High Museum of Art, Atlanta

The noise inside the museum was so loud one could not hear the headphones. The noise was deafening. Anyone interested in pollution should consider the problems of noise pollution at the High Museum during school days. I was told the high allows 250 kids to enter every thirty minutes. With the special exhibit showing in 4-5 rooms this means there could easily be 100 kids in each room. The rooms are crowded, noisy, and chaotic. The hapless adults at the museum were not happy. Without question it was the worst museum experience for me in four decades. Something was said about posting on the web how many school buses would be there each day. This could help, but the reality is many adults would not think to check for such matters. The number of kids allowed at one time should be cut in half, and the groups of kids smaller, or simply close the museum to everyone but the kids. My observation was there was no teacher explaining to the kids anything about any of the art work in the rooms. Also, it appeared there had been no classroom work in advance to prepare the kids to grasp what they were seeing. One can only speculate what might have been said in the classroom after the visit. It was a day out of the classroom, a break from the routine of learning math and english, and a way to allow the kids to sceram and yell and ruin the museum visit for the paying customers.

If your on vacation and have time to fit in a few places to visit I would definitely recommend the High Museum. It was about a 2 minute walk from our hotel and at the time we went (August 2009) there was a lot going on in the area. It doesn't take that long to walk through and there are various types of art for all art lovers. We actually missed the Kids workshop but we heard good things about it.

A wonderful place to spend a warm summer afternoon. I was fortunate enough to be in Atlanta while Monet's Water Lilies and The Louvre and the Masterpiece exhibits were in place. Both exhibits were excellent and the museum's permanent collection was very enjoyable as well. I had lunch in the cafe there also, it was a most pleasant experience. The museum is located across the street from the Arts Center Marta station.

We went to see the Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor exhibit this weekend. Although we had pre-purchased our tickets, we had to wait in four separate lines to enter the exhibit. One line outside the museum, one line in the museum to get a lapel sticker, one line to get audio equipment, and one line for the exhibit itself. I have never seen poorer human traffic control. In the exhibit itself, the displays were interesting but again the traffic flow patterns resulted in many people having to clump together in one area. By contrast, the King Tut exhibit at the Civic Center, had excellent traffic control. Finally, the High gives all benefits to members without regard to out of town guests who may not want to spend $50 per person to join their musuem but still have invested a lot of funds to see their exhibits. I do not think I will visit the High again.

very impressive,well maintained museum.i found it interesting and unique. the museum provides audio guide for some of the exhibits, a gr8 feature again.

As an Atlanta native, I want to support art in Atlanta, but the museum is small and lacking. It does get some great exhibits. Tickets are pricier than far better museums in other cities, and large areas of the museum are often closed to viewing. You will pay to see one exhibit, not the entire museum. When a good exhibit opens, people are herded through like sheep. The wandering around you can enjoy in so many other museums is not likely to happen at the High, and it is usually too crowded at a decent exhibit to read placards or view the pieces without having to look over the 5 people in front of you. Again, they get some good exhibits, but it could be much better.

Compared to NY the collection is small but we enjoyed it very much. The building is lovely and we got to see art work that we have never seen before. Easy to get to, right across from the Marta train stop. We recomend it.

The architectural space is marvelous and the collection is diverse. The campus is quite huge. Parking was expensive but safe as it is all underground now and easy to access. The collection has something for everyone. I love the Louvre partnership idea. This museum has a lot to enjoy so spend the day. Nice coffee shop and museum shop. Great books and gifts, live jazz on certains Friday evenings. Eleven dollars for each ticket and ten for parking during the day plus lunch can be easily become fifty dollars for two but it's worth it. Nice place for a first date.

I visited the museum a week ago but felt very detached. Museum staff were extremely rude and offered no assistance. The exhibits were very intriguing. A guided tour may have made my experience more enjoyable. I guess you get what you pay for.

Wide open space and friendly atmosphere. Attendants were very welcoming. I visited during the spring time. The weather was amazing and the sun's rays against the building practically made the structure glow.