Serendipity and Museums: My 2024 List and 2025 Project

When our walking tour ended in Salamanca, Spain, my friend and I hot-footed it over to Museo de Salamanca. We paid one euro each to see twenty minutes worth of riches in the few rooms still open. At the front desk, the attendant impressed upon us that they were about to close for siesta. The museum shuts down from 2 to 5 p.m. Lucky for us, we were able to get a quick glimpse at two rooms with historic paintings and furniture, and we had a good look at the holdings in the little archaeological section.

Museo de Salamanca is number 58.

I didn't set out to accomplish anything like this, but in mid-December, when thinking about the highlights of 2024, I thought about how fortunate I was to have seen so many museums. My career has been spent in museums, so visiting many institutions annually is not unexpected. This year, I worked at a few, I visited colleagues at others, and I was a tourist at many. So many museums. How many, exactly? It's hard to say, but I was astounded when I made my list.

First, what constitutes a museum? Wikipedia calls a museum “an institution dedicated to displaying and/or preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects.” Webster's defines a museum as “a building in which interesting and valuable things (as works of art or historical or scientific objects) are collected and shown to the public.” The American Association of Museums has moved aquariums and zoos “purposefully toward the current idea of museums as engaged with their community and actively preserving natural heritage.” Obviously there are many ways to describe “museum.”

How was I going to define museum, for the purposes of my list titled “Museums Visited in 2024?” I went back and forth a bit on this. The ultimate decision was whether the building had some type of objects on display with interpretive signage. This broadened my range to include traditional museums, galleries, churches, classic restaurants and even a movie theater. I chose not to include signage on trails, such as seen at California’s Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Viewing Area or Virginia’s Gold Star Families Memorial at Jordan’s Point Park, as they lack physical buildings.

My museum list follows this narrative. They’re in chronological order of my visits. There are 84 on the list!

However, three museums garnered multiple visits: Arizona State Museum, Getty Center, and Montana Dinosaur Center. So if I counted my total museum visits, that number would increase to 89. More casually, I had thousands of visits throughout the year to Bret’s Rock Museum, a display in our home office made by my son at age four. Display pieces like mica and quartz still sit labeled on a bookshelf. I chose to count this as one visit, despite walking through that room almost daily.

I did not include seven museums which were closed when I arrived. For two, oops, I forgot to check opening hours on places I’d visited frequently (Satwiwa Native American Culture Center and Wrightwood Historical Society & Museum). Two were closed despite websites and signs indicating they were open (Deming Luna Mimbres Museum and C.H. Nash Museum & Chucalissa Indian Mounds). One didn't have accessible parking available for a tall vehicle when I visited (Briscoe Western Art Museum). Castelo Guimãraes (the interior) and Paço dos Duques de Bragança, both in Guimãraes, Portugal, were closed due to a museum workers strike.

If I included museum buildings which I physically visited (although not necessarily went inside), and counted each and every visit, and if I did my arithmetic correctly, then I visited 96! What serendipity!

I admit that when I started thinking about my museums and creating this list, I went to a couple more. But I didn’t go out of my way for them. All were on a path to where I was already going. Such as, I attended a luncheon in La Mirada, so I went to Downey on the way there, and to Whittier and San Gabriel on the way home. A visit to my brother’s home led to Simi Valley and Northridge. See if you can figure out what museums I saw on those days.

It would be exhaustive to write a few sentences on each of these places, ranging from local exhibits in restaurants to The Getty Center, a world renowned, powerful institution. But when one loves museums, one stops to look whenever possible. I’ll share a few favorites here.

On a not-too-busy road between Great Falls MT and Glacier National Park, the modest but mighty Montana Dinosaur Center has an unassuming facade fronted by Rusty the Daspletosaurus metal sculpture. Fabulous fossils inside include the eggs, juvenile, and adult bones of Maiasaura. These physical remains led to the understanding of some dinosaur behavior; they indicate that these dinos cared for their young. Plus this museum offers the opportunity for guests to go on a dig and excavate dinosaurs. An opportunity not to be missed, amazing!

Across the world from Montana, Núcleo Museológico de Favaios - Pão e Vinho in Favaois, Portugal, is a gem. “Bread and Wine Museum.” The village is known for its four corner bread (Trigo de Quatro Cantos) and Moscatel wine. Both are available to try elsewhere in the village. This tidy museum, with its fabulous historic building and modern exhibits, shows a tremendous sense of regional pride. It’s a delight.

Along the central California coast, two house museums perch on hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean. They could not be more different. The modest white wooden Spooner Ranch House in Montana de Oro State Park sits in stark contrast to the opulent former home of newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst. The grand complex of Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument, designed by architect Julia Morgan, contains a treasure trove of art from around the world.

Restaurants as museums can be fun to dine in. Prescott, Arizona is home to the Palace Restaurant and Saloon. Doc Holliday and the Earp brothers used to hang out at the bar. A notable restaurant with exhibits (trains! circuses!) in Los Angeles is Philippe the Original.

During the last couple of weeks of December, I could have pushed it and made it to 100. Yet that seemed less serendipitous, so I didn’t try. Will I try to top this list in 2025? I don’t think so. I have another project in mind.

What’s my project for 2025?

Within the museum world, my specialty is Native American basketry. With my fondness for baskets, I home in on them whenever I can. You’d be surprised at the baskets I find here and there, some in unexpected places.

