Great small museum in a very pretty setting. The museum has something for everyone, from a please touch area for children, Pennsylvania German, contemporary and classic art, ancient artifacts, arms and armor, Native American, and ecological exhibits.Their traveling exhibits are always top-notch (we made a special trip to see the Mucha exhibit) and are nicely curated.Also, some exhibits that you would expect in a smaller museum, such as a Warhol next to a Keith Herring.Very pretty building, very clean, with a very nice gift shop featuring local artisans.Parking can be tight, but usually.much quieter on weekdays.

Call me old school. I visit museums and art galleries when I travel. Not leaving America anytime soon... soooo... it is tough to find things that are not just about the same city to city. This little gem stood out as eclectic. Unique. Specific. Quaint... all in a good way. Reading, PA has a monopoly card that is pretty much the height of its culture, but this little place will challenge you to dig inward and dig deeper... leaving you with a sense of appreciation for a simple life.

Large museum with various artwork and historical items - kid friendly and interactive for both them and Adults. Worth the trip!

The museum really deserves 4.5 ☆ Great little spot for the family both indoors and outdoors! Beautiful location for family, wedding, graduation, and birthday pictures! Parking is very tough to find at times...be patient and be ready to park on the adjacent street. The staff is very friendly and the exhibits are well done! Not always are they super interesting, but I know the museum does a great job of showcasing a variety of exhibits and I give them a lot of credit for that! Would definitely recommend purchasing the membership instead of just visiting as there is so much more value in doing so! Give the museum a visit and I dont think youll be disappointed!

This is a very nice and clean public art park and arboretum. There are a lot of sculptures and I took a picture of all the ones I saw. This park is dogfriendly and there were little dogs taking walks with I was there with my 2 little ones. There was a wedding reception there and another bride, groom, and wedding party and friends and family... Taking wedding photos. My favorite part is that the trail is paved and it is along the creek.

Lovely exhibition of the work of Alphonse Mucha. The museum generally has a mix of art and natural science exhibitions. There is always something of interest to children and adults. Senior admission discount made my ticket $6. Very reasonable price of admission to support this fine institution. The landscaped grounds are lovely and free to walk along a creek

This particular museum has been a major part of the Reading community for decades. The grounds are beautiful, the Planetarium is as I remember it from my childhood, and the museum is filled with truly wonderful exhibits that are not only educational for the young and old, but help open our personal imagination. The Reading Museum has lots to offer from individual and family memberships to grounds and facility rentals for your very special occasions. I plan on supporting the museum for many more years.

Had a great time with the nieces 2 and 3 yo with the childrens exhibit.

A small and lovely museum with a nice park around it. Takes maybe two hours to see all the exhibits. We went for the Mucha exhibit in Oct 2020 and were not disappointed. There did seem to be a lot of construction going on outside.

Always something new, exciting & educational at the museum! They even host Birthday Parties and other events! If you havent visited lately, youre missing out!

Is it a museum ? Is it an art gallery ? Are there changing exhibits ? Is it a planetarium ? Is it educational ? Yes ! To all of those ! Becky is a perfect hostess who welcomed me warmly, guided me to the collections, and tendered my purchase at the gift shop. A day well spent and Im already planning my return ! Highly recommended !

We took our dog to the museum walking trail. The weather was perfect and the dog enjoyed a nice long walk. Other people we encountered there were pleasant and polite.

We love the area and the museum. Wish exhibits changed more often, however. My son loves the summer camp as well.

Always a super great experience !The staff are very helpful and very nice

Nice small museum with a wide variety of art. Visit the outdoor sculpture garden.

Excellent museum with a variety of exhibits, including fantastic interactive exhibits that rotate every few months. Its well worth our familys membership!

Absolutely LOVE this museum and thoroughly enjoy the exhibits weve seen. Not to mention the grounds are just beautiful.

A really nice local museum - they have a great location for being in a relatively smaller location population wise. The Irving Gallery of contemporary art has some great things.

Its good stuff! The brain games exhibit is cool. Some good scientific games to get your brain juices flowing & to make you think! My son likes the little dinosaur digging pit down on the bottom floor. We go at least once or twice a year, so not frequent enough to warrant investing in a membership, but memberships are available. Family friendly pricing, just not allowed to bring in outside beverages.

