Grand Rapids Public Museum — Attraction in Grand Rapids

I almost took my family somewhere else because the Museum requires unnecessary personal information to issue tickets.

What Happened: We stood in line to buy our tickets at the Museum. When it was our turn, I was asked four questions (with my answers) - Are you a Member? (No) Are you a Kent County resident? (No) What is your email address? (No thank you) What is your phone number? (No thank you). The Attendant then told me that either my phone number or email address was required in order to sell me tickets (even if paying cash!). This is highly unusual and I considered taking the family somewhere else. But then I realized that the ticket system doesn't care if I give accurate information so I made up a phone number beginning with "555". I was then able to buy tickets.

(If you are short on time, please skip to the end of this review for a suggestion on what to do if you also think you shouldn't be required to give your personal information.)

Why does this matter? I'll be the first to admit that I cast my personal info far and wide but this situation was unique. I routinely decline to give my info at stores because I don't want to be added to a marketing list. And, every time, I can make the purchase. But at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, they will not sell you a ticket if you do not give this information.

The following day I emailed their Customer Service and received a reply - the same day! - from Fin Ackerman, the CS Manager. He explained: "Currently our policy is indeed to collect emails and names, with phone numbers as a backup. This is something we have done since we first transitioned to our current ticketing software five years ago. Because our museum has a number of free add-ons and experiences, and because we are using a primarily digital platform to send and scan tickets, we do require at least a name and one unique identifier (email or phone) to assign to your tickets. This allows us to check guests into extra exhibits, rides, and shows, as receipts are easily lost on fun days out with family and friends.

Emails are collected in order to send out digital versions of our tickets, which include a QR code. Our newsletter option is something that is opt-in only, which means even if you had given your email (understandable that you did not, no worries!) there is only one email ever sent to you, containing your digital tickets."

This was an exceptional answer! While I understand the Museum's practical reasoning, I still believe that 1) I should be able to Opt-Out from giving personal info if it's not necessary and 2) the Museum Staff should be able to explain to customers like me why it's being asked for. It was very embarrassing to be put in a situation where I was going to be denied tickets just because I wouldn't share my info. My two pre-teen kids were right there and we've had many discussions about online privacy and protecting your identity. So without an explanation, I felt that I had to stick to my guns and refuse to provide the info.

SUGGESTION FOR WHAT TO DO: If you've read my full account, you understand that the Museum doesn't have a nefarious plot to send you tons of junk emails or sell your info to mobsters overseas. But where do we draw the line? If you feel, as I do, that you shouldn't be denied entry to the Museum for not providing personal information, I suggest doing the following (in person only. You'll definitely be giving your email address if you order tickets online):

When asked for a phone number, use "555" and the last 4 digits of your phone number. This will do the following: you get in to the Museum, no problem you send a message that you agree with me (I told Mr. Ackerman I would be writing this and suggested that he occasionally look in their database for "555" so he could track how many people do this) if you decide to add experiences to your ticket, you'll be able to go to Customer Service and do so

We enjoyed the rest of our visit and do recommend spending half your day there. Thank you to Mr. Ackerman for taking the time to respond to...

Long story short, the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) is one gem of a museum, and if you love museums, you should make an effort to come explore it if you are anywhere between Chicago and Detroit (or further afield). Now here is the long story: first, although the Museum doesn't have extended hours, it opens at 9 a.m. on weekdays and is open seven days a week, which provides a level of accessibility not often seen even in museums of larger cities; second, while the Museum doesn't seem to have free days, its admission is quite reasonably priced, and it is to me even a steal considering what this museum has to offer; third, the current main building of the GRPM opened in 1994, so admittedly, in some parts of the Museum the exhibit labels and lighting get in the way of an optimal viewing experience. However, such issues are less of a problem in museums of natural and cultural history, and the exhibits here are so diverse and fun that the issues can largely be ignored.

