As a local guide my favorite places to check out are historical buildings and museums. Typically, I find these places by local gossip or by looking through the nearby experiences provided by google maps.
During one of my many searches I found a nearby museum in the small town of Booneville, KY. For perspective, by small town, I mean 130 residents small. Well, smack dab in the middle of Booneville is the Warrick County Museum. So, one rainy day I decided to make one of my local guide runs, which usually includes lunching at a different spot and trying out a new experience.
When I walked into the Warrick county museum it was completely silent, making me think it was closed and I had inadvertently broken in. Not one to be too easily deterred, I creeped in a few more feet and peered into what looked to be the office. Well, I accidentally startled the two old ladies working there and then watched as surprise turned to mild confusion in a “what is she doing here?” way. That cleared up pretty quickly as I explained that I was new to the area and came in to tour the museum. One of the ladies then asked if I would like to have a guided tour of the museum to which I eagerly accepted. What followed was a half hour tour of the two-story museum where I was walked into each room, shown each exhibit, and regaled with the local history. She would go so far as to tell me who donated each collection, what their occupation in town had been, and in some cases her personal stories. It turned out the building had once held a school in which she had taught for several years.
I was enraptured and have never received such a personal tour of any museum nor felt so connected to the objects on display. This kind woman took the time to speak to almost every exhibit and give her experiences, drawing me in whenever possible and bringing the stories to life. It was the most unexpected museum visit I’ve ever had and turned out to be quite a lovely afternoon. When the tour was over, she thanked me for coming in and insisted I come back later for one of the shows the museum was hosting. The last thing she asked was how on earth I had heard about their museum in the middle of nowhere. I was all to happy to explain that I was a local guide and had found the museum through google maps; I assured her I would leave a great review.