Gerald R. Ford Museum

I have recently visited the Gerald R. Ford museum in Downtown Grand Rapids. While this is a museum I have visited before, and am quite familiar with (due to the fact I am from GR), I made sure to look at it with a new perspective. The layout of the museum is very unique. One of my favorite parts about it, is the entrance. There is a large fountain that from time to time has different art pieces displayed in the water. When you walk through the actual doors, you are greeted in a small lobby, followed by a large piece of the Berlin Wall. It is a unique entrance and I think the layout is cool. On the first floor of the museum, there isn't a whole lot to look at. The purpose of this floor, from what I gathered, is to hold receptions or parties, not for displaying a whole lot of artifacts. The accessibility to get from the main floor to the second floor is pretty good. There is a large staircase, located right next to large elevators that can fit many people as well as wheelchairs. Other than those amenities, I didn't see too many other things that stuck out to me.

The second floor of the museum is what really makes the museum special. Right at the top of the stairs, there is a recreation of the Oval Office/conference room. As a kid I remember this room because I thought it was so cool that I could "be in the oval office". I think the museum did a great job of adding this feature in because it really lets children and adults alike experience what it would be like to be in the White House. Among the other things on display on the second floor, there is a few of Betty Ford's favorite gowns, football gear from when Ford played for U of M, some of Ford's baby toys, and other things of that nature. What made my trip different this time was that I tried to look at everything through the eyes of a museum worker. Based on different things we have learned in class, I was able to notice/pick up on things that the average person might not think about when visiting a museum.