Museums Even a Teenager Will Love

Ask a teen to visit a traditional museum during a family vacation, and you’re sure to get the all-too-familiar “been there, done that” expression. Plan a jaunt to one of these alternative institutions, and you just might renew their historical curiosity.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, Ohio

Hello Cleveland! Parents won’t have any trouble convincing their children to visit the city that was once called the “Mistake on the Lake.” With the opening of the I.M. Pei-designed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland has become a Mecca for music-loving teens and their baby boomer parents. Exhibits explore important music sites, from Memphis in the 1950s (complete with a re-creation of Sun Studios where Elvis got his start) to Seattle in the 90s. Cool costumes include John Lennon’s and Ringo Starr’s Sergeant Pepper outfits, Talking Head David Byrne’s Big Suit and Madonna’s bustier from “Like a Virgin.” (During a recent visit, a rotating exhibit called “On the Charts” showcased current acts that included Britney Spears, Outkast and Franz Ferdinand.) 

The actual Hall of Fame is a massive drum-shaped structure with a curving walkway lined with glass panels etched with the inductees’ signatures; it’s surprisingly somber for something that plays tribute to the art form Keith Richards called “music for the neck downwards.” At the end of the exhibit are computerized jukeboxes where visitors can listen to more than 30,000 songs from the inductees. To satisfy all generations, exhibits are designed to range from something teens will enjoy (Warped Tour: 12 Years of Music, Mayhem and More), to something for their parents (The Clash) or their hip grandparents (sad but true) “oldies” buffs (The Doors). Unlike modern art museums where parents may struggle to explain why a pickled cow is art, the hardest thing here might be explaining what you were smoking at that Grateful Dead concert.

• Historic flyer for the famous Eng Siamese Twins exhibit on display at the Mutter Museum.
• Marxchivist

Contact info: One Key Plaza, East Ninth Street at Lake Erie, Cleveland, Ohio; 216-781-ROCK; www.rockhall.com; Hours: Monday-Sunday 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (except Wednesdays, open till 9 p.m.) Summer Hours: From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the museum is also open until 9 p.m. on Saturdays; Admission: adults, $20; seniors (60+), $14; children ages 9-12, $11; children 8 & under, free.

Mütter Museum (medical oddities), Philadelphia, Penn.

The museum, founded by the College of Physicians of Philadelphia with the noble intention of educating future doctors about anatomy and human medical anomalies, is also a great place for teens to gross out their friends and family. Exhibit highlights include The Soap Lady, a woman whose dead body interacted with the soil, turning her into soap, as well as a plaster cast of the torso of world-famous Siamese twins, Chang & Eng, which was made at the museum where the twins’ autopsies were performed in 1874. Collectors (and fans of the tasteless) won’t want to miss the gift shop where they can buy a double-size shot glass featuring the twins emblazoned with the phrase, “Make mine a double.”