recently. Christmas gifts were opened on Dec.6 brought by St. Nicholas, not Santa Claus (who comes later) and rituals around marriage and death. It's obvious a lot of our traditions in the US were carryover from European immigrants. It was also great to see the similarities of life in the 70s, 80s and 90s when the differences in the world got smaller and fewer. A great exhibit and museum that culturally makes a lot of sense and very educational.

Found this place by accident. If you ever wondered what it was like to visit a crazy uncle that…read morecollected random things from the 60-80's, this is worth a visit. Each room themed with old school toys and machines.

The staff were incredibly friendly and very helpful. All the exhibits were well maintained and…read moreinformative. We especially enjoyed being able to try on clogs and play games. The highlight was the museum cat. Be sure to say hello. Wonderful experience! 10/10.

Most towns have a museum dedicated to life in the past of the area. The Folklore Museum in Bruges…read moreis second to none. Very well laid out with good explanations in four languages. Nice, old, buildings with modern extensions which lead to the gardens. Each area is devoted to various industries and life of the area. From the schoolroom, not a lot different to the UK in that era, to tailors, hatters etc etc. Extremely interesting and, as a bonus, a Black Cat bar at the end of the visit.

Illness (biliary colic). The staff generously offered pomme frites to my brother. He reported they…read morewere chewy and did not taste right. Such a durable texture and off-flavor suggests re-frying old fries (tough) in old oil (off taste). 4 hours later he suffered 7.5 out of 10 biliary colic. We were all worried for his health. He pulled through. Moral of the Frietmuseum: Don't eat their fries.

Fun and kind of funky museum about the history of fries and potatoes. It has a lot of memorabilia…read morefrom different countries that we can all relate to and fun. The history of the potato is very important in the development of the world. It fueled many countries and provided low cost and nutrition to many who could work in the Industrial Revolution and it continues to be a vital staple today.

In my previous visits to Ghent, I had not run across this historic residence. My colleague and I…read morewere strolling after lunch and happened upon it. He said he had walked through it in the past but there were no tours at the time (that has changed). He thought it was actually an old hotel, though, in reality, it was a palacious residence when it was occupied. For a freebie, this was a great opportunity to see an upper-class European residence dating to the 18th-Century. It also gave a peek into the 19th-Century since many of the updates current at that time were still evident. What fascinated me the most was the fact that this house was constructed over the top of five existing houses when it was built. Hence, the layout was a bit unique. Even though the house has not yet been fully restored and furnished, it allows for a worthwhile tour. What has been restored is quite nice because they have tried to remain as authentic as possible. For example, they have contacted the original supply houses for the wallpaper and have matched it to the originals in many rooms. The ballroom is impressive with its parquet floor and the paintings made to look like reliefs are particularly interesting. The staff here are exceedingly friendly and engaging. The tour guide did a great job in explaining the nuances of the structure, particularly the evolution of the updates. This place is worth seeing if you are in Ghent. This facility is only open afternoons Friday, Saturday and Sunday so you have to plan accordingly.