My Dutch friends surprised me (one of several times on my trip to Europe) by taking me to this…read morestar-shaped, moat-encompassed fortress/museum, operating as a living tribute and reenactment of 16th century Dutch military and rural life. For the visiting tourist, Bourtange has just about everything you would want, and expect to see in a historic Dutch site: a narrow bridge crossing a canal; a rustic windmill rising stoically above the rooftops; a modest white-washed chapel, thatched roof buildings, including a smithy; a falconer dressed in period attire, with a bird of prey perched majestically on his arm. Touches of the modern are almost as pervasive, including a central marktplein, complete with an expansive gift shop, restaurant and vendor booths. There's a lot to see here, and it can easily keep you occupied for an entire day. Museums, live re-enactments, shopping, food, and simply taking in the architecture, preserved with practicality, care and precision, as is the Dutch way. This is the sort of living historical record that has the rare ability to engage both young and old alike; your kids might just put down their phones long enough to enjoy it, especially at the sound of a nearby musket blast!

Bourtange is a lovely preserved old defense town on the border between The Netherlands and Germany…read more Star-shaped and surrounded by water, it is a lovely old village where people still live. Nice buildings with some open to visit, nice defensive works, a couple of great horeca establishments and a few nice shops. A great place to visit for a few hours.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit the Northern region of the Netherlands, be sure to visit…read morethe planetarium in Franeker in the province of Fryslân. A conjunction of the planets occurred on 8 May 1774. Between 1774 and 1781, wool comber Eise Eisinga built this (now oldest functioning!) planetarium in his living room, to prove that the earth wouldn't be "pulled from its orbit and incinerate in the sun when the planets would collide with one another". It's so fascinating to see this model of the solar system is still accurate more than 230 years later. If you ask they are more than happy to give you a detailed explanation in English in the planetarium room! You'll also find a large collection of historic astronomical instruments, and much more. Opening hours All year round (except for December 25 and January 1): Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Sunday 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Between 1 April and 31 October, also: Monday 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Entrance fees: Adults € 4,50; Children under 14 years € 3,75; Seniors € 4,00; Groups (more than 20 persons) € 3,50 p.p.

The other review here describes the Planetarium well - I will only add this is definitely worth the…read morestop - plus Franeker is a happy little town not far from Leeuwarden. The planetarium alone is worth traveling up from Amsterdam.

Wonderful! Have not got a clue how to get there as we were driven by Dutch relatives of Richard. A…read moregorgeous retired KLM Boeing 747-300 and Fokker 100 are there to walk around, under and inside with seats you can actually sit in and galley doors to open and close unlike Duxford in Cambridgeshire where one cannot touch the fittings. There is a short film in Dutch in a cinema about the history of Fokker which is good to follow even though I cannot speak the language. A beautiful Lockheed Constellation nestles in the hangar which one can climb aboard and look inside. They have recreated brick by brick the original Schipol Airport from back in the day with stylish [Art Nouveau] I think check in desks. There is a cafe/restaurant with easy access to a patio where one can smoke. I loved it!

Very well organized. I wished they had more signage in English but I suspect this is not a big…read moretourist destination for people visiting Amsterdam. Lots of families when we visited. There was a lot of things for children to do.

One of my favorite museums during my trip to the greater Amsterdam area!…read more The indoor museum exhibits were well maintained, laid out well, and had a good flow. The workers there were friendly and helpful. The outside section was huge! It's essentially an outdoor village that you can explore. There are farm animals like chickens, goats, and sheep wandering about. There are people working inside the village doing things like basketweaving, making fishing nets, etc so you can get a good idea of what life was like back then. I wish I had more time to explore. You could honestly spend the entire day here. Admission also includes a ferry ride to and from the Metro station. Check it out, it's worth a day trip from Amsterdam!

Excellent museum that consists of both the indoor portion and an outdoor area that consists of…read morehistorical buildings from a Zuiderzee village. I love that there are actual employees at many of the buildings within the village working on crafts from the time period. It felt really authentic and is great for all ages. There is also a free ferry provided by the museum that takes you directly from the train station to the village. The indoor exhibits are very engaging as well, flows well, and have a lot of interactive and colorful displays that make it perfect for kids to enjoy as well. Overall a visit to Zuiderzeemuseum is an excellent value and highly recommended if you're in the Netherlands.

Decent and interesting museum. Good option on a rainy day or with kids.read more

Very nice modern museum covering local history. It's one of those history museums that will mean…read moremore to locals then international visitors as the exhibits are very local history oriented, but still well worth a stroll. There are no English translations on the exhibits but each room as an English explanation card for the room.