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

When I saw on social media that the Pennsylvania State Museum was offering Pay As You Wish…read moreadmission throughout July in celebration of America's 250th birthday, I figured it was the perfect excuse to revisit a place I hadn't been in...about 23 years. I vividly remembered visiting as a kid, especially the planetarium, and since the museum is scheduled to close for major renovations beginning in August, it felt like the right time to see it one last time before the transformation. Normally, adult admission is only $6, but during July visitors could choose what they wanted to pay. My choice? $0. Thank you very much! I arrived around 1:30pm on a Saturday afternoon and easily found parking right outside the museum. The weather was beautiful, so I expected most people were outside enjoying the sunshine rather than spending the afternoon indoors. That worked out well for me because the museum never felt crowded, making it easy to explore at my own pace. At the admissions desk, the employee explained that only the second and third floors were open and that the planetarium had already closed in preparation for the upcoming renovations. I'll admit...that was a bit of a bummer. The planetarium was one of the things I remembered most vividly from childhood, and I had been looking forward to experiencing it again. But...you get what you pay for. And in this case, I paid exactly zero dollars. I spent about an hour and a half wandering through the exhibits, and while I enjoyed taking my time, I found myself a little underwhelmed. The highlight of the visit was, without question, standing beneath the towering 18-foot William Penn statue once again. Seeing it as a forty-something adult immediately brought back memories of seeing it as a kid, and that little wave of nostalgia alone made me smile. My biggest disappointment, though, was the number of replica artifacts throughout the museum. I understand that replicas certainly have a place, especially when preserving fragile originals, but I found myself wishing there were more authentic historical objects on display. For me, that's part of what makes museums special. I can see photos and reproductions online. Standing in front of something that actually witnessed Pennsylvania's history is an entirely different experience. I'm not sure whether many of the original artifacts have already been removed because of the upcoming renovations or whether this has always been the museum's approach. Either way, it wasn't what I expected. I also noticed that several exhibit areas were extremely dark, making it difficult to read some of the informational panels. I'm not sure whether that was intentional or simply part of preparing the museum for renovation, but it definitely affected the experience. Overall, I'm glad I went. I satisfied my curiosity. I revisited a piece of my childhood. And I was reminded that Pennsylvania has a fascinating story to tell. That said, I probably don't need to visit again until the renovations are complete...maybe. I'm genuinely hopeful the upcoming improvements will better showcase the history, innovation, creativity and natural beauty of the Keystone State. As a lifelong Pennsylvanian, I'd love to see our state museum become the kind of place that leaves visitors walking out saying, "Wow...I had no idea." When it reopens, I'll consider giving it another chance. Maybe. If they bring back another Pay As You Wish promotion? There would be a stronger chance I'd check it out again.

My pictures are a mixture of new photos (butterfly exhibit) and old ones (that I apparently never…read moreposted from when my son was 13 and interviewed at the MHS he's now 17 and graduating high school this year lol). The butterfly exhibit alone was worth the repeat visit. The grounds are calming and the view of the amusement park from the gardens is spectacular.

Ok, now I have been to Hershey Gardens both in the winter and when, you know, there are actually…read moreliving plants. As expected, the gardens are beautiful and meticulously well kept. In the middle of all the beauty is a fairly robust play area for the little ones, including a big fake cacao tree! We had a hard time convincing the kids to leave. If you are heading here without kids, then my all means please enjoy a relaxing stroll through the grounds. Years from now I may join you! Also, the butterfly room is worth visiting every time.

One of the top automotive museums I've been to. Two levels of exhibits. Lots of cars. Also a…read moresection with motorcycles. A Lionel train layout on the lower level. Plus special exhibits. In our mid-March 2026 visit, there was a SAAB exhibit and a large section with hot rods & souped up old cars. The cars shown are mostly US ones. Tickets are reasonably priced. What we saw had a lot of 1950s - early 1960s emphasis. Some exhibits gave me a "Happy Days" vibe. Others got me thinking of the Beach Boys SoCal tunes. There were interesting side exhibits for drive-in theatres & roadside diners. We could step into the counter area of the diner. Ask for Flo ;-) Other eras represented as well, including the earlier half of the 20th Century. If you are the area & like cars or US pop culture history, this a great spot to visit.

Just a relatively small historical museum (I come from Chicago where museums take up several city…read moreblocks), but full of classic cars, train paraphernalia, school buses, motorcycles; but my favorite section is the basement room with the miniature town and trains. My college buddies & I performed as a small choir for the wedding of our college friend who married a car guy! Such a fitting venue!

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.

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.

It has great food, good prices and family friendly! Two movies for one price and less than a single…read moreflick in a sit down theater plus the variety of burgers, dogs, foot long Nitany Lion dogs, fries & drinks make it worth the trip from Emmitsburg,Md to Dillsburg, Pa. Been doing this since we moved back home to MD from TX in 2011!

We have been going to Haar's for 30 years now only thing that they need to address is the lack of…read moreupdates on the website so planning trips there is almost impossible. I take it as they just don't even care if they have your business

We loved our experience at Kreider Farms. Lisa was our guide and she was very friendly and she…read moreanswered all our questions very nicely. The tour was interesting. We learned details about the history of the farm, we got a small bottle of cold milk which was perfect for the hot weather! We loved going up to the top of the silo. The view was fantastic. We took pictures there and we got a great workout going up! I totally recommend this place. If you are in Lancaster, make this tour part of your itinerary.

We had a great time on the tour. Karla was our tour guide and she did a great job. A nice mix of…read morehistory and general knowledge about the dairy. It was worth the price

Drive through 2 miles of wooded trails while gazing at illuminated and animated displays from the…read morecomfort of your own car. They also have for sale a mini Christmas tree filled with snacks for $29.99. Hershey Sweet Lights is a separately ticketed experience from Hersheypark Christmas Candylane with one fee per vehicle. Online tickets start at $29.99 and must be purchased in advance on the day of the visit. On-site pricing without a pre-purchased ticket is also available at the full gate price of $54.15.