The Field Museum

This Chicago museum is very difficult to categorise, its collections ranging from Classical Rome to man-eating tigers, dinosaurs and anthropology. All of this is well displayed on this quick, user-friendly site. Navigation can be a little difficult, but that's only because there are so many links on each page that you aren't always sure what is a link and what isn't. Many of the links have a rather lexigraphic feel, the tone being exemplified by a 'Center for Cultural Understanding and Change'.



Don't be too put off, though: the curators at least seem to believe in the usefulness of such expressions, and the site as a whole boasts a stimulating mix of the more popular elements - dinosaurs, for example - with the serious ethnographic collections. This academic rigour is also manifested in the events section, which has a full programme of weekly lectures. If you're not burdened by children wanting to see dinosaurs, dinosaurs, dinosaurs you should certainly take advantage of these.



The museum boasts no less than four separate shops, including separate stores for dinosaur- and insect-related material. Much of the product is illustrated and described online, and can be bought over the web. One other point to note - and it's one that other museums should take into consideration - is the section within planning a visit that refers to other attractions within the area. The fiasco over the UK's Millennium Dome project indicates what happens if you have an attraction in the middle of nowhere.


SPECIAL FEATURES


Sue on the Web It seems incongruous to call a Tyrannosaurus Rex 'Sue', but this is the name given to one of the best-preserved dinosaur skeletons found in America. Produced largely for children, this area has a timeline of dinosaur activity and more specific details on the Tyrannosaurus Rex. The skull is well analysed and the FAQ section is strong, so harassed parents and children writing projects might find this area useful.