Where to Go: Openluchtmuseum, Arnhem, Netherlands

A fisherman's cottage. People were shorter back then.

Yesterday, Mary and Elly took me to an open-air museum that has the catchphrase, “Holland in Just One Day.” While most places claim that you could spend all day there, this Openluchtmuseum really lives up to that. With several dozen historic buildings, not to mention all the living history programs, the museum is large enough that you could arrive at opening (10:00) and stay until it closed at five, and you still might not see everything.

Why you should go: If you want to get a sweeping view of the Netherlands’ history from the 1600s to the present, this is the place for you. I enjoyed the sense of time that I felt as I touched the reed-roofed buildings and thought about life in the “olden days.”

How to get there: Arnhem is a city in eastern Netherlands. The museum is accessible by car (4,50 euros for parking) and public transit.

Inside a wealthy farmer's house.

What to bring: The museum costs 14,95 euros. Bring good walking shoes, a backpack with snacks and water, a camera, and some spending money. You can even take along your dog, as long as it’s on a leash.

What to do: Get a map at the front desk and wander from building to building. You’ll encounter several windmills (you can go up in the biggest one), cottages from different eras, a Protestant church, a maze, old tollbooths and weigh-stations, farmhouses, barns, fields full of old crops and goats, and all sorts of miscellaneous structures. While some of the displays are only in Dutch, the plaques outside each building have a section in English. Mary, Elly and I got an olde-time photo taken, and also sat outside to eat traditional poffertjes, pancakes the size of coasters and served with butter and powdered sugar. 

What else you need to know: You probably won’t see everything if you take your time, so look at the map and prioritize. Then take a deep breath and plunge into the world of the Netherlands, past and present!

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