The world is full of museums. It seems that every tourist town has at least one; destination cities have a multitude. Certainly everyone is aware of the mega-museums, those that have earned the reputation of “best in the world,” like the Louvre, the Smithsonian, the Hermitage, etc. Less well known are these “smaller museums” which manage to do great things with much smaller budgets. I am not a museum-person; I prefer not to spend hours in a building looking at many things that I will never remember or that have little meaning for me. However, I think that I am discerning enough to appreciate museums, and there are some that I will return to year after year because they are so special.

           Therefore, I tend to stay away from many of these “small museums” and to spend my time looking at the more significant sights of a tourist destination. However, there are several of these museums that have left a very positive impression on me. These are the ones that I would like to share.

            Museum of the North, Fairbanks, Alaska — Who would have expected to find such a gem in one of the world’s most god-forsaken places, the Alaskan interior.                          

Museum of the North

       The museum is fantastic, combining fine arts, native crafts, natural history, Alaskan history, and creative film-making to render a true and realistic portrait of this incredible state. The architecture of the building itself is a major attraction of the museum.                  

Museum of the North