National Watch and Clock Museum — Attraction in Columbia

I visited years ago when I was in middle school (perhaps about 2010) and it was so memorable that I dragged my husband back for a second visit this past weekend. We live almost 4 hours away, otherwise I would have been back sooner! I have always loved clocks and history. My husband is more mechanically inclined and he had a fabulous time as well. We spent about 2.5 hours there but could have stayed even longer!

What an excellent museum. The collection is very diverse and well curated. They do a great job breaking down the explanations of different technologies and their impacts in ways that someone with no prior experience with clock mechanisms can understand. The section on Japanese timepieces was really fascinating to me and a highlight of this visit. My first love is Naval History so I also appreciated the section on Chronometers, their impact on determinging time zones, world exploration, and furthering horological advancements. My husband was fascinated by the escapement exhibit.

We happened to be there for the 2pm showing of the Engel Clock which was a fun and amusing experience. It is easy to see why it took 20 years to complete. We also enjoyed a tune from one of the few non-clock pieces there, a beautiful...

The National Watch and Clock Museum unquestionably is the most comprehensive museum in the western hemisphere dedicated to the history of time, timekeeping and timekeepers. While it is a "mekka" for clock and watch enthusiasts, it is a also a great place for a family outing with everything from toddlers to teenagers. There are litterally thousands of watches and clocks on display, with interactice exhibits explaining how they work, their history and the role of timekeeping in society. They also host many groups of home schooled students.

The National Watch and CLock Museum is an accredited museum by the AAM, a rare distinction for an institution of this size, which attests to its discipline in following approriate guidelines in matters of conservation, collection management and scholarship.

It is operated by the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (a 501c3 not-for-profit educational organisation) and shares a campus in Columbia PA with with the National Watch and Clock Library, the NAWCC School of Horology and the NAWCC administrative and publishing offices.

The only other comparable museum in the USA is the American Clock and Watch Museum in Bristol CT but its focus is more on Connecticut...

"Time flies when you're having fun" This was a pretty fun museum, with all sorts of information about clocks, watches, the history of keeping time. It had all sorts of information from the earliest time pieces (sundials, water clocks, the Antikythera Mechanism) incense clocks, water clocks, to modern wrist watches, atomic clocks, and how they tell time in space.

It literally has all you could ever want to know about Horology (the science of keeping time) Did you know the ancient Babylonians came up with the 60 second minute, and 60 minute hour? Pretty neat. Prior to the contiguous USA adopting the four standard time zones (eastern, central, mountain and pacific) in 1883 there were some 21 separate time recognized across the country.

The exhibits were pretty nice, there were literally hundreds of time keeping devices there. It took us about 45 minutes to cruise through the museum, we didnt spend much time in the gift shop, though we did pick up a free poster. Fall Hours are Tues-Sat 10a-5p, Sunday Noon-4p, closed Mondays, Admission is currently 8.00 for adults, 7.00 for seniors, 4.00 for children. AAA&...