I've been telling people that the State Museum is a great place to visit on any day but especially…read moreon a rainy day. This weekend, I finally took my own advice and toured the museum for the first time in years. The Sept. 11th exhibit is among the current features marking the 25th anniversary of the terror attacks. Since I was there to watch the Twin Towers fall in lower Manhattan, I found it difficult emotionally to walk through the exhibit though somehow it was also cathartic. There were interesting exhibits of New York birds, mammals and minerals. I also enjoyed seeing the dinosaurs exhibit and the so called, "Cohoes Mastodon," which was unearthed near the Cohoes Fall. I had so much fun riding the antique carousel with many families. The museum is even open on Sundays. Admission is free with suggested donations. The staff is wonderfully helpful. The attendees are nice and friendly, too.

This place is a lot of fun! It's a large museum where you can learn just about everything there is…read moreto know about New York State. We didn't expect to spend much time there, but we ended up staying for well over an hour because there was so much to explore. Admission is free, although donations are appreciated. If you're driving, keep in mind that the museum doesn't have its own parking lot, so you'll need to find street parking. Fortunately, it wasn't difficult to find a spot when we visited on a Sunday afternoon. Highly recommended!

Schuyler Mansion is just so beautiful!…read more These are the pre-Revolutionary war-digs of one of only two attendees for the State of New York to the first Continental (State) Congress: Colonial soldier, then renowned and brave General and New York politician, Philip John Schuyler and his family. The Schuyler family were influential early Dutch settlers. The buildings are brick and face East across the Hudson - looking towards New England. Inside are bountiful dining rooms and cozy living rooms as well as rooms for high society! The Schuylers were an influential and renowned and famous New York family who settled very early in and lived in Albany throughout the American Revolution 1776-1781 Walk around and read some plaques and signs and read about Colonial America. The views are perfect and the grounds always pristine. There are small fields. Walk around and take in the scenery, old walls, metal fences and more culture, architecture, framed art and fancy, delightful chandeliers and interiors than you will find at most other places. It's a history and photo spot. Review: 5 splendid

Very interesting tour. This house served many purposes in the community over the years! There are…read moresome interesting artifacts from the Schuyler Family.

The staff here were pleasant, kind and helpful. We came for a Saturday night light show in the…read moreplanetarium. About 45 minutes long, a good time you can't beat it. A few jokes from the ticket-taker as well. Tip: try and grab the seats toward the back, to keep your neck more comfortable. We arrived ~15 minutes before start time and were able to peruse around the different displays and interactive exhibits. A place for all ages. This was a nice indoor activity to get out of the house and not be in the frigid cold.

Visited the planetarium to see James Hood's "Beautifica" on date night, the event itself was a…read morewonderful visual meditative experience! The building itself could definitely use some updating (the bathroom is kind of falling apart). The staff were super friendly! True to brand we showed up late and the show had already started, but staff were kind enough to sneak us into our seats without disrupting everyone else's experience. I look forward to going back here to see the rest of the museum!

On my first visit, I just saw a fantastic Blanche Lazzell exhibit here. The Institute is large…read moreenough to provide a comprehensive main exhibit, as well as a smaller one, plus other permanent installments. I like its size, not overwhelming enough to get visual overload, but large enough to provide an artful experience. Parking on the street or in a small lot at the back entrance, reasonable entry fee, beautiful galleries, welcoming staff - excellent venue in the state's capital city.

We visited this museum after visiting the NY State Museum. The gentleman at the reception was…read morepleasant and friendly. Entrance fee was reasonable. As someone who frequents museums wherever we go, I can only give this one three stars. I guess I was expecting more and better quality paintings especially that it's the state capital's art museum. Not to be nit picky but our museum (City of Portland, Maine) has much more interesting pieces. Still glad we went. Happy to support arts and culture.

I don't know who put this all together, but it was a genius move. Spectacular way to display Van…read moreGoghs work, even if you don't know another about him, you will get all you need heretic room where everything definitely wakes up is so beautiful, and the VR was really cool too. Look up the immersive experience in your town and go!!!

It was great when it WAS here!…read more This must be very out of date as Van Gogh exhibit closed more than a year ago!

My son took me here for Mother's Day this year. It was informative and interesting…read more My son took me here for Mother's Day this year. It was informative and interesting

The Underground Railroad symbolizes the best in all of us. Even in the darkest of times there are…read moreenlightened souls, and they can be us.

