Singapore: Discovering of hidden gems of Singapore's museum

Let’s say you’re planning for a stopover in Singapore, and it’s not the fi rst time you’ve visited the city. You’re thinking of something interesting, something you’ve never seen or heard of before.

Universal Studios? Hmm, been there. Orchard Road? Little India? Chinatown? On almost every single visit. You’re thinking hard right now, “What am I going to do?” Not to worry. Singapore always has something new to offer. You can learn more about the country by paying a visit to its numerous museums. You probably have heard about the popular museums such as the National Museum of Singapore, the Asian Civilizations Museum, the Singapore Philatelic Museum and the Singapore Science Center; but these museums are not the museums we’re going to explore this time. Discover the hidden museums in Singapore with us.

Children Little Museum
Known as Ah Kong Tiam (Grandfather’s Shop) until 2003, this two fl oors “shop-alike” antique museum is squirreled away in the Arab Quarter near the Bugis Junction. The fi rst fl oor is a treasure trove of vintage stuff from radios, gramophones, TVs, jewelry, clothes and the highlights: a fully functioning 1950s art-deco fridge and a welcome “robot”. The second fl oor is devoted to kampong children playthings like musical toys, tin toys, stuffed toys, plastic guns and plastic soldier fi gures. Since the place is quite small for a museum, some items are hung on the wall to maximize the storage area. (sunfl ower700.wordpress.com)

Singapore Chinese Opera Museum
Located on the second fl oor of a Kampong Glam shop-house, this museum showcases the different elements of Chinese Opera: the styles, costumes and props. First fl oor belongs to Bian’s Café, a theme café owned by Chinese opera enthusiast Bian Huibin who also runs the museum. The café serves up rice and noodles, but also hosts Chinese Opera dinners. For more information, visit www.singopera.com.sg.

Raffl es Hotel Museum
The museum located at 1 Beach Road gives a glance of Raffl es Hotel’s history in the context of the golden age of travel (1880- 1939). An array of travel ephemera and memorabilia of Raffl es Hotel, Singapore and the region from the period are displayed along with Raffl es Hotel china, silver and postcards, letters and photographs. A number of 19th century photographs of Singapore and Southeast Asia form an important facet of the museum collection, representing an important historical documentation of early life in the city.

Art Retreat
It’s the fi rst private museum in Singapore with a signifi cant collection of modern art by some of the most renowned artists of the region. Located in the bustling Ubi Industrial Estate, the museum—founded by Indonesian collector Kwee Swie Teng in 2003—is a testimony to the founder’s passion for the arts and enthusiasm for sharing his exquisite collection with the public. The museum consists of three parts: the Main Gallery, Wu Guanzhong Gallery and the Collection in the repository. Surf the website: artretreatmuseum.com.

Butterfly Park and Insect Kingdom
Stroll through the lush tropical greenery and fi nd yourself surrounded by dozens of gorgeous butterfl ies. The living organism museum features more than 3,000 species of butterfl ies and rare insects, with a netted conservatory as the highlight where 1,500 enchanting butterfl ies fl utter freely around you. You can also fi nd and feed birds, adorable rabbits, colorful macaws, iguanas, and even creepy animals (for some people) like tarantulas, beetles, millipedes and scorpions. Visit www.sentosa.com.sg for more information.

The Live Turtle and Tortoise Museum
With its more than 1,000 turtles and tortoise collection of more than 50 different species, the museum—located within the Chinese Garden—is a perfect place for family fun and excitement.Sense the mystery of the jungle river, the awesome power of the alligator turtle and the beauty of the radiated tortoise. See and feel the spirit of the sulcata tortoise for luck, and Thailand’s golden temple turtle for wealth. You will also be fascinated by the secretive pancake tortoise, golden terrapin and the six-legged tortoise, or listen to the lonely noise of the Indian star tortoise and marvel at the strange looking soft shell turtle also from India. Visit www.turtle-tortoise.com for a glimpse of these impressive animals and fi nd out more information about the museum.

Singapore Coins and Notes Museum
Being the fi rst and only museum in Singapore dedicated to displaying currency, the Singapore Coins and Notes Museum will take you on a journey through the country’s history of coins and notes from early colonial rule and World War II. It is located in the heart of Chinatown at 40 Pagoda St Level 1, houses three galleries which are organized in chronological order. The fi rst and second galleries display the currencies used in pre-independence Singapore to the modern day, while the third gallery houses the most interactive elements and visitors can try minting their very own coins on a traditional minting machine. For more information, visit www.singaporecoinsandnotesmuseum.com.