Matthew K.
Yelp
Visiting the Norman Rockwell Museum was one of the top highlights of our recent trip to the Berkshires. My wife is a huge fan of Norman Rockwell, so we knew we had to hit this place early (we got here a short while after opening). Although I'm not as big a fan as my wife of this illustrator/artist, I, too really enjoy Norman Rockwell's work and was excited to see more of his work up close and learn more about him. Altogether, we spent over 3 hours exploring this attraction (that's saying something--it's not exactly a big place), and yet I already find myself wanting to go back to explore more. The museum not only helped me learn more about Mr. Rockwell's work, but it also helped me grow an even greater appreciation of this American icon.
When we arrived at the museum, the first thing we did was place our coats in the coat room. Although I wouldn't recommend placing valuables in there (they do have lockers available, but there's nobody personally supervising your coats), I actually felt very safe putting our coats and scarves there. In fact, there's a real feeling of "home" in this place and everyone seems very excited to be there. We then headed to the admissions stand to purchase our tickets ($20 per person, with discounts for students, kids, older adults, etc.). Overall, it's a great value! They also offer membership, which will help you save if you plan to visit often.
Another great feature of this museum is that they offer iPads and audio tapes for a small charge, or you can simply access the museum website on your own device using their free wifi. Most paintings/illustrations include a number at the top of their respective information plaques to quickly locate the additional info (audio and text) on your device.
A short while after we arrived, we learned there would be an 11:00am gathering in the main hall for anyone who wanted to learn more about Norman Rockwell. A museum educator arrived promptly at 11 and explained the history and details of several paintings and how they related to the artist's life (in many cases, she was also able to discuss the exact locations in nearby Stockbridge that inspired the setting and the models Mr. Rockwell used in one or often recurring illustrations). She spoke for about 30 minutes (providing some really interesting information) and then gave us some more details about the events of the day (and the best way to explore the museum).
For the next 3 hours, my wife and I moved from painting to painting (there are 400 located here) on both floors of the museum. We used our iPhones to access additional information and spent time discussing what we loved about our favorites. There are so many details in each illustration (and such a rich story in the simplest of images) that we really found ourselves losing our sense of time and taking it all in. We also enjoyed the lower level, which is easy to miss but includes a short video (about 5 minutes long) describing Norman Rockwell's life and work.
Before leaving, I'd also recommend stopping by the gift shop. You can purchase everything from small magnets to large canvas paintings (framed and shipped directly to your home). We of course left with a few souveniers to take home.
Overall, both of us enjoyed every aspect of this museum. I would visit again in a heartbeat!