Penn Museum — Attraction in Philadelphia

I've been to a couple of university museums and, generally, they're a little rough. I was pleased to see how nice the Penn Museum was. Materials were laid out in a sensible manner, materials were provided for both the interests of young and old (probably leaning a bit toward adults), and the variety and quality of materials were fantastic. It was the largest exhibit of Etruscan artifacts I've seen outside of Italy and they were no slouch on the rest of their exhibits. I'm sure that similar care will be taken with the new sections as soon as they are open.

I do have a few issues. There were a couple of exhibitions put on display that were mainly focused on pushing a particular ideological slant. I appreciate that all creations are done with a particular point of view, but part of the power of historical study is to attempt to present materials from a variety of perspectives to grant an understanding of the whole issue. I do not have enough experience to tell if this was a one-off, but it was frustrating.

The museum was a bit difficult to navigate and struggled with flow, though I imagine that was largely due to their renovations.

The last bit regards the Egypt exhibit. There were several preserved persons in the exhibits that were presented in uncomfortably exposed ways with the only warning being a tiny sign stating that the exhibit included human remains. One particular case included a fully nude preserved male with a rectangular hole cut in the top of his skull, another of a preserved child, another of a person with toes exposed. I recognize that part of understanding previous cultures includes funerary practices, but I don't know if a presentation to that degree was warranted and might have been disturbing for many adults or small children. I would either suggest that a more specific warning be added to detail this, or that the remains of these humans be presented with more dignity to the persons who have effectively been taken from their place of rest to be used as a show for...

I feel compelled to share my recent experience at the Penn Museum, and unfortunately, it was far from positive. One of the museum's security staff exhibited extreme unfriendliness and unprofessionalism when she shouted at my 9-year-old son, reducing him to tears on the spot. Later, even in the presence of her manager, the security personnel continued to act aggressively, repeatedly interrupting my son as he tried to explain the situation. Shockingly, explicit language was directed at me, including hurtful comments about my child's mental state, such as calling him 'mad.' Disturbed by her words and apparently intimidated, my son cried a second time.

To make matters worse, the fact is that the security staff wrongfully accused my son of being unattended, forcing him to go to his parents yet simply refusing to give him a chance to explain he was well within the sight of his grandparents. The lack of patience and understanding displayed by the staff raises concerns about the museum's suitability for children. Should a cultural institution renowned for its archaeological treasures not strive to be inclusive and welcoming to families?

Despite making a six-hour drive from Boston to patronize the museum and expose my son to history and culture, our visit ended in heartbreak. The actions of the museum's security staff have left an indelible mark on what should have been an enlightening visit.

I appreciate the manager's attempt to address the situation and apologize for his colleague's behavior. However, I remain uncertain if this gesture is enough to alleviate the psychological distress caused to my son.

I hope this feedback, including the details of my son's second distressing encounter, prompts the museum to reevaluate its staff training and customer service practices, ensuring a more positive experience for...

I was debating how to rate this museum; flip flopping between 3 or 4 stars. Ultimately, I landed on 3 because I couldn't get over the fact that some event planner woman called security on us.

We drove over 2 hours specifically to see the Egypt exhibit (the abbreviated version, since they are renovating the full exhibit). When we arrived, we saw a sign next to the exhibit, "Private Event". We emailed ahead specifically to confirm the mini-exhibit would be open. Also, the ticket booth associates never mentioned it was closed.

So, we see the sign, but ignore it because our 9 y/o is fascinated (he has read multiple books on it, and watched a half dozen documentaries) with all things Egypt, and, as I said, we drove 2 hours. We were quiet, respectful, and completely away from the event that was being set up (the event hadn't even started). This woman walks by, never says a word. Walks by again. Comes by again, this time with security. We didn't put up a fight, and the security guard was so nice and friendly. She even became our personal tour guide for some of the other areas of the museum.

But this event planner woman should be ashamed of herself. A child is showing legitimate interest in something she probably devoted her life to (museums), and didn't have the decency to speak to us directly, and just tell us to wrap it up. Nevertheless, our son still enjoyed himself and loves exploring the exhibits.

Our experience with Egypt aside, it is a nice, beautiful, well kept museum, but too expensive for what it is, at least until the full Egyptian exhibit opens up.

I wouldn't recommend this place for small kids. It's akin to a rich person's house, who has a bunch of expensive stuff and doesn't have nor...