Frida Kahlo photo exhibit is really interesting.

Awesome place for a beautiful walk along the creek. Great variety of plants and flowers. The museum is awesome and has different events all the time.

It was cold and rainy. Didnt matter I was doing an amateur photo shoot.

Beautiful grounds, they have a creek kids can play in. The museum itself is nice and they have themed exhibitions. The only issue I have is some exhibits seem sparse. I still enjoy going. They have a few items you can touch from the year 100 bc and another from 300 bc. Touching those items can really get you thinking and your imagination going. I have an issue with their motto. Never ordinary always unique. They mean the same thing. That was a lazy job. It needs to change and Im your man for the right price!

We enjoyed the collection, but our kids loved the planetarium!8$ Adult, 6$ senior and kids and 3yars and under are free. Ill suggest to looking for a family membership for 75$ including 12 month of museum and planetarium for the whole family!

Place is fun to bring the family for a day out. Not the biggest place. And some of the displays arent exactly famous. But it is a place to learn about history and culture. The planetarium is always fun and brings out the imagination of us all. The grounds have a trail to walk outside and even fun facts and plant life to learn about. One major downside no more feeding ducks allowed.

The Reading Public Museum is truly a gem! It may be small, but the museum has an impressive collection for its size, and theres always something to see. Many traveling exhibits are displayed here as well, so be certain to check the exhibit schedule.I recently visited to see the exhibit Alphonso Mucha: Master of Art Nouveau. The permanent galleries include Arms and Armor, Ancient Civilizations (which features Nefrina, the Museum mummy, complete with sarcophagus), Fine Arts. Modern Art, Pennsylvania German, Latin America. North American Indian. World Cultures, and Animal Habitats.Be sure not to miss the Arts on Paper Gallery on the lower floor near the auditorium. It has some great exhibits and is often overlooked.There are also some great kid themed exhibits that offer fun, hands on activities. Currently its Top Secret: License to Spy. I have to admit that these are lots of fun, and we check them out even though we dont have kids.The Reading Public Museum is taking steps to insure that everyone has a safe visit. Right now (10/23/2020) masks are required, admission is based on the number of visitors, and there is entry of hand sanitizer throughout the building.If the weather is nice, take a stroll through the gardens. Its a lovely walk.I havent yet visited the Neag Planetarium but that is on my list.There is ample parking, and admission is quite reasonable. Limited snacks are available in the lobby. There is also a gift store that features items from local artists as well as the traditional items related to the exhibits.

A wonderful destination that offers a museum, a planetarium, and a beautiful park. We have found it to be the best place in the area to take our kids for a one day excursion as it offers so much in such an easy location. Both the museum and the planetarium offer programs and exhibits that change often enough to keep the young ones interested. And the park, well, every season likes to show off and vie for which is the most beautiful. If the kids grow weary of walking the grounds, there is a playground within easy walking distance.Fun and education wrapped in a convenient package. How can you lose?

Tranquility, clean, love nature trail...ducks in creek.️

I only visited the park and its beautiful but please equip the parking lot with a Porta potty

Love everything about the museum That is a weekly thing for my grandson and I.

Lovely park, latest exhibit coming is Alphonse Mucha, very excited.

Have visited twice and both times were excellent. They have an interchangeable exhibit for kids, like Teenage Mutant Nina Turtles or dinosaurs controlled by pulleys and hydraulics. The exhibits are so interesting, educational, and interactive. Their gift shop had a lot of unique souvenirs as well. One of my favorite museums, I would highly recommend.

Amazing place to visit all seasons

Great place to take the kids.

The mummy is awesome and it has great Pokemon stops.

I absolutely loved this museum. There is definitely a nice variety of things to see and even to do. I am a heavy set woman with back problems, and there were plenty of places for me to rest and view the art and exhibits. The only downside for me was the planetarium. The seat for the show are very very small so if you are not a thinner adult or child, you are not going to be comfortable at all. I also liked the information in the show, but I felt for a kids show, it might have had a little more movement to it, as it was very slow paced and there were some kids who just were not interested at all. There also werent that many activities to do while waiting for the show to start, other than a few child themed educational exhibits. There was quite a lot of empty space and I just felt like they could have done so much more and I was struggling not to feel a little disappointed. So to sum it up, art museum= absolutely worth it. Planetarium= not quite so much.

