Great art museum in flint featuring top quality contemporary, classic, and modern art!…read more I was really impressed with the featured show as well as works from the permanent collection. They have art from different parts of the world as well... and its grouped by region.. and in some cases art movements. Very happy i got to check it out before my trip back home! An added bonus is that there is free admission on Saturdays!

I've been meaning to check out this art museum for a while, and finally had the chance to make it…read moreup here to see what all the excitement's about. Let me tell you, it was totally worth it! While it's no DIA, it actually is super cool. For starters, every Saturday is free admission thanks to Huntington Bank. If you don't come here on a Saturday, that's fine, admissions only like $10 which is super cool. Staff here was friendly and helpful, and we did the whole museum in about an hour and a half. They have plenty of cool artwork here and there's LOTS to see and do. What we loved about it was the different styles of art, and it wasn't just painting. Glass sculptures, a beautiful horse made out of wood, and a library! The library was cool but we didn't go in and check out any books. They also have a QR audio guide if you want additional info about the specific piece of art that you're viewing. Lots of modern art along with historic art from several hundred years ago. They also have a glass blowing section where you can watch artists make glass art forms and they have a person giving descriptions of what their doing and why. We watched for about 15 minutes and really enjoyed the experience. Worth watching and checking out. You don't get to see glass blowing all that often, so that was a lot of fun as well. There's a gift shop and a cafe here, which had a nice variety of products. We weren't hungry so we didn't eat anything especially since had lunch immediately before coming here. I would have stopped to have a coffee if I wanted, but we were not needing coffee or snacks so we passed. Art museums are always worth the trip and if you want a wonderful experience come check this place out. It's also immediately next door to the planetarium, so you can easily walk next door (as long as the weather is cooperative) and check that out as well. It's also across the street from the Sloan Museum but I think their still closed for remodeling from what I understand. Overall a really great day trip to come up and do. Easy to find and a lot of good fun for all!

I had a group of friends going for the Skies Over Michigan show they have running currently and I…read morewas debating between going vs taking a nap. Luckily I didn't have to choose between the two because the thing was a SNOOZEFEST (literally multiple of us fell asleep). What was particularly annoying about the show is that very little had to do with astrology and instead was heavily focused on Greek mythology, which is neat and all, but not at all what the name of the show implied or what you would expect to get at a planetarium. It was also bizarrely presented live (instead of a recording) and while the presenter was decent, he stumbled a few times. Seems super odd they wouldn't just have a well-run, recorded show. A couple positives: 1. The show ended with a rollercoaster ride immersive experience, which we all agreed was the best part 2. The gift shop is reasonably priced and you can get little souvenirs for as little as $0.50 (I know this because I did). Maybe our expectations were too high, but I definitely wouldn't recommend the planetarium based on our experience.

Who knew Flint had a planetarium? I sure didn't until recently. When we came up here to spend the…read moreweekend in Flint to check out stuff, I realized it was immediately next door to the Flint Art Museum and less then a mile from our hotel. Both John X and I were ecstatic to go see it! Admission isn't all that much, and is discounted if you live in Genesee County. Since neither of us do, I think it was $7 a person to see the shows. They have shows literally every hour on the hour, each with different themes throughout the day, and they seem to rotate them often and frequently. We got there after 5 PM and we couldn't remember which show was next. We initially wanted to see the skies over Michigan, but they only had a 3 PM showing which we weren't able to watch since we were busy doing other stuff. The show we ended up watching was about the James Webb Telescope that launches on Christmas eve and is supposed to be kind of a big deal. As professional nerds, we were very excited about this. Okay, maybe me more then anyone else, but space and science is cool. The guy who lead the 45 minute show gave us tons of info and really did a great explanation of the telescope and he even said he had a graduate degree, so obviously he knows his stuff about space. Very informative and well worth the time and money spent here. The seats in the auditorium are super comfy and lean all the way back, for optimal viewing experience. I will also say, try not to fall asleep during the show! It's just so relaxing and fun when here. I will say, they do have a great lobby area, but we were hoping for more museum stuff. It's more of a waiting area for the shows with some displays and such but not much else. You could stare at the stuff in all of about 15 minutes, so don't plan on spending much time doing that. What I do like about the Planetarium is that it's geared for all ages and not *just* to kids. They have kid shows I'm sure, but it was nice to have "adult time" and not have to tune out screaming children during a show. Definitely an all ages experience!

Great for any history buff…read more Tours through this beautiful historic home in Flint are always a treat. Walking through Whaley House is like taking a step back in time. It's beautiful and contains so many lovely object d' art and grand furnishings from years ago that you feel moved by the way the house and its rich history temporarily transport you to a bygone era when Flint was king of the burgeoning automotive and lumber industries and the docents do an excellent job of regaling patrons with old stories and little anecdotes about Whaley's history. It's like a walking, interactive history lesson! It's a real showcase of Flint's history. This stately, Gilded Age home, named after the prominent Whaley family, is filled with period furnishings and artifacts from its heyday. Walking tours are held regularly and the Christmas tour is one of the best things going on in Flint. It's a real treat for any lover of history or architecture. The home has been lovingly maintained throughout the years and has been open as a public museum for many years. I fondly remember going on walking tours of Whaley House when I was a child. Tours are reasonably priced, designed for a family-friendly budget. It's a great little museum for both kids and adults alike. Donations are always welcome as Whaley House is always undergoing some type of preservation to main the original structure.

