art of museum shopping, The

Southern Living, Nov 1995 by Millburg, Steve

I feel furtive. Sneaky somehow. As if I were about to commit a crime. Maybe I am. A crime against culture, anyway. I am visiting one of the South's great museums, but I will see no paintings, sculptures, or photographs--no exhibits of any kind. I am heading straight for the gift shop.

The lady collecting the admission charge nods briskly as I mumble that I'm, uh, just shopping. She hands me a special badge and points me in the right direction, as if she does this all the time.

She does. Savvy shoppers have discovered that museums offer some of the most imaginative, unusual, and just plain fun merchandise anywhere. Following are some great places to browse.

* Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina. The Gate House Gift Shop sells all manner of decorative items, reproductions of Biltmore Estate furniture, and Biltmore Estate wines, also available at The Winery Gift Shop. Gardeners should visit A Gardener's Place for estate-grown plants. Stable area shops tempt you with everything from Victorian toys to chocolate goodies.

* Capitol Complex Visitors Center, Austin. If it's Texan, you'll find it here: cookbooks, history books, cards, Texas Ranger badges, "Texas caviar" (jalapeno-stuffed olives), baskets shaped like boots, crackers shaped like The Alamo, cookie cutters shaped like longhorn steers, and Texas flags on almost everything.

* Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia. This living-history village includes 22 gift shops that sell everything from cookies to reproduction furniture and dinnerware. Be sure to see the delightful, often whimsical offerings at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center.

* Dallas Museum of Art. The minor-league manager in the baseball movie Bull Durham was right: Candlesticks make good gifts. This shop sells some great ones, including colorful folk art versions from Mexico. We're also impressed by the jewelry, which ranges from classical to wild.

* National Building Museum, Washington, D.C. The guidebook Washington DCAccess describes the shop as "the best among the city's museums"--and Washington has the best museum shops in the country (see "Smithsonian Shopping," on page 51). You expect the toys and fascinating architectural books. You might not expect the delightful teapots and clocks.

* New Orleans Museum of Art. This is the place for art books, calendars, and greeting cards. (We especially love the hilarious "Great Housewives of Art" cards.) Glassware and jewelry are also lovely.

* North Carolina Museum of History, Raleigh. First impression: big] Second impression: a treasure trove for proud North Carolinians. Everything from furniture and accessories by North Carolina artist Bob Timberlake to jams, jellies, and cookies made by Tarheels, plus old-time toys and antique jewelry. Wonderful books too.

* Salvador Dali Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida. Anything associated with the highly creative, flamboyant surrealist painter has to be...different. How about a melting clock, or a cap crawling with bright green ants, or a praying mantis hand puppet? And we can't resist the colorful "Dali face" mugs and plates.

* Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga. Aquatic creatures are the inspiration for charming sculptures, jewelry, and other decorative items. On the light side, try a turtle-shaped cap or rainbow trout-imprinted boxer shorts. Speaking of rainbows, the trout pate is delicious.

* Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, Winterthur, Delaware. The shop reflects the passions of Henry Francis du Pont, gardener and antiques collector, whose estate this was. Among the numerous items, the reproduction jewelry, tableware, and decorative pieces return you to past elegance. Seasonal plants for sale bring you back to the present.

READY, SET, SHOP]

Hours are for the museum in general unless noted; shop hours may vary. Most museums waive admission charges if you're just shopping.

Biltmore Estate: 1 North Pack Square, Asheville, NC 28801; (704) 274-6333 or 1-800-543-2961. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m daily. (Admission to estate required for shops on the grounds.)

Capitol Complex Visitors Center: 112 East 11th Street, Austin, TX 78701; (512) 305-8400. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday.

Colonial Williamsburg: P.O. Box 1776, Williamsburg, VA 23187-1776; (804) 229-1000 or 1-800-447-8679. Gift shop hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Dallas Museum of Art: 1717 North Harwood, Dallas, TX 75201; (214) 922-1200. Hours: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

National Building Museum: 401 F Street NW., Washington, DC 20001; (202) 272-2448. Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-4 p.m. Sunday.

New Orleans Museum of Art: 1 Collins Diboll Circle, City Park, New Orleans, LA 70124; (504) 488-2631. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m Tuesday-Sunday.

North Carolina Museum of History: One East Edenton Street, Raleigh, NC 27601; (919) 715-0200. Gift shop hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

Salvador Dali Museum: 1000 Third Street South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701; (813) 823-3767. Hours: 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-5:30 p.m. Sunday.