The museum in state capital Harrisburg is one of the few state museums in the northeast that aren’t free. It’s just across the street from the Pennsylvania State Capitol so hold on to your ticket in case you need to come back after a capitol tour.
I recommend starting from the top floor and working your way down. I really liked the introspective exhibit on how dioramas are made and what kind of work goes into taxidermy. I think we need more museums that go behind the scenes on archeology, nature preservation, and artifact preservation.
The second floor is on industrial history, focusing on transportation from the streetcar to the highway. The Pennsylvania Turnpike was the country’s first modern highway completed in 1940 to cut through the Allegheny Mountains. The other side of the floor has an excellent mockup archeology pit to teach what anthropologists do in the field.
The first floor, typical of state museums, has a mock-up village square depicting life in the 19th century. Apparently, it’s supposed to evoke scenes of Elfreth’s Alley in Philadelphia. There’s also an exhibit telling three stories of racial integration in the state after overturning Jim Crow laws.
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