Four ‘museums’ in George Town to check out

George Town has probably the most number of museums whose operators wanted to cash in on the inscription of George Town as a World Heritage Site a decade ago.

To date, there are over 20 museums that sidestepped the loose definition by Oxford Dictionary, that it is a place that exhibits objects of historical, scientific, artistic and cultural interest.

So you have museums such as Trick Art, Chocolate, Owl, Ghost, Camera, 3D, Upside Down; all riding on the cash bandwagon chasing tourist dollars.

These ‘museum’ somewhat abused the real meaning of a proper museum we are grown up with such as the state museum and art gallery. That they operate in renovated and refurbished single two-story shop lot further did not help to add credence to its existence.

If it amuses you to think like what we do, check out our list of four museums and decide for yourself.

Phantamania

This is an art museum with rooms full of tricks like the mirror room that boggles your mind and makes you wonder if your eyes are playing tricks on you.

It has 3D and 5D attractions – many are the first of its kind in Malaysia – and attracts an average of 300 people daily; making it one of the most frequented spots in Penang. It also has two cute characters named Weewee and Waawaa for photo shoot.

Phantamania is at 193, Lebuh Victoria. It opens daily from 10am to 7pm.
Check out its Facebook page at @phantamania for more details.

Cool Ghost Museum

This museum lets visitors explore the history of ghosts in Malaysia, China, Japan and Europe, as well as the scary Halloween ones.

But none of the exhibits are very scary. It can be a fun place to go to spook your friends and have a good laugh.

It is also a good place to take photos of the exhibits.

Visitors can put on ghost costumes and masks to bring home a more memorable trip to George Town.

The museum at Lebuh Melayu opens daily from 10am to 7pm. Check out its Facebook page at @ghostmuseumpenang57 or call 04-2612351 for more details.

Wonderfood Museum

Food here comes in huge sizes but none of it you can eat.

This place celebrates Penang as a street food haven. Its exhibits range from the world famous Penang hawker fare such as Char Koay Teow, Nasi Lemak, Laksa and Curry Mee to food from around the globe.

The museum open 9 am to 6 pm daily. It is at 49, Lebuh Pantai. For details, visit its Facebook page at @ Wonderfoodmuseum.

PG Gold Museum

Here, you can pan for gold and if you are lucky enough to find gold bits, you can take them home.

Visitors can touch a 50kg solid gold brick for measure and a 30kg solid silver brick in the middle of the museum. You can touch it and they are too heavy to carry.

This museum aims to allow the public to learn about gold in a fun way. It opens daily from 9am to 6pm at 95, Bishop Street. Check out its Facebook page @pggoldmuseum for details