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| Get the Most Out of a Visit to the Museum | Get the Most Out of a Visit to the Museum |
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| Museums can be intimidating. The big ones — like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (and the newly reopened Museum of Modern Art, also in New York City), the British Museum in London and the Louvre in Paris — are cavernous old buildings with millions of items in their permanent collections and hundreds of thousands on display at any given time. | Museums can be intimidating. The big ones — like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (and the newly reopened Museum of Modern Art, also in New York City), the British Museum in London and the Louvre in Paris — are cavernous old buildings with millions of items in their permanent collections and hundreds of thousands on display at any given time. |
| It’s impossible to see everything in 10 visits, let alone a single one. To really enjoy a museum and get the most out of your brief time there, you need a plan. | It’s impossible to see everything in 10 visits, let alone a single one. To really enjoy a museum and get the most out of your brief time there, you need a plan. |
| Nick Gray is the founder of Museum Hack, a museum tour company whose slogan is “Museums are F***ing Awesome.” He has personally guided hundreds of tours, and visits different museums every month. He uses the same technique every time he visits a museum for the first time. | Nick Gray is the founder of Museum Hack, a museum tour company whose slogan is “Museums are F***ing Awesome.” He has personally guided hundreds of tours, and visits different museums every month. He uses the same technique every time he visits a museum for the first time. |
| “My strategy is to walk the floor of the whole museum as soon as you get there,” Mr. Gray said, adding that visitors should take 10 minutes to half an hour to quickly pass through every gallery and wing without stopping to look at anything. “Walk the space, understand where things are, what you might be interested to come back and see, and then, go to the cafe.” | “My strategy is to walk the floor of the whole museum as soon as you get there,” Mr. Gray said, adding that visitors should take 10 minutes to half an hour to quickly pass through every gallery and wing without stopping to look at anything. “Walk the space, understand where things are, what you might be interested to come back and see, and then, go to the cafe.” |
| The biggest problem with how most people visit museums, as Mr. Gray sees it, is that they spend too much time and mental energy in the galleries that are physically located close to the entrance. They miss all the amazing items that are deeper in the building because, by the time they reach them, they’re already tired and starting to suffer from “gallery fatigue.” | The biggest problem with how most people visit museums, as Mr. Gray sees it, is that they spend too much time and mental energy in the galleries that are physically located close to the entrance. They miss all the amazing items that are deeper in the building because, by the time they reach them, they’re already tired and starting to suffer from “gallery fatigue.” |
| By walking the floor quickly, getting a coffee, and then deciding which collections and galleries you want to see first, you’re able to bring your initial excitement to the things that actually interest you, rather than the ones that are displayed close to the entrance. “Don’t merely plan to stumble upon things by happenstance,” Mr. Gray advised. | By walking the floor quickly, getting a coffee, and then deciding which collections and galleries you want to see first, you’re able to bring your initial excitement to the things that actually interest you, rather than the ones that are displayed close to the entrance. “Don’t merely plan to stumble upon things by happenstance,” Mr. Gray advised. |
| Museums aren’t a sprint, they’re a marathon. According to Mr. Gray, it takes about two miles to complete one of Museum Hack’s two-hour tours. “You’re on your feet. There’s not a lot of opportunities to sit down,” he said. So if you’re not comfortable, you won’t really enjoy the experience. He recommended wearing comfortable shoes, bringing water and snacks and not being afraid to stop and stretch. It’s also a good idea to use the cloakroom for heavy bags and coats. | Museums aren’t a sprint, they’re a marathon. According to Mr. Gray, it takes about two miles to complete one of Museum Hack’s two-hour tours. “You’re on your feet. There’s not a lot of opportunities to sit down,” he said. So if you’re not comfortable, you won’t really enjoy the experience. He recommended wearing comfortable shoes, bringing water and snacks and not being afraid to stop and stretch. It’s also a good idea to use the cloakroom for heavy bags and coats. |
| If you’re on your own, Mr. Gray suggested taking plenty of breaks. “If I’m going to a museum for two hours, I might spend a whole hour at the museum cafe,” he said. “I use the museum cafe as a place to recharge my batteries.” This way, he never loses his interest or excitement in what he’s seeing. | If you’re on your own, Mr. Gray suggested taking plenty of breaks. “If I’m going to a museum for two hours, I might spend a whole hour at the museum cafe,” he said. “I use the museum cafe as a place to recharge my batteries.” This way, he never loses his interest or excitement in what he’s seeing. |
| Art and historical objects are worth taking a few quiet moments to consider. It is impossible to take in a large painting or really appreciate that 6,000-year-old sculpture without stopping to think. And stopping to think gets infinitely harder when there are people pushing and shoving one another to see the same things. | Art and historical objects are worth taking a few quiet moments to consider. It is impossible to take in a large painting or really appreciate that 6,000-year-old sculpture without stopping to think. And stopping to think gets infinitely harder when there are people pushing and shoving one another to see the same things. |
