I’m weird in a way that I like old things. I don’t mean vintage, or last month kind of old, I mean hundreds of years and counting old- I like history, but more than anything I like being in a place where history has happened. It’s a really cool feeling to be conscious of the fact that you’re walking the same road as someone who was influential and important enough hundreds of years ago, to become a household name today.
Being fascinated by history has also given me a peculiar enjoyment of going to museums. And so on the morning of Saturday, October 27, 2012, Stockton presented students with the opportunity of visiting the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Once the bus ride was over and we had arrived, we set off into the Center. The Constitution Center is massive and extraordinary in stature. I’ve always loved architecture, and like I mentioned, I’ve always loved dated things, but this white modern building in the middle of old city Philadelphia was no less than impressive.
Along with impressive architecture, the center had many attractions. We first attended a 3-D video show with a live voice actor who theatrically told the story of the Constitution. It was only for about 15 minutes, but it was enough to be awe-inspiring. The effects, video, and interaction of the actor along with the historic tale that was spun, gave me chills and we left the presentation a little more bleary-eyed than we came.
After, we explored the upstairs exhibits which featured life-size cutouts of Presidential Candidates Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, a large room with life-size statues of almost all the signers of the Constitution, interactive touch-screen trivia, and museum-life artifacts protected behind glass and spoken about by audio recordings. It was all very interesting.
My favorite exhibit would have to be the new and featured Prohibition Exhibit. It was incredibly detailed. There was so much information on nearly every wall and descriptions of protected items directly from the 1920s. There was also a fun game that made you catch boat-looters that tried to slip past the police with illegal alcohol. My favorite part of the exhibit was the lifelike sit-in bar and the 1920s dance floor which taught you the popular dance crazes of the time, like the Charleston. I also really enjoyed the realistic outfits for both men and women of the time.
After looking at the exhibits, my friends and I went off to explore nearby Philly. It was incredible! I’ve been to Philadelphia many times, especially since my sister used to attend school there, but I had never seen the old city in the fall. It was a beautiful and crisp fall day and even though we did get lost a few times, it was a great experience and I would absolutely love to do it again.
Visiting the Constitution Center gave me insight to a lot of things about the Constitution I didn’t know. I learned a lot that day, and was able to appreciate all that the museum offered. I also really enjoyed being able to leave and come back at our leisure, which made it feel less than an overbearing grade school field-trip and more like a casual experience. If there are more opportunities like this in the future, I’ll be sure to grab it!