Why Museums Should Be at the Heart of the Traveling Soul

When the good majority of us travel, we think about the basics - beaches, restaurants, landmarks, and the occasional scenic hike. Museums, a little too often, sit at the bottom of the list, something to do as a backup on a rainy day or if anything falls through. Heidi Glatfelter Schlang reminds us in her article "The Story Starts Here: Why Museums Belong in the Travel Conversation" (History News, Vol. 79, No.2), we miss great deals when we treat museums as optional. Museums don't just house artifacts, they are the storytellers of truth. They give us a way to connect with people, cultures, periods of time that we may or may not have had the opportunity to experience.

More than storytellers, they are storyteller engines. A local museum in a small town, such as the Liberty Hyde Bailey Museum & Gardens, might reveal struggles and victories that helped shape the local community, while a major organization or center may invite us to step into the different times of art, sciences, and political debates. They provide context that turns sightseeing into understanding and developing. When travelers walk into a museum, they aren't just passing time - they are walking into the narrative of where they are.

But that narrative doesn't just stop at the door. Museums are on the rise, serving as partners in local tourism, collaborating with destination marketing organizations to magnify what makes their individual community so unique. A heritage site that joins forces with the said local destination marketing organizations can create strategies that bring travelers into neighborhoods, restaurants, and shops they might miss (instead of the other way around). Museums, in this way, don't simply communicate history; they help intertwine travelers into the living fabric of the present community.

But, there's one thing that every museum offers that you simply cannot get anywhere, that even travel often promises but doesn't always deliver: connection. Genuine connection. Museums are places where visitors feel a sense of belonging and well-being. Imagine you are in a museum right now. Imagine the quiet stillness, sitting on a bench with a beautiful piece of artwork before you. Maybe you've had the chance to experience such a thing, or maybe it's something you've only seen in a movie where a character randomly narrates their life while staring at said piece of artwork. Either way, you can now understand - those benches are there for a reason, other than just simply taking a break. They are spaces for reflection and discovery, but also for community. Where travelers can meet other travelers, share their stories, and feel rooted - even if for only a little while. Ladies and gentlemen, we are living in an era where travel is reduced to pixels on a screen for likes, views and opinions but museums invite us to actually engage more thoughtfully with our surroundings.

Museums are not stale institutions frozen in time. They are one of the few destinations that can evolve and adapt. Constantly reflecting the conversations we're having now. From fashion to pop culture exhibitions that bring in new audiences to repatriation efforts that mingle honestly with the past, museums are expanding what it means to tell the story of a place. In some historic houses, descendant communities are leading the way in reshaping interpretation, ensuring the stories told are true to the core, inclusive, and resonant.

Here in South Haven, the Liberty Hyde Bailey Museum is one such place to begin enriching the whole journey. Our story starts with the home of one of America's most influential horticulturists, conservationists, and educators - and extends outward into the apple orchards, fields, dunes and waters that shaped him. By visiting, you're not only stepping into Bailey's world, but also discovering how his ideas about nature, community, and stewardship remain vital today. The museum is more than a preserved house - it's a starting point for connecting with this region and landscape.

Because the story starts here. And when museums are part of your travel, your journey becomes one of depth, discovery, and belonging.