This beautiful Gilded Age home showcases Flint's history in a family friendly way! I am a big…read morehistory buff and there is always something new to see because they rotate their exhibits. The house itself is full of artifacts and on tours the docents do an amazing job of bringing the past to life. The entire first floor of the home is handicap accessible (which is great since some historic houses aren't!) and it my group of fifteen people felt very well taken care of. The first time I went to the house was last fall during the House in Mourning program. It was very educational, and it was interesting to learn about how Victorian customs have carried over to today. The house even attracted actor William Ragsdale (from CSI, Justified, Desperate Housewives, Herman's Head) to visit when he was in Flint for the Zombie Walk. That was totally cool! I also visited last December and the house was decorated for Christmas. It's amazing to see this beautiful home full of twinkling lights - you feel just like you are in Dickens' A Christmas Carol! I brought my family to take our Christmas picture in front of the big tree in the front parlor and it was gorgeous. They even co-sponsor a vintage baseball team in the summer that plays by historical regulations with authentic uniforms. There truly is something for everyone! I plan to visit again on a Saturday for a tour and then have lunch downtown with my husband for a date. It's a great place to take a picture with your sweetie. :-)

I'm doing this review a little late...sorry! I get emails though from them and pretty sure nothing…read morehas changed just yet in the last few months as far as displays go. I was there December 30, 2022 for the first time in the new place and boy were we amazed! So glad they finally finished getting it done. Going to the one in the mall in Burton wasn't cutting it anymore the older my step-son was getting. He is 10 now. Taking him to the new place, he LOVED IT! So did we!! Pretty sure we were there over 2 hours.....could've spent more time there but we caught a show at the planetarium so we had to be there on time. Will review that next. There was a lot of hands-on activities, and it was busy when we went, so I'm sure holiday breaks will always be busy. It's spread out pretty good though and if you need a break to sit, there's a large room for coloring and doing crafty things. A lot of kids were enjoying that. The huge waterfall feature with a river(?) was a HUGE hit. Tons of kids around that and they even have some rain jackets or something like that for little kids to put on as you can get very wet from this activity. There's also playscape's on different levels that had a learning twist to it. They made a neighborhood-yes, a whole neighborhood! You can go in a market, a post office, different places to learn about for young ones especially. The place is big with areas to grow and they do a-lot of events, summer camps, plenty to do here if your close enough to be involved. The car area was very spread out-I'm wondering what they will add to that if anything down the road. I have never had any problems with any staff that work for Sloan, they are always friendly and knowledgeable. They have raised their prices from what it was a year ago, but I believe this is a great addition to the area and they will use the money wisely as they grow. It's nice that you can walk around on this street to the planetarium or even the art gallery across the street. Good job!

my Grandchildren absolutely love this place. when I take them, we are here for hours!!read more

I took my 4grand daughters on April 1. Started off a great experience until a family came in with…read moreboys around 8 years of age. They were out of control. Throwing items from the grocery store, climbing and jumping on things , hitting each other with animals from the vet center, taking the mail from post office and throwing all over. Parents on cell phones not watching. When I informed staff member so no one got hurt, she acted like it was no big deal. We left because I didn't want my grandchildren to get hurt beca of this allowed behavior in the museum. What a shame that all staff sat at the desk chit chatting instead of stopping this behavior so everyone else could enjoy their day too.

It is not worth it for the money. You pay a general cost for the regular museum which could use…read moresome help as it is crowded in the children's hands on area and lackluster in the other areas. Then you have to pay extra for the special exhibit which is not noted on their website. For 4 adults and a 6 year old it was over $100 for a lack luster museum. Would rather spend my money in Detroit or Grand Rapids.

While up here last December, I discovered this gem while visiting the Art Museum directly across…read morethe street. It was closed for renovations and I wasn't able to visit at the time, so I made a point of stopping in while in the area. This seems to be a family friendly museum with a large kids area for them to explore. There's also a large area of Flint's history with logging, automotive, General Motors and cars. Also, I didn't have to pay since I wasn't a Genesee county resident? Otherwise I think it's $12 to get in if you are. The car exhibit is fabulous to look at. It's pretty much General Motors since it was a major Flint employer for many years. Overall I didn't spend more than a half an hour here cruising through the place. I thought there would be more, but there wasn't. I was hoping to have spent at least an hour but couldn't pull it off. No, I didn't read every single sign because not everything here appeals to me, but it is a good spot to learn and expand your horizons at.

(AKA Buckham Gallery). A pretty interesting art gallery. The space is nice and is located a little…read moreoff the beaten path. Buckham regularly hosts Second Friday Art Walk receptions, along with the other local galleries downtown, like GFAC. Sometimes they host spoken word or poetry readings or, on rare occasion, an interpretive dance recital. It's really a great space for showcasing local art talent and, as one of the city's non-profits, they manage to do a lot with a little- no small feat in this day and age, and particularly in this city. It's a testament to the changing times in Flint and our city's dedication to both promoting and preserving the arts downtown. Whenever I attend one of their Art Walk receptions, I always run into a number of Flint-town regulars that I know from around our colorful downtown landscape. They serve appetizers and beer and wine at their receptions, so donations are always welcome to help defray costs, but it is not something that is pushed. Great art, great scene, great people. Some of the art exhibitions here will often be a bit quirkier than those at GFAC, but it's the ingenuity and independent spirit that drives this gallery. Once, my husband and I saw a Twinkie-themed art installation project here. Now that's entertaining!

Buckham hosts some of the more unique art shows in town. You know, the type of art with a little…read moremore "flavor" to it. To put it mildly, it's not your Grandma's quilting exhibition. The crowd at Buckham is filled with eccentric, free-spirited, creative types. I've seen the most unusual art shows here, but most have actually been very entertaining. Lots of upcycled "dumpster" art along with more mainstream photography and paintings. It's always surprising. The art is thought-provoking and gets people talking and that's what art is supposed to do- get people discussing it and looking at things in a different light. It's always fun to see everyone crowding around talking about the fusing of art, politics and commerce during art walk with a glass of wine in hand. Admission is free. Patrons may rent the space out for private events, too.