Broadway Up Close: Visit to the Museum of Broadway 🎭 

– July 2023 –

Written by Barbara Durley, Travel & Cruise Consultant at Travitude Travel Group

My friend Kellie and I took our daughters, Kirsten and Kasey, to New York for a Broadway trip.  We usually do a show of some sort, often a musical with the girls, for their birthdays.  They are both born right after Christmas.  This time, we decided to actually take them to Broadway.  We had so much fun! 

Two women walking down a city sidewalk with tall buildings on either side, one wearing a green cap and the other with long hair.

We stayed at the Warwick Hotel on West 54th street which is just an 8 minute walk away from Times Square, 6 minutes from Central Park, Rockefeller Center and you guessed it, Broadway!

The Warwick Hotel, a historic building with a mix of architectural styles, featuring a grand entrance and flags, surrounded by modern skyscrapers.
Two young women entering a building with ornate golden doors and marble details.

Everything was incredible and just as big and shiny as they portray it in the movies. Speaking of movies, of course we visited FAO Schwarz from the movie Big, along with doing a tour and learning more about Rockefeller Center

We had an incredible Italian dinner served family style at Carmine’s. The food and the atmosphere was incredible! Oh, and did you know that the New York Public Library on 5th Avenue has a mini museum inside!

We also had dinner at Ellen’s Stardust Diner. Honestly, if you love Broadway Musicals you need to eat here. You can’t make a reservation, so you will have to line up. We waited about half an hour. Once you are inside, the food is good, but you are there for the atmosphere. All of the bartenders and servers are aspiring actors and actresses trying to make it on Broadway. So, all night, all around you, they are singing show tunes. We had a Blast!

At some point while you are there, they will come around with a bucket. All money you put in the bucket is put aside so that when one of the staff members wants to take an extra dance lesson, or singing lesson, or whatever they need to get better for that next audition. Of course, when you pay your bill, you still tip your server. After all, that is the money that your server uses to pay their bills. It was an amazing experience.

We saw two musicals. The girls picked Chicago and Hamilton. We had purchased our tickets in advance because we wanted to make sure we could see both and we only had four days. But if you don’t care what you see, or where you sit, you can get tickets the day of at TKTS in Times Square.

But what I really want to talk about is our visit to the Museum of Broadway. 

Signage for the Museum of Broadway against a shimmering red background.

We stepped into a world that felt like Broadway itself—immersive, interactive, and full of theatrical nostalgia. From the Map Room, which traces the early days of NYC theater, to a sweeping timeline exhibit packed with original costumes, props, and photographs from shows like Rent, Hamilton, Phantom of the Opera, A Chorus Line, The Wiz and more there is so much to see and do.

A collage of historical black and white and color photographs, posters, and documents related to vaudeville, showcasing performers, theatrical acts, and promotional materials.
Diagram titled 'Types of Jukebox Musicals' on a pink background, featuring interconnected categories including 'Based on Movie,' 'Revues,' 'Original Story,' and 'Based on the Life of an Artist or Performer' with images of musical performances.
A display featuring a puppet figure walking a wooden cheetah, set against a vibrant orange backdrop with a stylized sun. The scene includes artistic masks resembling lions and other characters, contributing to a themed environment.
Exhibition display featuring multiple informational panels about various theaters, showcasing historical images and descriptions.

There are so many spots where you really feel like you are a part of the musical! You can swing from the  ”Hair” -style swing, sing into old school microphones with Spring Awakening lyrics under your feet, stand in replica sets from West Side Story and the girls even sat in on the set of Chicago!  That interactive energy kept us moving through each exhibit with excitement—but we still took nearly two hours to soak it all in.

Two women posing in front of a large 'CHICAGO' sign in a theatrical setting, with silhouettes of dancers and chairs in the background.
Two performers in a vibrant cabaret setting, one striking a pose on a chair and the other sitting on another chair with a playful expression, with a 'CABARET' sign in the background.
Two women standing in a stylish shop with shelves filled with various products, including snacks and beverages. One woman is leaning on a glass display case while the other stands beside her, both smiling.
A young woman sitting on a pink swing in a brightly colored room with a sunburst design and daisies, smiling as she poses for the camera.

The final section, “Making of a Broadway Show,” brought us backstage—showing how musicals and plays come to life through set design, costume sketches, choreography breakdowns, and production models. It felt like we were peeking behind the curtain at the real magic. 

Of course we couldn’t resist browsing the gift shop, filled with Broadway-themed merchandise like Playbill style prints, tote bags, themed apparel, and more—perfect souvenirs to remember our Times Square adventure. 

We had so much fun and saw so many things.  It was an amazing 4 days of history, music, broadway and fun!  We even had time to fit in a visit to the Top of the Rock and a Hop On Hop Off bus to see some of the areas we didn’t have time to walk to! 

We even had time to fit in a visit to the Top of the Rock and a Hop On Hop Off bus to see some of the areas we didn’t have time to walk to.

We had so much fun and saw so many things. It was an amazing 4 days of history, music, Broadway and fun!

Click here to contact me to plan your Big Apple Adventure!

—
Barbara Durley
Travel & Cruise Consultant– Travitude Travel Group

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