Why this matters to nerdy families: Museums are one of the places where our love of history, art, and learning intersects most clearly with parenting. The lessons we learned in Paris in 2010 didn’t just change how we visit museums—they shaped how we approach Disney parks, fan conventions, and everyday nerdy adventures with our daughter.
Planning a museum day for families can be both exciting and overwhelming. Whether you’re traveling with kids or managing other challenges, a great museum day requires thoughtful preparation.
Back in 2010, before my wife and I were married and long before we became parents, we took a 30-day trip across Europe. On our last day in Paris, I learned an important lesson about planning a museum day for families (or anyone, really): check when museums are actually open.
Now, as a parent and with my added challenge of living with a type of rheumatoid arthritis, I’ve gained even more insights into how to make museum visits fun, manageable, and memorable. We experienced museum fatigue as adults who had looked forward to the Louvre for most of our lives. As a parent, you must consider the attention span of children.
Below, I’ve included my original personal blog post from 2010, followed by updated tips to help you plan the perfect museum day for your family.
A Look Back: Our Last Day in Paris Part 1
(This is the original blog post from 2010, unchanged except for grammar.)
Check When Museum’s Are Actually Open!
On our last day in Paris, I realized I planned poorly. I didn’t think things through. I should have made a chart or a spreadsheet. This day was to be a museum day: The Louvre then d’Orsay!
Every morning while Cristina was making herself even more beautiful, I would read our Rick Steves book. Skipping over to the Paris section, I read that the Orsay is closed on Monday.
Damn it. Well, sort of. I mean we were going to Louvre and that more than makes for a great day.
On boarding our first Metro, we noticed the guy sitting across from us was our waiter from our first meal in Paris. I’m not sure why we both found that exciting. Maybe it was then we realized that Paris is a real place with real people with real jobs, not just a romantic place for tourists.
On our next metro, the guy next to me is carrying his saxophone. He proceeds to wake me up by playing a song. Soon, we are the stop for the Louvre.
There are two entrances to the Louvre: The grand entrance through the I.M Pei’s pyramid or through the metro. We choose the metro entrance due to the fact it has the shortest lines. Also, we didn’t need tickets due to us having the Paris Museum Pass. No I’m not getting a cut on the passes, they are just very cost effective in the amount of museums that you can enter plus the amount of time you save not waiting in line.
However, before we entered the museum the lure of French pastries proved to be too much for us. We spent a small fortune on tarts, turnovers, and croissants.
Money well spent.
Don’t Plan on Seeing Everything in the Louvre
The Louvre itself is overwhelming. This huge museum used to be the palace before Louis XIV built Versailles. The trick here is not to panic. Just enjoy and browse with the intention that you will come back.
We turn the corner and are greeted by Winged Victory. There are moments in a trip to a foreign country that you have trouble processing that this is actually happening. I mean you always know you are in a foreign country but you are having a moment that you can only have in this country you are presently in. This was one of those moments.
We then worked our way into the hall that hosted the paintings of the Italian Renaissance. You know the area where you get to see the works by those martial arts wielding turtles or works used in the totally engrossing novels of Dan Brown. This yields yet another moment. Before you go on one of this trips, your knowledge of the artists and their works can only be found in books.
Here, you are a very short way from spending a night in jail from dirtying a 500 year old work with your sugary hands from the French pastries that you ate just thirty minutes before. You try to apply all the knowledge of art that you have been taught. Then your brain just says it’s pretty just because it is. Then you start to enjoy it.
Well, that is if you actually look at it with your own eyes. I was shocked by the number of people that would really only look at the art works through camera lenses. They were so worried about capturing the moment that they forgot to have the moment.
A Leonardo and a Raphael are begging for you to look at it with your own eyes. If all you do is take pictures of it, then really why not just stay home and look at book.
If You See One Painting in the Louvre…
Now, of course, we took pictures. Plenty of them. But we also looked at them and discussed them. Not any big intellectual discussions, mind you, more of a I can’t believe I’m looking at a Leonardo painting type of discussion.
