Mint Museum Randolph

I really wanted to go to the Mint Museum in Uptown, but my friends decided on this one, so maybe that's why I was a bit underwhelmed by this museum. This museum is free on Wednesday nights and parking was free. The exhibits were fine, but I didn't really like how the rooms flowed together. Found myself wandering and back tracking a lot. Nothing spoke to me, but I'm truly a novice so I'm trying to learn more. Wasn't bad or anything, my friends who are artist seemed to love it, so take what I say with a grain of salt. LolI hear that the Randolph location focus more on older European art while the Uptown location has more contemporary, modern art, so that would be more my speed than this one was.

This is a lovely, eclectic museum easily located in Charlotte. We came during the week, so there was plenty of parking available and it was nice to not be crowded while visiting.The grounds outside were gorgeous, even at the tail end of winter/beginning of spring. Little roundabout with a fountain allows cars to drop off/pick. up passengers. There is a ramp to the side to allow access to the front doors for those in wheelchairs, etc. We were greeted warmly by the young lady at the front desk. We paid admission and were given small reusable plastic tags to wear on our shirts to show security we had paid. We started off on the ground floor which had a circular path, starting off with history of the Mint Museum and samples of what we would see on the upper floors.We truly enjoyed the Art of the Ancient Americas exhibit the most. They had the standard pieces you'd expect, but they also had some of the most exquisite items I had never seen before and, frankly, never realized the outstanding artistry of the area. That alone was worth the admission price.All in all, it was a lovely museum, but I do have one major complaint. The lack of seating. There were so many wonderful rooms with many pieces of art that I would have loved to have sat and marveled at, but very few rooms had benches. It was technically handicapped accessible, but mainly for those in wheelchairs. Anyone with a cane or walker, would have had a difficult time.

The museum and grounds are a real treasure - these are both a "must visit".The setting of the museum in the grounds is beautiful and provides both indoor (art, artifacts) and outdoor (walks/paths) delights. This combination is a real winner for families and groups with varied interests.We (8 year and myself) spent a few hours sketching inside the museum (only pencils and paper allowed inside the exhibitions). The folks at the museum were friendly and really added to our adventure with pieces of information and encouragement.Apart from the permanent collection, which is great, we enjoyed the two exhibitions, Shinichi Sawada: Agents of Clay and Objects of Affection - Jewelry by Robert Ebendorf. This will be a permanent "go to" place when in Charlotte

The more suburban location of the Mint Museum is probably a bit smaller than the downtown one. It was an actual mint at one point, it seems. The collection was nonetheless impressive. While I visited on a free preview weekend, they tried to charge me here, but fortunately I got my free ticket online for the downtown museum, which they honored here. Tickets to one Mint location are good for both for two days, which is a big plus.This collection was more historical and global whereas the downtown one felt more contemporary and regional to me. The variety between galleries was quite wide.They told me that I couldn't carry even my small bag, but lockers were available for free so no big deal for me.

As a Charlotte native I've been to this museum countless times as a child on field trips, but it definitely hits different as an adult when you can actually appreciate the art in front of you. I had the pleasure to attend a special ticketed event showcasing NC wines and chefs. It was truly an amazing experience and so much fun. Each winery had a special dish paired with their wines and everything married so well. And while sipping, got to walk around the museum exploring the exhibits. Whether you go just for a regular visit or for a special event, I think anyone will enjoy this beautiful museum.

If you're looking for something to do this summer and can't quite choose one thing, then #trythischarlotte The #randolphmintmuseum is part park where you can go for a stroll; part art-Americana and history museum; and for #numismatics it is a treasure trove of artifacts from the #queencity and her influential past in the #usmint and current position as #financecenter It's a great place to spend a #summerafternoon rain or shine.So, get your #charlottenc education on, especially during this beautiful weather!

