For a small city, Springfield, Massachusetts, is home to world-class museums, including a history museum, two art museums, and a science museum. Known as the Quadrangle, visiting these museums can easily fill a day. In addition to these four, the newest and most unique is the Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum. See the pages of beloved Dr. Seuss children’s books come to life in this museum dedicated to the author and his art.
Seuss in Springfield
The building was originally a museum about the Connecticut River Valley. This closed in 2009 with the Seuss Museum opening in its stead eight years later. Kids will fully enjoy the interactive exhibits and the statues of iconic characters, including the Cat in the Hat, Horton, and The Grinch. For adults, though, the museum is just as fascinating. What I loved about it was learning how the city of Springfield, where Seuss (or Ted Geisel) grew up, influenced his work.
The first floor features many Seussian favorites with the deeper Springfieldian connections made throughout. For instance, the Barney Mausoleum, the ornate tomb guarded by a sphinx statue, designed by Everett Barney for himself and his family, inspired The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins. This mausoleum, located in Forest Park, overlooks Interstate 91 and what used to be his estate. Barney invented the clamp-on ice skate. The turreted Howard Street Armory inspired many a building in Seuss’s books. And To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street is in homage to the street of the same name in Springfield. These are just a few examples of Seuss’s take on Springfield displayed at the museum.
Seuss’s Studio
The second floor includes a recreation of Seuss’s studio, where he lived in La Jolla, California. This floor also includes the Geisel family information and artifacts. One neat display featured greeting cards that he sent his nephew on Cat in the Hat stationery. Family photographs, heirlooms, and other memorabilia adorn a gallery on this floor.
The basement is a place where children can play with stuffed animals and read books. My son enjoyed reading Seuss classics–not only in English but also in Spanish and even Russian! Kids can work on arts-and-crafts projects provided by the museum. During our weekend visit, a very talented artist employed here designed favorite Seuss characters with whimsical inscriptions. These were wonderful keepsakes which we intend to frame.
Dr. Seuss Memorial Sculpture Garden
Just outside the museum is the Dr. Seuss Memorial Sculpture Garden. This ornate display features many of his characters, including the Cat in the Hat, Yertle the Turtle, and Horton the Elephant. The sculpture garden predates the museum, opening in 2002. It’s an impressive structure that was designed by Seuss’s stepdaughter. Many of the characters are clustered together, except Yertle the Turtle, who is perched atop fellow turtles in a serene garden just to the left of the museum.
The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum is fun for all ages. Learning about the city and history of Springfield through his eyes entertained the adults, where the hands-on exhibits and seeing pages of his stories come to life were magical for the younger set. To enter the Dr. Seuss Museum, you must purchase a combined ticket that will allow admission to all of the Springfield Museums of the Quadrangle.
