Top Art Exhibits For Kids In Connecticut

The Daily Meal Staff|Sept. 8, 2014 7:00 am EST

Kids and art museums usually do not go together. Most art museums are just too quiet, too formal and too stuffy for kids. Connecticut, however, has many museums where children are not only welcome but also encouraged to play, make noise and even make their own art. Here are just five such museums that kids will enjoy – and will learn something about art, history, nature or science.

Imagine Nation Museum
1 Pleasant St.
Bristol, CT 06010
(860) 314-1400
www.imaginenation.org

With three floors of interactive exhibits and artwork, the Imagine Nation Museum in Bristol has not only lots to see but also lots to do – and all of it is aimed at children. Most of the art on display is made by children, and children who visit the museum are encouraged to make their own art. The Kaleidoscope of Colors, Bubble-ology, Roots-to-Shoots, Tower of Power and Inch-by-Inch workshops are all designed to get kids involved in making things and learning about stuff. This is a creative child's dream come true, and is more artistic playscape than art museum (Note: The Museum will be temporarily closed for two weeks, September 7-23, for renovations and annual maintenance, but will reopen bigger and better than ever on September 24, with even more art for kids to view). For adults, the museum will mark its 10th anniversary with a gala on September 20 – complete with food, cocktails, live entertainment and a fund-raising art auction.

The New England Carousel Museum
95 Riverside Ave.
Bristol, CT 06010
(860) 585-5411
www.thecarouselmuseum.org

What child doesn't love a carousel? The New England Carousel Museum in Bristol has a beautiful collection of antique carousel animals, a gallery of carousel art, several miniature carousels and an historic carving shop – where children can see how carousel animals were made. There is, of course, a working carousel to ride too!

Children's Museum of Southeastern Connecticut
409 Main St.
Niantic, CT 06357
(860) 691-1111
www.childrensmuseumsect.org

The Children's Museum of Southeastern Connecticut has a lot of art that relates to kids and things they like, including a child-sized version of a New England town. There is also the Long Island Marinelife Tank and other exhibits that cover life, science, nature, health and the arts. There are also scavenger hunts and both indoor and outdoor playgrounds and the ever-popular Discovery Room, where museum staff encourages kids to touch and create their own projects. The museum also has "living art" in that there are creatures to see, feed and pet – including a surprisingly friendly if quite scary boa constrictor.

Connecticut State Capitol
210 Capitol Ave.
Hartford, CT 06106
(860) 240-0222
www.cga.ct.gov/capitoltours

The art collection at the Connecticut State Capitol is unique, historical, educational and, best of all, it is free of charge. Kids will see battle flags carried and captured by Connecticut regiments, and can view portraits and statues of governors and other important figures in the state's history (including a statue of America's first spy, Nathan Hale). There are several art galleries to meander through, as well as sculptures and other displays to linger at. The guides who give the group tours are friendly, knowledgeable and very open to questions, especially from younger visitors. Once they are finished with the art inside, there is another kind of art – nature's art, as sculpted by landscape architects of great renown – immediately outside. Bushnell Park is modeled after New York's famous Central Park, and has hundreds of trees, flower gardens, fountains and even a carousel.

The Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History
170 Whitney Ave.
New Haven, CT 06511
(203) 432-5050
www.peabody.yale.edu

The Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History is a hat trick for parents who want to take their kids to see an art exhibit. Not only does the Peabody have a good deal of art on display, but it also has dinosaurs – including both fossilized and recreated life-size models. The Egyptian collection is a particularly popular display of ancient art and artifacts, and includes a section on daily life in the time of the pharaohs. The museum has dioramas with all manner of stuffed critters and mannequins, and there are a lot of things to do as well as see in the museum. The sign over the door to the Discovery Room, for example, says "Please Touch!" – and that is both a command and an invitation.

Mark G. McLaughlin is a professional and prolific writer with a proven publishing record in a wide variety of fields. An historian, novelist, freelance journalist, ghost-writer, book reviewer, magazine editor, web and magazine columnist, Mark has more than 30 years of experience. His work can be found at Examiner.com.