We explored the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook and the time spent here flew by. There are three museums (an Art Museum, History Museum and Carriage Museum) on their 9-acre campus. The grounds are beautiful and they have sculptures from different artists outdoors for you to enjoy as you walk the stroller-friendly grounds. In a few weeks the flowers will be in bloom and I can’t wait to go back to explore and I will be bringing a picnic lunch to enjoy with my family at one of their picnic tables, as well. You can spend your whole day here and it is a true Long Island gem that is full of history.
The History Museum is across the street from the other two museums and right now you can enjoy seeing The 27th Annual Colors of Long Island exhibit there ( where local student artists grades K-12 have their unique art displayed ). This is a real art gallery and the kids who have their art displayed must be so excited to have their incredible work on display. The mixed media piece I took a pitcure of below is just gorgeous and I had to share it since it incorporated so many artists of different ages.
In the history Museum you will also learn about Long Island during and after the Revolutionary War. The Seat of Action: Long Island in the American Revolution and Beyond exhibit, you will learn about the “years between the Battle of Long Island (August 1776) and the liberation of New York (November 1783), military occupation led to the loss and destruction of property, the separation of families, and atrocious levels of suffering across this area. This exhibition features a rich array of artifacts and paintings, including a rare portrait of General George Washington’s spymaster, Benjamin Tallmadge (1754–1835) (member of the famous Culper Spy Ring), on loan from the Litchfield Historical Society. “
This exhibition is part of LIM’s America250 celebration, featuring special exhibitions and related programming. Learn more at longislandmuseum.org/longisland250.
The Carriage Museum is home to one of the largest and finest collections of American horse-drawn transportation artifacts in the world and it is filled with so much history. You will see so many gorgeous carriages from the 1800’s and see the ornate gorgeous details that are on these horse-drawn carriages. You will also “visit the Gentleman’s Coach House Gallery, inspired by the 19th century Gold Coast carriage houses that graced Long Island’s North Shore mansions, and the European Vehicles Gallery, showcasing rare, royal carriages used by European nobility.”
I recommend speaking to the incredible staff at the Museum. They are so helpful and excited to have you visit the carriage museum. We really enjoyed speaking with, Docent Mort Rosen who taught my family and I so many interesting historical facts. He told us that the name stagecoach got its name because the coach is the was the horse-drawn large vehicle that traveled between cities and the stage was the resting spot where you would rest (typically after 3 hours of travel). At the stage you could swap out horses to give the ones who just traveled a rest and get another horse to take you further along on your trip. Then, I do not know about you but, our kids love saying they are going to ride shogun when they are going into the car and that term dates back to the 1800s because the person who sat next to the driver of the coach was an armed security guard holding a shotgun and he was there to protect the driver , the passengers and the goods on the coach.
One other story that my daughters and I did not forget from our conversation with Mr. Mort Rosen was about Elizabeth Jennings who was a woman trailblazer long before Rosa Parks (about 100 years prior). She boarded a Third Avenue Railroad Company horsecar at Pearl and Chatham Streets in lower Manhattan and because she was a person of color and they were not allowed to board these cars , the conductor physically tried to throw her off. She was a courageous 24 year-old woman who took her case to court and was the first person to win legal victory for equal rights on public transportation. I think her story is incredible and needs to be shared more and more. Oh, wait I almost forgot to mention her lawyer at the time, Chester B. Arthur would become our 21st president of the United States. How awesome is that?
We loved speaking with Mr. Rosen while we were there and honeslty I can not wait to go back and learn more from him.
Now, let’s speak about the third museum we visited and it is the art museum. It is home to two new exhibits that brought me back to my childhood. The younger generations can see a floppy disc Apple Computer for the first time and you can reminisce like I did about using these when they first came out at the 50 Years of Apple Computers: The Kevin Lenane Collection exhibit. Then, turn a corner and you will enter Video Games: The Great Connector; this exhibition highlights how Long Islanders have contributed to the history of video game development. Read more about these new exhibits in the Three Immersive Video Games/Technology Exhibitions at LIM’s Art Museum this Spring article we have up on the blog.
Plan your visit and check out their website for upcoming events happening this Spring. You will not want to miss out on anything happening here. It is a great museum for families to enjoy.
About The Long Island Museum
Founded in 1939 and accredited by AAM since 1973, The Long Island Museum is home to more than 60,000 artifacts and is the only Smithsonian Affiliate in the region. The Long Island Museum inspires and engages visitors of diverse ages, backgrounds, and abilities by connecting them with the region’s art and history, a world-class carriage collection, and energizing programs that foster a creative and inclusive community. For more about LIM’s exhibitions and programming, visit longislandmuseum.org.
This is a new addition to my blog and social media features. I love exploring all the great history , arts and culture we have here on Long Island and I have visited so many over the years and they are all so incredible. These Long Island museums deserve the recognition and I am excited to visit each one and share about my visit with you so you can visit, as well.
If you are a local museum here on Long Island and would like for us to feature you please reach out to me via email: momeefriendsli@gmail.com