A few years ago, I began Bryn’s Basket Blog. In March 2024, I posted “Surprises in San Diego: Baskets in Balboa Park, Part I and Part 2,” including the first two museums from my list. See https://brynbasketblog.blogspot.com/

For 2024, I accumulated 84 museums and a year’s worth of basket photos. For 2025, I intend to write about more of the baskets I found in them. Assigning numbers to objects and creating catalog entries are key components of museum record keeping. I have my list. I have my photos. I will do a bit of research too, as fact checking is essential. It only seems right that I fulfill my path as a curator and document my findings. You’re invited to read along as I update the blog during 2025.

Other museum adventures gleaned from my 2024 museum visits, not limited to basketry, will undoubtedly surface in future Vocal stories. Or maybe a series on cool museums and fascinating findings? We will see if my museum memories can manifest themselves in any of Vocal’s 2025 Challenges. Happy reading in 2025!

MUSEUMS VISITED IN 2024

1.Mingei International Museum, San Diego CA

2. San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego CA

3. Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, Palm Sprints CA

4. Benton Museum of Art, Claremont CA

5. Rex Allen Arizona Cowboy Museum, Willcox AZ

6. Pacific War Museum, Fredericksburg TX

7. Crockett County Museum, Ozuna TX

8. San Xavier del Bac Mission, Tucson AZ

9. Arizona State Museum, Tucson AZ

10. Palace Restaurant and Saloon, Prescott AZ

11. Sharlot Hall Museum, Prescott AZ

12. The Getty Center, Los Angeles CA

13. Montana Dinosaur Center, Bynum MT

14. Glacier National Park, East Glacier Park MT

15. The Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, Great Falls MT

16. The National WWII Museum, New Orleans LA

17. Laura Plantation, Vacherie LA

18. Louisiana State Museum, Baton Rouge LA

19. The Myrtles, St Francisville LA

20. Rosalie Mansion & Gardens, Natchez MS

21. Vicksburg National Military Park, Vicksburg MS

22. USS Cairo Gunboat & Museum, Vicksburg MS

23. Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum, Vicksburg MS

24. Bass Pro Shop Pyramid, Memphis TN

25. National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis TN

26. Sun Studios, Memphis TN

27. Edge Motor Museum, Memphis TN

28. Peabody Hotel History Room, Memphis TN

29. California Indian Basketweavers Association Showcase, Banning CA

30. Elverhøj Museum, Solvang CA

31. Spooner Ranch House, Los Osos CA

32. Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument, San Simeon CA

33. Sherman Indian Museum, Riverside CA

34. Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties, Riverside CA

35. Philippe the Original, Los Angeles CA

36. California Heritage Museum, Santa Monica CA

37. Gray Fossil Site & Museum, Grey TN

38. National Museum of the American Indian, Washington DC

39. Freedom House Museum, Alexandria VA

40. Alexandria Archaeology Museum, Alexandria VA

41. Torpedo Art Center, Alexandria VA

42. Lawry's the Prime Rib, Beverly Hills CA

43. Rancho Los Cerritos, Long Beach CA

44. Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles CA

45. Laemmle Town Center, Encino CA

46. Adamson House Museum, Malibu CA

47. Chumash Indian Museum, Thousand Oaks CA

48. San Luis Rey Mission Museum, Oceanside CA

49. Birch Aquarium, La Jolla CA

50. La Jolla Historical Society, La Jolla CA

51. Museu de Marinha, Lisbon Portugal

52. Santo Maria da Vitoria Monestart, Batalha Portugal

53. Our Lady of the Rosary Basilica and Shrine, Fatima Portugal

54. Mateus Palace, Regua Portugal

55. Sandeman's Cellars & Visitor Center, Vila Nova de Gaia Portugal

56. Castelo Rodrigo, Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, Portugal

57. Igreja de N.Senhora do Reclamador, Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo

58. Museo de Salamanca, Salamanca Spain

59. Old Cathedral, Salamanca Spain

60. New Cathedral, Salamanca Spain

61. Museo Art Nouveau y Art Deco, Salamanca Spain

62. Núcleo Museológico Pão e Vinho, Favaois Portugal

63. Adega Coopertiva de Favaois, Favaois Portugal

64. Douro Wine Cellar, Quinta de Avessada

65. Ristorante, Ucanha Portugal

66. São João Monastery Cistercian, Tarouca Portugal

67. Casa de Santo Antonio Britande, Britande Portugal

68. Sé Catedral do Porto, Porto Portugal

69. Associacao de Comandos, Porto Portugal

70. Forte de São Francisco Xavier do Qeijo, Porto Portugal

71. Castelo Guimãraes, Guimãraes Portugal

72. Chapel of São Miguel, Guimãraes Portugal

73. Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Oliveira, Guimãraes Portugal

74. McDonald's Museum, San Bernardino CA

75. Museum of Riverside. Riverside CA

76. Columbia Memorial Space Center, Downey CA

77. Whittier Museum, Whittier CA

78. San Gabriel Mission Museum, San Gabriel CA

79. San Fernando Mission Museum, San Fernando CA

80. Strathern Historical Park, Simi Valley CA

81. Museum of the San Fernando Valley, Northridge CA

82. Natural History Museum Los Angeles County, Los Angeles CA

83. Vasquez Rocks Natural Area and Nature Center, Agua Dulce CA

84. Bret's Rock Museum, Los Angeles CA

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Story submitted for the Vocal Challenge -"New Year, New Project: Create a story about your New Year’s resolution for a 2025 creative project."