I love to walk to grounds here, its calm and clean. The museum building it self is rather large. They have great exbits time to time for kids and adults. Its a great place to have a simple family day out on a nice weather day.

Cheap yearly memberships are the way to go for your family. They change it up routinely and the kids enjoy stopping in for a hour every now and then. Feels good to know your kids are getting a dose of education too. Worth checking out!

Very peaceful and beautiful place. Excellent for taking spring/summer pics.

Wonderful place to walk, jog, bike, walk the dog or just enjoy the creek!

Its an incredible resource for our community. We love the art and appreciate the kid-focused exhibits.

Covid-19 has the museum closed for the time being, but the Arboretum and Wyomissing Trail System are a beautiful, peaceful place to walk or bike.

Small but nice museum. The grounds are great for walking as well. Regular collection is ok but temporary collections are usually the thing to see.

Considering the area I think they did what they could with the area. The park area around the museum is very nice. Great place to go and walk next to the river. The museum itself is a great place. We went when they had the Thomas the Train exhibit. It was really nice what they did for the kids and all the things there was to do. That was the first time in a long time that I was there and I had forgot about all the stuff they had in the museum. I had a good time walking around the museum and looking at everything. I would recommend coming here for any event.

Cotopaxi by Frederick Edwin Church was one of the most amazing paintings I ever seen. Also the Balloon painting was beautiful.

My daughter loves going there with me. There is a maze event going on now. Lots of fun for the kids

Love the spy exhibit!

We always enjoy it. I miss the way the mueseum used to be though. So many many many wonderful things to look at

Great place to go lots of exhibits

My family always has a great time at the museum. Love all the different exhibits they have running for special times throughout the year.

Love it here

Visit this jewel in Reading nestled in a lovely park. You will luv it as I do!

Very interesting and comfortable

I took my granddaughter to the 2nd floor Maze. We had so much fun going through the maze. Then I, being a 54 yr old great-grandmother ( through marriage), did the rope maze, so all the other smaller kids and teens can do it!! . My granddaughter could not due to her anxiety. We did so much in those two rooms, we were sweating!!! So, we took elevator to first floor gift shop. Of course she went to the candy, and she chose an amythist rock, which is my birth stone. I, myself, was searching for something in the color teal for my daughter. She is 35 yrs old, and beat Overian cancer 3 yrs ago! Teal is the color for Ovarian cancer. So I bought her a beautiful bracelet with an oval teal stone on top with a brown thin leather strap. Ive posted about walking the museum. Hiding and finding rocks. I walk my puppy there. Its my peaceful place to be to be with God. Its so beautiful.

Friendly knowledgeable staff and clean facilities Highly recommended

Always lovely.

Super helpful staff! A wonderful time with great exhibits!

Always a good time for the kids, lots of cool exhibits.

Always a fun experience for the kiddos from the actual museum to walking around the grounds and seeing all the animals and scenery its always a good time and something to do on a whim!

Best place in Berks for Pokemon Go. Not only that but the museum is great too. Same for the planetarium!

Loved this as a child, I still love it as an adult sharing the adventures with my lil guy! (=

Interesting exhibits and good place to play Pokemon go.

Great place. Definitely worth a visit.

Perfect for a day out with young children.

I was hoping it would be bigger, nothing stood out it is boring and I appreciate art so much. I had a better time at the Mummers Museum.

Love this place...always clean and beautiful exhibits

Great place to learn about different cultures

Nice and clean

Has some neat stuff.

Nice exhibits, fair price. My kid enjoyed the dinosaur exhibits.

Pretty engaging as far as museums go

The collection of American art is deep particularly in art of the 1890-1940s. Impressionists local and national. Masterworks by regional artists, tells the story of American art at that time. This is a treasure trove for the community and beyond. Several world class works, Degas pastels and John singer Sargent oil!!

Nice!

Joined in February. Im a active outdoors guy but love the museum & planetarium. They already recognize me at the museum & 1 of the planetarium workers & I are becoming fast friends. Also great place to walk. Love the wind chimes.

Love this museum, its a nice place to take children they have updated exhibits regularly, at least one is kid friendly and has some form of interaction for the kiddos. The place is very tidy, fair priced, and not unusually busy or hard to get to. Parking is free, and there is a lot fairly close. There is a stream that also runs next to the building which adds to the beauty of the area.