In particular, I think their "Collecting A to Z" (which consists of small exhibits themed by a keyword starting with one specific letter) is an excellent idea of filling the Museum space. It not only introduces the practice of collecting—still the backbone in most kinds of modern-day museums, but brings out a variety of collections that would otherwise be locked inside storage rooms. While children will make the most of some of these exhibits such as dolls and toys, I am sure that adults will learn from the exhibits as well since many of their themes are thoughtfully chosen and well-executed (check out the ivory exhibit, for example). I also like the detail of placing the clocks & watches display opposite the tower clock of the old Grand Rapids City Hall.

Another thing to applaud for the GRPM's curatorial team is their approach of blending nature and culture, which is reflected throughout the Museum—from small displays to whole exhibitions. The Lake Sturgeon exhibition combines audiovisuals, artifacts made by Native Americans, and live specimens (and their natural habitat right outside the window) to narrate the story about this amazing fish. Also, walk into their newer "Fashion and Nature" exhibition and you will see how this curatorial tradition is continued. In the galleries of "West Michigan Habitats", this approach stands out more in the details: urban birds are displayed on an architectural fragment, and the topic of falconry is brought up in the birds of prey display.

I cannot praise the GRPM highly enough, but of course, no place is perfect and there is always room for improvement: (1) Some smaller exhibits are not shown on the visitor map—you will have pleasant surprises in exploring the Museum, though. (2) A coat room always comes handy, but I would appreciate it if there were self-service lockers for use. You can carry your backpack around but you can also easily spend half a day in this place—it never hurts to go light(er)! (3) Selection of hot foods is limited in the Museum café. (4) While ample seating is provided inside the exhibition halls, there is a lack of it in the hallways on the second and third floors. (5) The Native American exhibition is designated as a "Quiet Area", however, you can hear the sounds from the nearby Arcade. I also feel that the Arcade is more a game center than an exhibit—a bit more information such as the history of arcade games or how these machines work would be a welcome addition. (6) In some exhibits such as arms and hats, it is not easy to match objects to labels without them being numbered. (7) "Streets of Old Grand Rapids", while nice, doesn't feel lively and could benefit from a better soundscape. The immigrants exhibition is very text-heavy and could also use a better flow when the Museum starts to renovate its "core exhibition spaces". This may seem a long list, but trust me: these are really just quibbles that should in no way discourage you from visiting this delightful museum. Kudos to the staff of the GRPM. I am already expecting another visit after your expansion...

I am a caregiver for an adult with autism and an intellectual disability. He wanted to go to the museum, so I took him. Normally museums allow a personal care assistant to accompany him at no cost. GRPM would not. I don't think I should need to argue this, as his disability is obvious. He cannot go to the museum alone. When I explained that I could let him loose in the museum by himself if they liked, it wasn't fair for him to have to pay extra to have a caretaker along, and it could possibly be an ADA violation, a reasonable person working at the membership desk allowed sanity to prevail and allowed him his caregiver at no extra charge.

Sometimes a personal care assistant is as necessary to one's ability to use the museum as a wheelchair is to someone who is physically disabled; charging the caregiver isn't much different than charging someone extra to take their wheelchair into the museum (and that's absurd, right?). This is a common-sense fairness and accessibility issue. Maybe GRPM thinks the caregiver is deriving benefit from the museum and should pay--but the workers at the museum aren't in a position to accurately judge this. (For the record, I would've benefited from a quiet Sunday afternoon at home by myself, and wouldn't have gone on my own--and, at any rate, this should be immaterial.)

GRPM really needs to look again at their policies in regards to personal care assistants. If a person can't attend on their own, they should be allowed an assistant, unless the museum wants to provide workers or volunteers to assist disabled clients. It's not like a personal care assistant is taking a high-demand seat that could be sold to someone else.

On a totally different topic, the museum also should not be asking for people's names and their email address in order to buy a ticket. I was told this was required. Weirdly invasive.

So that was the bad stuff.

The good stuff: nice exhibits and volunteers. The guy in the fire station did such an excellent job of explaining the fire engine, some history of firefighting in GR, and the book of photos of GR...