For a free museum, a great spot to learn about the beautiful peninsula and greater world about you…read more While most of the exhibit spaces were either closed or empty, the top floor had a litany of natural exhibits about native wildlife, current and now extinct, that roamed the wild. My favorite parts were the allosaurus skeleton and the giant globe that shared love data via an interactive touch screen. Definitely worth a visit, especially when school is in session and the exhibits are not in transition.

Deeply disappointing after the renovation. What happened to actual history and science? The idea…read morethat AI even deserves a full exhibit (predictably, centered on the African diaspora) is absurd. AI only does what you tell it to; who cares? Meanwhile, the actual nature and science is relegated to a room upstairs now. If this is the direction the university is going, I fear we may soon no longer even study science and history on university grounds at all. The globe with the projections on it for earthquakes and tsunamis is worth it, though.

visited with my friend and her three kids. They loved it as did I! such a cool place to bring a…read morebroad age range of kids. Lots of interactive stations.

Not what I remember as a child. I'm glad my kiddo had a good time but like... I'm pretty positive…read moreit was cooler when I was younger. I was pretty underwhelmed. Tons of broken stuff. I know it's a place for kids and kids are destructive but it didn't seem like there was an attempt to upkeep stuff. There was a new area being worked on though! And the gift shop / store had really inexpensive stuff. Like really cool products but for a good price. The thing I found I price matched on Amazon and their gift store was $4 cheaper. The one thing I'd like to point out the most though is that this is a place and build for CHILDREN, and there was a giant pride flag flying in the front of the building. I do not believe it's necessary in the slightest to show ones alliance or stance with a flag that represents sexuality. People can do what they want with their own lives and live and let live if no one hurts anyone. But displaying such a sign at a children science center is just not necessary.

This is a free and small art museum on the MSU campus. It's fine and a decent way to waste 45…read moreminutes. The design of the building, by Zaha Hadid, definitely provides for a good photo op and sticks out among the brick buildings nearby. The first floor exhibit, featuring Syrian-American artist, Diana Al-Hadid, was gorgeous and engaging. The basement was called the "CORE" and was a Hodge podge of random art. I wasn't fond of how this was set up at all. I love art but other than the featured exhibit, we weren't engaged. The upstairs Mekong art exhibit was pretty cool but small and scattered. I am used to museums having places for students to research and study in. There's not a lot here. Also, there's not really a cafe and the shop is small. Cute stuff in the store though. Overall, the museum was worth checking out in the area but there's no need to make a special trip.

When taking a day trip out to East Lansing, this is always a favorite place to stop and take in…read moresome fantastic art. While the museum is small, they pack several meaningful and amazing exhibits in the halls each time we visit. I am a fan of contemporary vision. This place typically has a lot of work to reflect on and I love the multimedia displays. The kids have grown up coming here to reflect on their own interpretations of the displays and what it means to them. The staff and volunteers are friendly. They also have a cute area for gifts. I love he building architecture. And, if you are a fan of Batman, they did film some scenes in front of the museum, and being a fan of pop culture, that is pretty cool too!

Nokomis is a hands on cultural museum that focuses on Michigan Native Americans of the Three Fires…read more- the Ottawa, the Chippewa (Ojibwe), and the Potawatami. These three tribes actually stretch beyond Michigan but are very important to the state's history. There are lots of different things to see at Nokomis - handmade baskets, quillwork, canoes, etc. and the tour guides are resourceful and nice. This is a great educational place to take your children. They give guided tours and have special programs throughout the month. I'm not sure if they offer it anymore, but they used to have Craft Night on Thursdays where you could bring in your quillwork, beadwork, or whatever and hang out. There are two rooms to the center, one educational room where lectures are given, then the art gallery that features traditional art and contemporary art from Native Americans. There's also a gift shoppe where you can buy literature, art, some foods, and other gifts.

I would highly recommend this educational tour. We took a class of young people. It was great fun…read moreto listen to their questions.

avolio is primarily a teaching facility. They do have a small shop with completed artworks for…read moresale, which was very nice. But I was very impressed with the teaching program they offer. I'm hoping I get back to Kalamazoo sometime in the next year so to take advantage of some refresher instruction and studio time.

These guys are the best! If you've joined a local mug club in which hand blown glasses are the…read moredrinking vessels, chances are its an Avolio masterpiece. They make the loveliest small, swirled glass cups for the art hops that they sell for only $10 including a wine or beer fill. We are building up a lovely collection. They also carry Christmas ornaments, vases, fishes, and more. Masters of their craft!

Lansing Art Gallery is small but enjoyable in my experience. It's not what I would call worth going…read moreout of your way for, so it's a good thing I worked it in as an hors d'ouevre to the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum in East Lansing. It served it that capacity well. The LAG is a basement gallery with a small ground level lobby and stairs leading down. They have good, but not great paintings and sculptures leading the way down. Most of the gallery was given over to photography on the day of my visit. There was photos from civil disturbances, a series about an old, eccentric looking gentleman a local fire department had "adopted" and some covering an incident of an elephant getting loose and being "put down" by authorities. The latter was very affecting. It makes me queasy just writing about it. That poor, magnificent creature. There were also some beautiful photos of Isle Royale, a place I've been fascinated with for about the past 15 years or so. I've never been there, but now I can at least say I watched a short DVD about it thanks to the LAG. The price is right to visit, too. There's a donation box for whatever you care to give. I made sure to put a little something in.

Our daughter has participated in several summer art programs at the Lansing Art Gallery & Education…read moreCenter. She looked forward to her camp each morning, which isn't always the case in the summer, and wasn't ready to stop with her artistic imagination when she left. She benefitted from the small group sizes, individual attention, and the freedom to express her own artistic vision in the camp. To close out the camp there was an art show which she looked forward to throughout the week and was an exciting way to culminate the experience.

I learned about the Moist Towelette Museum from a Michigan Facebook group I'm in and was so…read moreintrigued. Luckily we were passing through East Lansing recently so Nate and I decided to check it out. The "museum" is located in an office inside of Abrams Planetarium at MSU. It's a few shelves of moist towelettes from all over the word, and the curator (Planetarium Production Coordinator John French) was so kind and fun to chat with. He gave us an overview of the collection and some highlights, including some Star Trek moist towelettes and a news article from an Australian newspaper about odd museums. He honestly made my day, he was so welcoming and friendly. I loved that there's a sign in sheet that asks if you collect anything. I don't think this museum gets a ton of visitors, but if you're into quirky collections I highly recommend checking it out. The office next to John's is not a "museum" but it could be, as it houses a big collection of PEZ dispensers!