New Jersey State Museum — Attraction in Trenton

The New Jersey State Museum offers a range of exhibits and activities that showcase the state's natural and cultural heritage. Here are some things you can do when visiting the New Jersey State Museum:

Explore the Exhibits: The museum has several galleries with diverse exhibits. Learn about New Jersey's geological history, wildlife, Native American cultures, and more. Take your time to explore the displays and interact with interactive elements.

Visit the Planetarium: The museum houses a planetarium that offers captivating shows about the night sky, astronomy, and space exploration. Check the schedule for upcoming shows and enjoy a unique and educational experience.

Discover the Fine Art Collection: The museum features an extensive collection of American art, including paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts. Admire works by renowned artists and gain insight into the artistic history of New Jersey.

Engage in Hands-On Activities: The museum often offers hands-on activities and workshops for visitors of all ages. Participate in interactive programs, workshops, or educational sessions that allow you to engage with the exhibits on a deeper level.

Attend Special Events: Keep an eye out for special events hosted by the museum, such as lectures, film screenings, and family-friendly events. These events offer additional opportunities to learn and have a memorable experience.

Visit the State Museum Shop: Before leaving, make sure to visit the museum shop, which offers a selection of unique gifts, books, educational toys, and other items related to the museum's collections.

Remember to check the museum's website or contact them directly to get the most up-to-date information about exhibits, programs, and events...

Museum far exceeded expectations and my only real critique is that they should do a better job showing off all the amazing things their website - especially what they have for kids. We were reluctant to go because we were not certain it would have enough to hold young children's interest. If I had known (ahead of time) all that was contained on floor 2 I would have spent more time there. On that note there were two amazing play spaces within the exhibits in the second floor (toy exhibit -the foam blue blocks and legos, natural history exhibit - tent, books, coloring, dress up, comfy seating areas, etc). There were also hands on interactive things in other parts too.

The visual art galleries displayed a diverse assortment of artists (well known and local NJ). It was a great collection. The NJ history artifacts were also very interesting.

The first floor has nice gathering spaces that overlook the Delaware River.

The museum is true to it's word of being a 4-in-1 museum. We did not check out the planetarium because it was nearing lunch time but I was told it was the largest in the state.

Beyond this, the staff was amazingly friendly and helpful.

We drove over an hour to get there and it was well worth the trip.

Also, (not sure if this is the norm) there was no one there on the Sunday morning we visited. It was easy to secure parking right in front of the museum and it was so peaceful and low-key within the museum.

Meant to also add - the museum is cash only by donation. We had little cash on hand and felt bad that we could not donate...

This museum is a hidden gem, largely overlooked because of it sits in the heart of Trenton. There are a million things to see in the museum and it is good for families, especially on the weekend when the Planetarium is open. There is an extensive fossil collection, including the New Jersey dinosaurs, there is even a working lab that one can peer in to on occasion. The museum has a early flags exhibit and, though not my taste, a fairly robust exploration and collection of birds around the state. The fine art collection, which I viewed during this visit, was a huge surprise...Romeare Beardon, Jacob Lawrence, and so much featuring New Jersey itself. The native arts are portrayed along with honest conveyance of what happened to the local community. I explicitly went to see the Posing Beauty exhibit and the portrayal of Black beautyt. You could not take pictures though I managed to take one picture of the exhibit entry before figuring this out. The one downside of the specific exhibit was that the art with sounds (video visuals) were all on very low and it wasn't closed captioned, so I missed the understanding of a lot of that work and ended up looking at some of it later and online. The museum itself looks a little beaten up and could use some sprucing in places. The museums store is a lot of fun, including a dedicated Trenton section and lots of books related to...