When we’re truck camping, we go to museums when it’s raining, hot, or when we can’t find anything else to do in a particular area. The only other time we visit a museum is when they’re right there in front of us – say at a National Park’s visitors center – or happen upon one in a town.
That’s not to say that we don’t really enjoy museums. In our 11-plus years of truck camping we have enjoyed dozens of museums on the road. There’s no better way to enhance your appreciation of a location, culture, or history than a well presented museum.
By far the best museum we have visited on the road was the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York.
Above: Taking pictures in a glass museum was a real treat. See the image I took below.
The Corning Museum had been recommended to us by friends and family for years, but the idea of a museum dedicated to glass didn’t exactly excite us. That was a mistake.
Above: The thermal camera exhibit showing the effect of Low-E glass
The museum has lots of interactive exhibits revolving around the science and history of glass. For fun, they also have quite a few optical illusion exhibits with an explanation of how that effect is made. We loved this part of the museum.
Above: A glass jewelry making demonstration at the Corning Museum
They also had a good number of demonstrations of working with glass including glass blowing and forming. Some of these were set within the main museum area while others were in an auditorium. Again the presenters not only dazzle with their glass work, but explain what’s happening along the way.
Above: Doesn’t everyone want a periscope on their truck camper?
Finally, there are extensive exhibits of glass art and products dating back thousands of years. The collection of ancient glass goes back 35 centuries and spans the world.
I was particularly fascinated with the Roman glass work. The paperweight collection was also absolutely stunning. Who knew glass could be this cool?
As a bonus, the museum building itself was a marvel. If you have even a passing interest in modern architecture, you may enjoy the museum building as much as its contents. I sure did.
The Corning Museum of Glass is located at One Museum Way, Corning, New York, 14830. Parking our truck camper rig at the Corning Museum of Glass was easy. There was a huge parking lot.
Admission is $19.50 per adult. Kids 17 and under are free. 55+, AAA, and Military are $16.50. We are extremely frugal on the road and would usually balk at $19.50 per person, but the Corning Museum of Glass was well worth it.
This week’s Question of the Week is, “What are the best museums you have visited while truck camping?”
We’re specifically looking for the museums you would go back to again and again. For example, we would definitely go back to the Corning Museum, but the Vermont Marble Museum is probably a once and done for us. If we had to recommend one museum that you pin on your Google Map, it would be the Corning Museum.
Recommended museums should be truck camper friendly. That means the museum features a large open parking lot and is otherwise accessible to truck campers. For this reason, most museums located in major cities are probably not good recommendations for truck campers.
Please also include the name and address of the museum, the price of admission, and where you parked you rig. Any other tips related to that museum are welcome.
Please fill out the form below to tell us about your favorite museum from the road. If you have pictures from your favorite museum, please send them to contact@truckcampermagazine.com. Please label the picture with the name of the museum for the caption.
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