EXPEDITION EXHIBIT

In-state museums provide fun educational destinations

Families who are looking for an enjoyable and educational outing can find many museums that fit the bill. From arts and science to history and technology, Arkansas provides museums to suit most any interest. Here are just a few offerings folks can check out this summer.

THE ARKANSAS RAILROAD MUSEUM

Those who are excited to hear the sound of a locomotive coming down the tracks can choo-choose to learn about the state’s railroading history at the Arkansas Railroad Museum in Pine Bluff. The museum, housed in the former Cotton Belt Route machine shop, allows visitors to explore a range of locomotives, memorabilia, and passenger, freight and work cars.

“The museum is a great place to get a good hands-on feel of our railroad heritage,” volunteer John Wellenberger said. “Many of the railcars on display are open, and museum visitors may climb aboard for an up-close look.”

For more information, visit arkansas railroadmuseum.org.

THE CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART

Nature meets art at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, which was founded by Alice Walton in 2005 and opened to the public in 2011. The unique building was designed by Moshe Safdie and houses a permanent collection that encompasses five centuries of American artwork. The museum also offers temporary exhibits, the Museum of American Art Library and a 120-acre park that provides trails and sculptures. Learn more at crystalbridges.org.

THE DELTA CULTURAL CENTER

With a culture as rich as its soil, the Arkansas Delta is the focus of the Delta Cultural Center in Helena. The museum opened in 1990 with a single depot building and has since grown to include multiple properties. The collection includes exhibits about the Delta’s history, sounds and role in the Civil War.

“From now through early October, we have on display in our Visitors Center from the Smithsonian Institution the traveling exhibition Patios, Pools & The Invention of the American Backyard,” said Drew Ulrich, curator. “Later this summer, we plan to install a groundbreaking original exhibition titled Building for Tomorrow: E.C. Morris, Centennial Church and Black Baptists in the Jim Crow Era.”

The museum is also home to King Biscuit Time, the world’s longest-running blues radio broadcast. Learn more at arkansas heritage.com/delta-cultural-center.

ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE FILE PHOTOS Demara Titzer of Bella Vista, from left, and Larry Fortner and Lynn Fortner of Bentonville look through the art installment Beaded Prayers Project at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville.

Pat Jordan of the Heritage Theatre Guild in Wayne, Pennsylvania, plays suffrage leader Carrie Chapman Catt in a tribute to the women’s suffragist movement at the Delta Cultural Center in Helena-West Helena.

Jim Beach of Fairfield Bay checks out steam locomotive 819 at the Arkansas Railroad Museum in Pine Bluff.