This is a wonderful small museum. Such a delight to have visited.

Love the place

Fun place to take my Grandson. He just loves walking around.

For a city the size of Reading this museum and its collection are fairly impressive - have been to museums in much larger cities that paled in comparison. Interesting rotating exhibits. Some exhibits are explicitly focused towards children which is good for family or young school groups. The surrounding grounds are also a nice park area.

Nice place

The Reading Public Museum charges people to use the restroom. Considering the fact that this area is marketed as a space where people come together for community events like Berks County Rocks Kindness Program and Pokemon Go, it is unacceptable to charge to use a restroom. These programs create a lot of foot traffic and word of mouth publicity for the museum. They should be more accommodating. Even a portable restroom on weekends would suffice. I will definitely no longer recommend other people or families come to use this public outdoor space if they can not be accommodated for something as simple as peeing.

Beautiful place to go for a walk on a nice Summer day. Lots of great photo opportunities. Very picturesque landscape.

The museum is wonderful with different exhibits that rotating throughout the year. The surrounding site is a wonderful spot for people of all ages, child & senior friendly. A nice break from city as well, with a dose of nature. The scenic spot is wonderful and a must see!

Wonderful museum; lots of interesting exhibits to see. Great way to spend a few hours wandering around.

AWESOME LITTLE MUSEUM.

I have been to this museum a million times; I used to be a member actually, but moved out of the area. The museum is not as good as it once was...I loved the older wonder cabinets approach to museum exhibits, but the museum has some beautiful pieces, and sometimes interesting exhibits. It is a bit pricey for families to spend an hour there.

Great place to take the whole family. Always have new exhibits to check out. Lots of fun stuff to do there. While youre there check out the planetarium also. Fun & educational for everyone!

The Keith Haring show Symbolic Gestures was our highlight. A wide range of career works in a large well lit space. Free parking, gift shop and outdoor stroll afterwards in their Arboretum were also highlights.

Impressive, the displays they can display. Along with traveling art exhibitions which travel from museum to museum, there are permanent exhibitions, like the mummy (even though the museum is always reminding us in ads, Were more than just a mummy!), and a room of taxidermy animals which are native to Pennsylvania.

We had a wonderful time at the Reading Public Museum. The Doc McStuffins exhibit was perfect for the kids. The Ice Age exhibit was very realistic. We are excited to go back to the planetarium and arboretum.

This is an amazing museum! It has such a great variety of items and wonderful displays! They also bring in fun touring displays! Outside the museum has a great walking trail filled with beautiful flowers!

It is a very nice place to come and learn. There is always something for everyone. They have hands-on kids exibits, to any kind of painting you can think of! This is a small spot you might want to enjoy .It is not worth a 2 hour drive to come and see,but if you are close by you should consider it .

Beautiful place to go get some air

I love this place we came here for the curious george exhibition and also for Easter egg hunt we love this museum is very nice staff is very friendly my fam and i love it !!!!!

I was very impressed with the quality of their pieces. There were things dated to 450 B.C. The display with Nephrina was especially interesting. You almost felt as though you knew her before you left. The fact that she had fractured her hip and that medication had been applied externally to ease her pain helped to tell her story. For a small museum I found it to be top notch!

We recently got membership to the museum. I find the children exhibits to be a lot fun. They change the children exhibits every 3 months. Also, they have a great natural history and mummy exhibit that is always there. One of my favorite places.

Great cultural treasure. Reading museum is one of the must visit places if you are visiting Berks county. From the outdoor park with gardens and free standing art work to the inside exhibits, theres something for almost everyone. They have rotating childrens exhibits, an Egyptian mummy, natural history, and various period pieces. Be sure to check the events too. Its not a big museum so you can visit and not spend all day there.

Its a nice place to take a walk by yourself, with friends, or with your dog. I wouldnt go into the museum because of the 10 dollar fee. Its a PUBLIC museum but you have to pay. They have several areas set aside for weddings which is nice.

Great Place To Visit With your kids!!

Really nice rotating kids interactive exhibits. The Keith Haring pieces are great. Theres always something good going on there. The annual family pass is a pretty good deal that quickly pays for itself.