In fact, we often liked to look at people looking at them. Nowhere is this better observed then when in the room with the most popular lady in the building: The Mona Lisa.
Protected by eight feet of space at all angles and bulletproof glass, she is the crown jewel of the Louvre.
Nowhere in the museum will have a bigger crowd. Nowhere in the museum will more pictures be taken. Nowhere in the museum will you see more confused looks.
After we got as close as we could and took her in, we stepped aside and looked at the crowd. You see two looks on peoples faces: the “wow” look and the “that’s it?” look. I feel to truly be impressed you have to do some homework.
Seriously, You can’t See All of the Louvre in a Day
After viewing more Italian paintings (roughly about ninety minutes later), we headed into the large French paintings of David. The Coronation of Napoleon also requires a little bit of homework to catch all of the politics in the painting.
We decided to take a break from the viewing and finish eating our pastries from earlier. We spent 90 minutes viewing basically four rooms or about ten percent of Louvre. We still had the Venus De Milo and the treasures of antiquity. We decided to just basically plow through as much of the museum as we could.
Two and half hours later we were suffering from museum fatigue. But first we took the time to appreciate the Code of Hammurabi, the Colossal Statue of Ramses II, the Venus de Milo, and some sculptures by Michelangelo (for those that are counting we only have one turtle left).
We then took the open elevator out through the pyramid. Ah, fresh air.
We still had plenty of daylight in Paris, and we were free to enjoy it.
Updated Tips: How to Plan a Museum Day for Families
Looking back at that museum day in Paris, I’ve realized how much my approach to travel has changed, especially now that we’re traveling as a family and I’m navigating the challenges of chronic illness. Here are four practical tips to help you plan a successful museum day for your family:
1. Plan Flexibly to Avoid Stress
In 2010, I tried to pack too much into one day. Planning a museum day back then meant trying to see everything. You can’t do that. When I realized the Orsay was closed, I felt defeated—but it ended up being a blessing in disguise. Missing one museum gave us more time to enjoy the Louvre without rushing.
Tip for Families: Create a loose itinerary with one or two must-see attractions and leave room for spontaneity. For example, if your kids get tired or overwhelmed, take a break in a nearby park or café.
Pro Tip: Check museum hours and closures ahead of time! Many major museums are closed on specific days of the week.
2. Avoid Museum Fatigue with Breaks
Museums can be overwhelming, especially massive ones like the Louvre. Back in 2010, my wife and I hit a wall after a few hours, and that was without kids!
Tip for Families: Planning a museum day for families means focusing on the highlights. At the Louvre, prioritize famous works like the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, artifacts from Egypt and Venus de Milo.
Pro Tip: Take advantage of museum amenities like seating areas, cafes, or family-friendly activities. Many museums also offer kid-friendly maps or scavenger hunts to keep little ones engaged.
3. Make Art Fun for Kids
Traveling with kids offers a unique opportunity to see the world through their eyes. While my wife and I marveled at the Mona Lisa in 2010, I now imagine how my child might react to such an iconic painting—or the sheer size of the Louvre itself.
Tip for Families: Turn museum visits into an adventure. Play games like “I Spy,” ask your kids to find animals in paintings, or let them choose one exhibit they’re most excited to see.
Pro Tip: Bring sketchbooks or coloring materials so kids can draw their favorite pieces or scenes from the museum.
Social Media Manager: Let your kids “make” reels of what they see. It provides them with a way to interact with the material in a fun and interesting way, plus it serves as a living memory. Posting it to an actual social media profile is up to you.
Do Homework: Our kids have access to a wealth of educational content, so a museum trip can be something we discuss beforehand. Watch videos about the artists or the museum itself.
4. Embrace Imperfect Plans
Looking back, missing the Orsay and rushing through the Louvre didn’t ruin our day. In fact, some of our favorite memories came from unplanned moments, like enjoying pastries outside the museum or chatting with locals on the Metro. It also freed up that afternoon for us to take it easy and make it up as we went along.
