Holiday Area: Museums

Snakes Alive

The Detroit Zoo's Holden Museum of Living Reptiles lets visitors get a close-up look at 85 different threatened or endangered species. The animals' habitats closely resemble their native habitats in the wild, giving visitors to the museum a realistic look at their natural surroundings. Species include a Siamese crocodile, reticulated python, Chinese alligator and Aruba Island rattlesnake, and include habitats found from the Arctic to Australia. The museum is open during regular zoo operating hours, and is closed on New Year's Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

A Watery World

The Lake Erie Metropark Marshlands Museum and Nature Center provides an indoor and outdoor nature experience 20 miles southwest of downtown Detroit. Inside, the museum has an extensive diorama of historic area marshlands and their wildlife, as well as a 1,300-gallon aquarium and interactive exhibits. Outdoors, boardwalks and trails wind across the 200-acre natural displays where you can explore hawthorn thickets, marshes and old canals. Encounter the park's resident bald eagles and view migratory birds, including a large wintering population of tundra swans.

Going Batty

The Bat Zone at the Cranbrook Institute of Science houses more than 150 bats that are not releasable into the wild. Bats at the facility include vampire bats, fruit bats, flying foxes and endangered species. The museum also houses owls, a sloth, sugar gliders and other nocturnal species. Tour the Bat Zone during limited midday hours seven days a week June through August, and on weekends during the rest of the year. The Cranbrook Institute is a museum of natural history featuring a planetarium, science garden and special exhibits.

Mounted and Stuffed

The University of Michigan Museum of Natural History lies 40 miles west of Detroit in Ann Arbor. The museum features the largest dinosaur display in the state, including a replica of a fossilized prehistoric snake poised to eat a hatching baby dinosaur. The museum features a wildlife gallery on the third floor where you'll see taxidermy-mounted wildlife in native habitat scenes. The museum's butterfly and pollinator garden blooms with 55 species that produce butterfly-luring nectar. The museum is open year-round except for several holidays.

Seoul is a shiny metropolis full of skyscrapers and massive underground shopping meccas. During the day, metal and glass windows sparkle while after dark, night markets filled with the aromas of Seoul's many street foods fill the air. Despite the city's ultra-modern appearance, South Korea's history is in the old temples and World Heritage Sites hiding between Seoul's tall buildings and within its perfectly manicured parks. For a crash course on South Korea, old and new, Seoul has a handful of museums with artifacts and artwork that span thousands of years.

History in Three Floors

According to "The Art Newspaper," Seoul's National Museum of Korea was one 2010's top 10 most-visited museums. The gigantic museum, which displays more than 5,000 years of the country's history, opened its doors in 1945. With almost a quarter of a million works housed within its walls, only about 13,000 are displayed at a given time -- still a massive undertaking for one day. Three floors exhibit items ranging from calligraphy to celadon ceramics with some artifacts dating as far back as 1392. Admission is free, and if you pop in on a Saturday, you can take advantage of one of the museum's special events, such as film screenings or very temporary exhibits.

It's All An Illusion

Dedicated to interactive 2-D turned 3-D paintings, Seoul's Trickeye Museum is a funky variation from the typical art museum. Visitors can experience the depth effects of the trompe l'oeil technique by interacting with the works on display from different angles. Some paintings invite museum-goers to become part of the paintings by standing at specific angles, creating an illusion that they are part of the work. The Trickeye Museum is a short walk from the Hongik University station and free for adventurers under 3 years old.

Contemporary Art Engagement

Nestled next to roller coasters and a Wild West-styled frontier village, the capital city's National Museum of Contemporary Art's home is the eccentric theme park Seoul Land. A twisting fun house of sorts, the museum seeks to engage visitors with its unique interior architecture of narrow passages, ramps and installations. With seven permanent galleries displaying the work of both up-and-coming contemporary Korean artists and nationally celebrated talents, this Gyeonggi Province art museum can be a full-day affair.

Art Inspired by Death

Not your typical sparse, white-walled art space, the Musee Shuim exhibits traditional funerary art within the colorful space of a stately home. On the street of the Hongji-dong neighborhood, Musee Shuim came to life after the death of the founder's husband. Patrons find themselves alongside thick drapes and dark wood floors while chandeliers, colorful wooden figurines and other morbid items, such as a sangyeo, or hearse, populate the open space. More a celebration of life than a dwelling on the deceased, this museum is an intimate look into South Korea's customs toward one of life's most intimate stages.

Holiday Area

Museums With Wild Animals in Detroit, Michigan