| If you’re flexible, however, it is quite possible to avoid most of the crowds. “The most popular time to go to a museum is on Sunday afternoons,” Mr. Gray said, and a rainy one is even worse. “If it’s a Sunday and it’s rainy outside, there are going to be lines out the door at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and American Museum of Natural History because that’s just the place to go.” | If you’re flexible, however, it is quite possible to avoid most of the crowds. “The most popular time to go to a museum is on Sunday afternoons,” Mr. Gray said, and a rainy one is even worse. “If it’s a Sunday and it’s rainy outside, there are going to be lines out the door at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and American Museum of Natural History because that’s just the place to go.” |
| Mr. Gray recommended visiting during a late-night opening instead. “Increasingly, museums around the world are doing at least one night a week where they’re staying open late,” he said, and it is often on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday. If the museum is normally open until 6 p.m., they might stay open until as late as 9 p.m. | |
| When Mr. Gray was at the Belvedere Museum in Vienna on a Friday night, he was able to see Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss” by himself. “Usually there are incredible lines to see it. I had the whole gallery to myself. Nobody was at the museum for the last hour.” | When Mr. Gray was at the Belvedere Museum in Vienna on a Friday night, he was able to see Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss” by himself. “Usually there are incredible lines to see it. I had the whole gallery to myself. Nobody was at the museum for the last hour.” |
| Even if you can’t make a late-night opening, there are other ways to dodge crowds. Mr. Gray recommended that, instead of showing up before a museum opens and joining the queue, wait and instead come 15 minutes after it opens. The initial queue will have dispersed and you can now get in without waiting. | Even if you can’t make a late-night opening, there are other ways to dodge crowds. Mr. Gray recommended that, instead of showing up before a museum opens and joining the queue, wait and instead come 15 minutes after it opens. The initial queue will have dispersed and you can now get in without waiting. |
| Also, many big museums have more than one entrance you can use. Skip the main entrance and go in the back door. For example, The Met has a second entrance on Fifth Avenue and 81st Street. You miss the Great Hall — but you also miss the lines in the Great Hall. | Also, many big museums have more than one entrance you can use. Skip the main entrance and go in the back door. For example, The Met has a second entrance on Fifth Avenue and 81st Street. You miss the Great Hall — but you also miss the lines in the Great Hall. |
| Museums often have resources for people who want to dig deeper into their collections. Mr. Gray suggested picking up the audio guide if one is available. They’re a great supplement to the museum’s written materials. | Museums often have resources for people who want to dig deeper into their collections. Mr. Gray suggested picking up the audio guide if one is available. They’re a great supplement to the museum’s written materials. |
| Most museums have an app or a mobile-friendly website. “They’ve created so much great content that they’ve put online,”Mr. Gray said. With the app or mobile site on your phone, you’re able to look up information about your favorite pieces while you’re at the museum. On every plaque, you’ll usually see a unique string of digits or some other identifier. This is the piece’s “accession number” and you can normally plug it into the app to learn more about its history and how it came to the museum. Some apps will even take you on themed tours through the museum’s collection. | Most museums have an app or a mobile-friendly website. “They’ve created so much great content that they’ve put online,”Mr. Gray said. With the app or mobile site on your phone, you’re able to look up information about your favorite pieces while you’re at the museum. On every plaque, you’ll usually see a unique string of digits or some other identifier. This is the piece’s “accession number” and you can normally plug it into the app to learn more about its history and how it came to the museum. Some apps will even take you on themed tours through the museum’s collection. |
| Mr. Gray is also a fan of guided tours. If the museum offers free tours, consider joining one, but he also suggests paying for a professional tour. With a guide, he explained, you’ll learn more about the museum’s scholarly research and “you can go ask questions and go deep on things. Museums have so much more for people to explore than just the paintings and the objects.” | Mr. Gray is also a fan of guided tours. If the museum offers free tours, consider joining one, but he also suggests paying for a professional tour. With a guide, he explained, you’ll learn more about the museum’s scholarly research and “you can go ask questions and go deep on things. Museums have so much more for people to explore than just the paintings and the objects.” |
| Most museums are far too big to see properly in one day. Even small museums dedicated to a single topic can easily have a few thousand items in their collection. If you try to see everything, you’ll burn out. It’s a very strange feeling to look at artifacts from antiquity and just … shrug. Mr. Gray cautions people against feeling they have to get their money’s worth by seeing as much as possible. Stay as long as you’re enjoying it and, once you’re done, don’t feel guilty: leave and come back another day. Museums reward repeat visits. | Most museums are far too big to see properly in one day. Even small museums dedicated to a single topic can easily have a few thousand items in their collection. If you try to see everything, you’ll burn out. It’s a very strange feeling to look at artifacts from antiquity and just … shrug. Mr. Gray cautions people against feeling they have to get their money’s worth by seeing as much as possible. Stay as long as you’re enjoying it and, once you’re done, don’t feel guilty: leave and come back another day. Museums reward repeat visits. |
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