Manchester Millyard Museum

We enjoyed a fantastic field trip visit to the Millyard Museum last week. What a great little gem of a place hidden away in the very mills you learn about while touring the museum.

The staff were extremely friendly and the displays were semi-interactive. You walk through the museum in chronological order, learning about the Merrimack River, the Amoskeag Falls, and the cultures and communities that developed because of it's use.

It was a little challenging for the youngest members of the fam, but we had 3 adults to keep them busy and directed appropriately.

The older children worked with Daddy and Grandma to fill in their worksheets provided by the museum. They each chose a different one focusing on specific details of the history of the Millyard. These worksheets turned the museum into a scavenger hunt of sorts, giving great depth to their experience. Instead of the quick walk-through I sort of expected, we spent several hours in a not so big but very full place. :-)

The exhibits were a delight. Full of detail and description. Some hands-on, but most just for the eye.

We were blessed with our own personal tour guide as we entered the industrial side of the tour. David's mother and father came to Manchester from Canada in their early marriage, both working in the mills for a season. We loved seeing Grandma show us the machines she and Papa worked on in earlier years.

For any local readers, I'm giving the Manchester Millyard Museum a high recommendation for a family field trip. You will learn the amazing history of the Queen City, explore the new cultures still growing there, and enjoy delightful interactive rests along the way. Our youngest ones loved the coloring table in the current art and wildflower exhibit.  My suggestion for a family of any significant size is to purchase a family membership. For an extremely reasonable price, you will have a full year's access to the Millyard as well the SEE Science Center just two floors up. For those frugal fans out there, that's the best deal when you crunch the numbers. ;-)  Stay tuned for pics from our stop at the SEE!!