I used to frequent this museum often in my 20's and 30's (mostly 30's?), thanks to many of its interesting events...both inside the museum, as well as right outside on their expansive yard. However, for some reason, I rarely visit this museum now.Think the last time I visited was because of some fashion designer display several years ago...and again, my latest visit (today) was due to a fashion icon, Anna Sui! (Thanks again for the suggestion, Ellen!)There was a $15 entry fee...and though fairly small (3 rooms filled with fashion, as well as a ton of accessories (hats, jewelry, boots, sunglasses, perfume, you name it!), Anna Sui exhibits were truly worth seeing. As an iconic Queen of prints and patterns, her exhibit was truly colorific! I think I almost forgot how this artist branched into just about everything surrounding fashion. Truly an amazing success story. I also realized once over how UN-Asian her designs are on the most part (if not all?). I would describe her style as vintage chic...classic, culturally influenced styles, with some hipster, modern influences (much of it from musical influences)? ANYWAY, if you see her exhibits, you'll see just how eclectic her vintage-hipster styles really are! Think I'm a bigger fan now than I've ever been before.On this particular day, I wasn't too thrilled with the rest of the exhibits...as majority of the displays were pottery and ceramics (impressive, but just not what I'm into). Guess I prefer paintings...or more exciting, modern works or art. Anyway, it was truly a quiet day. Think my friend and I were mostly on our own on the most part (aside from the ever-present guards!). Think there were less than 6 people in the entire museum!One thing I truly love about this museum is its gift shop...with a ton of cute things...but one thing I absolutely do NOT love is the fact that there's not even a tea or coffee stand. It amazes me that a place like this doesn't come with at least a coffee/dessert cafe.No matter, I'm just glad this museum is still here...in business. I hope to return more often in the future. I hope they continue to add many more exciting fashion exhibits in the future...and also hope that they consider installing a coffee/dessert bar (if the business picks up, I guess?).

3*=A OKWe visited the last Sunday of the month where its supposed to be a Block Party vibe. There were a couple of food trucks and a small bar. There was also a small band playing. I wish there was seating available or a better description on the website suggesting to bring lawn chairs. I can tell people that come before knew to bring chairs or blankets. Umbrellas would be nice. To be in shade, you are far from the music because the band was positioned at the front door. We decided to take advantage of the inside air and walk around. There is not much to see on the 1st floor. We followed the directions given at the front desk, and I felt like we were walking opposite from everyone else. There were more interesting exhibits upstairs. I was suprised to see an updated Black Culture exhibit. I enjoyed that the most. I would come to a block party again knowing to be prepared to bring my own chair and umbrella to enjoy what's being offered outside.

I stopped here on a road trip making my way through Charlotte after realizing that my ticket for Mint Uptown also allowed me access to Mint Randolph. Because I hadn't researched it prior, I had no idea what to expect going in.In general, I don't particularly love art that was done prior to the 15th century, just because I personally value either the technicality of high-quality paintings and drawings or the intensive thought process behind most contemporary art. That being said, a large percentage of this museums collection is of "old" art from all over the world. If you are into that, this is a great museum for it! Even though it's not my favorite genera of art, I still found several pieces compelling. One of the compelling things I found about this museum was the juxtaposition of the "old" and "new". The curators of the exhibitions did a great job having modern day artist next to work done by the people group/nation centuries ago that caused the viewer to think about the older work in a new light. My favorite part of the museum were the more modern pieces, particularly the fiber art. They had a great selection!I think it is really great that you can purchase access to one museum and get access to both over the next couple days. I don't know if I've ever been to a museum that does that, so I thought that was really awesome.Overall, I definitely recommend. I had a great experience!

I attended the beautiful exhibition opening of "The World of Anna Sui" at the Randolph Mint Museum. Admission to the museum was free for the weekend due to the exhibition's opening that day. The museum did a wonderful job accommodating space for this exhibit which was beautifully displayed on the 2nd floor. My group arrived promptly at 11AM and were able to run into the designer Anna Sui herself walking through her exhibit! She gave us a personable tour, walking us through different looks, eras, and iconic moments throughout her career. It was so cool! We even had time for pictures and one-on-one questions at the end. The museum also coordinated an artist talk later that afternoon in their auditorium that ran smoothly and was very informational. Everyone honored the mask mandate so felt very safe in the crowded space during the hour long discussion. They presented Anna Sui with a beautiful and thoughtful gift which was very touching. They also had a surprise for the guests of the evening, 50 autographed copies of her Exhibit book for sale in the book store! I thankfully was able to snag one and a few cosmetics after the talk. I am fully impressed by the work of the Mint Museum Randolph and excitedly look forward to more of their events in the future!