It's odd going into an old mall to go to an aquarium, but this place was really cool. They setup…read morethe tanks by different areas of the world. Place was clean and not overly crowded. I'm really glad we went.

We made the 90 minute drive from Syracuse to check out the Via Aquarium in...Rotterdam? I didn't…read moreknow this existed until the day before we went, but I'm glad we found it! Repurposing an old mall's dead space into various shops and attractions seems to be the way of the future for malls like this and Via Aquarium is built into the bones of this mall in a really cool way. Instead of just sticking it inside of an old storefront, they really went all out by painting a huge mural outside the parking area for it as well as the long entry hallway into the mall that serves as the Aquarium entrance. Pricing was about what we expected, about $70 for 2 adults, 1 child, and the extra "manta ray feeding" we purchased. The Aquarium is clean and offers a lot of interesting exhibits that range from fish, reptiles, kids play areas, feeding areas, and a gift shop. If you are moving at a moderate pace, you could complete the museum in about 45-60 minutes, so don't plan on dedicating a whole day here. The highlights for us were the tunnels you walked through and underneath fish and sharks and the feeding of the manta rays. On the day we went, they had some arts and crafts for the littles along with a princess in full costume to greet the kids doing the craft (unicorn hat). While we wouldn't make it a regular visit, we'd make the trek again if we were in the mood for some aquatic ambience.

This little college museum is a great place to check out some small art collections. This place is…read morenot a huge museum, but it is nice for a quick stroll on a Tuesday night! I saw Tuesday because that is the night they are open the latest. I enjoyed my time here, I just wish that they had more to offer.

From the owner: The University Art Museum's mission is to advance knowledge and foster understanding in…read morecontemporary visual arts. The museum has presented over four hundred individual exhibitions in its 9,000 square foot facility, located in the Fine Arts building on the uptown University at Albany campus. A short list of representative exhibitions and projects includes work by: Xu Bing, Nina Bovasso, Phil Frost, Julie Heffernan, Kimsooja, William Pope.L, Tim Rollins and K.O.S., Karin Sander, Jean Shin, John F. Simon, Jr. and Roman Singer. The musem is an integral part of the dynamic learning environment of the University at Albany. Over 13,000 visitors attend exhibitions and events each year. Public programs explore contemporary art and culture by presenting a combination of established voices and new perspectives in the arts. Guest speakers include artists, theorists, writers, and scholars engaged in the critical examination of issues that shape and inspire us as individuals, cultures, and communities.

Ralf was our guide and it was very pleasurable he was very knowledgeable very upbeat and cheerful…read more He kept the tour moving and he answered all our questions intelligently. I was very pleased with the tour and I'm an ex Navy guy so that's saying something !

Only one remains afloat in America [Albany NY]…read more We learned so much from our docent, Caroline.. this is a guided tour inside the World War II destroyer escort. General admission was $10 each and lasted about an hour. There were 563 built during WWII and the USS Slater is the only destroyer escort left in the US. It has been restored to its original 1945 configuration. We were fortunate to learn about this national historic landmark. The first thing we learned was the history behind the name of the USS Slater (DE 766). The destroyer escort was named after Seaman Frank O. Slater. He was assigned to the USS San Francisco at Pearl Harbor and was killed when a Japanese torpedo bomber he had shot down crashed into his gun position. Instead of leaving his gun and trying to find a safe place for cover he stayed at his position continuously firing until the plane crashed his gun mount. The tour took us to the galley, officers and enlisted mess halls (btw, the officer mess hall doubled up as the operating room, there is a medicine cabinet by the wall), we viewed the chart room and the sonar room, captain's cabin, ship's office, signal bridge... we mounted ladders to get up and down between decks. These are steeper than stairs so it could be challenging for some. Overall, a very educational tour and I enjoyed it. A Destroyer Escort's main job is to defend naval task forces from Japanese submarines and Kamikaze air attacks in the Pacific. Review #3014

Such a neat attraction with views of 360 all over Albany and the surrounding region. The views were…read moregreat and best of all it's free! The elevator up and down goes quickly and it's a neat building overall. Interpretive signage is inside the viewing floor as well. We were very happy to have visited.

The fact that this is free should encourage everyone to come here! I have easily paid 20 bucks for…read moreviews like this in other cities! I graduated in the Egg structure and it was neat to see it from this high up. The mountains in the distance are so gorgeous and made me remember why I chose to go to college here. A lovely experience that I would say is a must do if you are ever in downtown Albany!