Behringer-Crawford Museum

Do you want to know more about Northern Kentucky’s history?  Have you ever seen a shrunken head?  Or a two-headed calf?  Are you wondering where the famous white horse from the White Horse Tavern resides?  Do your kids love model trains?  Are you curious about what life was like on the river back in the day when steamboats ruled the waters?  If you answered yes to any of these questions I have the perfect place for you and your family to visit – the Behringer-Crawford Museum, located in Devou Park (Covington, KY).  It is one of our favorite local museums.  In fact, we just purchased our family membership a few weeks ago for the second year in a row.  I think that the mission statement on their website sums up perfectly what they are about:  The regional history of Northern Kentucky as part of the Ohio Valley must be preserved for the benefit of present & future generations. Therefore, the Behringer-Crawford Museum is a center for the collection, presentation, study and enjoyment of our natural, cultural, and visual and performing arts heritage.  What isn’t said in this mission statement is that Behringer-Crawford Museum is a perfect place to take the family, it is hands-on, fun, and so very educational!    Every time we go we all learn new things.

Compared to other museums around town, Behringer Crawford Museum is relatively small.  But I like that about it!  I think that it is less overwhelming for the kids (and for me!).  And they have so many fantastic exhibits throughout the museum.  My favorite exhibit is the Gourmet Strip collection, I’ve learned so much about some of the fancy restaurants of yesteryear.  Henry (my youngest – 18 months) LOVES to sit in their life-size 1959 Buick Electra and pretend he’s going for a Sunday drive in the country.  He thinks he’s big stuff.  The older kids prefer to spend the majority of our visit in the “Rivers Gallery”, where they have large replicas of a riverboat and the Suspension Bridge.  They have period costumes for the children to dress up in, cut-outs of soldiers to peek through, a giant stuffed elk, a fishing set, and more.  I just stand back and watch the imaginations go wild in this room.  Their other favorite stop is the large model train display near the entrance where they can us buttons to interact with the set, and go through tunnels to peep through giant plastic domes in the middle of the model, so it seems as if they are right in the middle of all the action!

Behringer-Crawford Museum also has many activities going on throughout the year.  When we were there a few weeks back they were doing crafts with the children for a small fee (for materials), at Christmas time they have a gorgeous holiday train display that I wrote about here on Family Friendly a while back, and in the summer time they have live music on the front lawn.  I’m only naming a few of their fun programs and activities, check their website for more details!  And if you visit the museum and enjoy it you should consider becoming a member, it’s well worth the money you spend (which is only $55 for a family), and knowing that the money is going towards preserving this great museum makes me happy.

And when you go do, don’t forget to visit the two-headed calf (see picture above) – my kids are fascinated by it!

Events at Behringer-Crawford Museum:

Community Arts Center Day – August 27th – Behringer Crawford Museum will be participating in the festivities at Baker Hunt Art & Cultural Center.

FreshART - September 17th – This event is great for families to visit the park during the day when the artists are working – you can get up close and personal and talk as they work!  The event’s proceeds benefit our education programs.

Super Sundays – One Sunday each month the museum is open to the public for FREE!  I wrote more about it here on FFC a while back.

Cincinnati Meets the Beatles – Now through October 9th – Oodles & oodles of Beatles Memorabilia from their trip to Cincinnati years ago.  You can even have your picture taken on Abbey Road!

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