Tip for Families: Accept that not everything will go as planned. Build buffer time into your day and focus on enjoying the moments that matter.
Pro Tip: Sometimes, the best memories are the ones you don’t plan for—like a spontaneous snack break or a funny moment with your kids.
The Louvre is so big that I didn’t realize that it had the Code of Hammurabi. As social studies teachers, and Cristina, a civics teacher at the time, we both freaked out. Don’t forget to be excited about things around your kids. Even older kids, who will call you a dork under their breath, love you seeing you excited about something.
Why This Still Matters to Our Nerdy Life
The way we approach museums today is the same way we approach Disney parks and fan conventions: with intentional pacing, curiosity, and the understanding that you can’t do everything in one day.
Learning to skip exhibits, take breaks, and follow genuine interest instead of a checklist has made our trips more enjoyable—not just in Paris, but everywhere.
These lessons now shape how we plan EPCOT days, convention schedules, and even local museum visits with our daughter.
How do you plan museum days for kids who love history?
Focus on one or two exhibits that match their interests and do a little homework ahead of time. Watching short videos or reading kid-friendly books about the museum or artists beforehand helps kids feel excited and invested once they’re there.
How do you plan museum days for kids who don’t love history?
Treat the museum like a discovery space instead of a classroom. Let them choose one thing they’re curious about, keep the visit short, and build in frequent breaks. Activities like scavenger hunts, sketching, or letting them document the visit with photos or short videos can turn passive looking into active engagement—without forcing interest.
How long should a family spend in a large museum?
For most families, 2–3 hours is the sweet spot. Large museums can be overwhelming, so it’s better to leave wanting more than to push through exhaustion and museum fatigue.
Are museums worth it with kids?
Absolutely—when expectations are adjusted. Museums work best when they’re treated as experiences, not checklists. Let kids engage at their own pace, take breaks often, and celebrate curiosity rather than how much you “saw.” Also, connect the museum to what your kids already love. If they enjoy drawing, bring a sketchbook. If they’re into sports, find an exhibit with historical or cultural connections they can recognize.
Key Takeaways: Planning a Museum Day for Families
Planning a museum day for your family doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With a little flexibility, preparation, and creativity, you can make the experience fun and memorable for everyone. Here’s a quick recap of the tips:
Plan flexibly by focusing on one or two must-see attractions.
Avoid museum fatigue by taking breaks and prioritizing highlights.
Engage your kids with fun activities like scavenger hunts or sketching.
Embrace imperfect plans and savor spontaneous moments.
Traveling as a nerdy family is less about checking off every item on your list and more about creating shared experiences. Whether you’re visiting the Louvre, a local museum, or a small-town gallery, the key to planning a museum day for families is to have fun and enjoy the journey together.
Need More Travel Tips?
Have you visited a museum with your family? What worked (or didn’t)? Share your tips in the comments below!
Kurt Hargis, also known as Mr. Nola Nerd, is an award‑winning Louisiana educator, writer, and the co‑creator of NolaNerdCouple.com, a family‑run blog focused on Disney travel, fan conventions, and everyday nerdy life.
With more than a decade of experience in education and storytelling, Kurt brings a thoughtful, experience‑driven approach to topics like Disney parks, Disney Vacation Club, and family travel, as well as firsthand coverage of major fan conventions including Star Wars Celebration, Fan Expo, GalaxyCon, and Pensacon.
A proud Disney Dad and Disney Vacation Club member, Kurt writes from direct, real‑world experience—whether navigating theme parks with a child, attending conventions with media credentials, or exploring how fandom, food, music, and pop culture intersect in everyday family life.
His work emphasizes accessibility, curiosity, and helping families feel confident exploring nerd culture, travel, and learning together.
Kurt lives in the Greater New Orleans area with his family and can be reached at kurt.nolanerdcouple@gmail.com.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
