Captain Blue Hen Comics & Entertainment

What Dave Did on His Thanksgiving Vacation - Geppi’s Entertainment Museum

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I had a fine weekend, which included eats at my parents (everyone should have the chance to eat turkey and the works made by my mom), Black Friday at CBH, and a weekend in Baltimore. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency at the Inner Harbor and checked out some of the nearby family-type spots including Port Discovery and Geppi’s Entertainment Museum.

If you love comics, toys, and pop culture, you’ll love Geppi’s Entertainment Museum (GEM). The comics room itself is worth the price of admission for fans of old comics. Marvel at an actual copy of Action Comics #1. Gaze in awe at Marvel Mystery Comics #1. Drool on the glass over Detective Comics #27 and Walt Disney Comics #1. View copies of controversial horror and crime comics. I could have stood in that room all day.

The museum space itself is beautiful with its vaulted ceilings and gleaming hardwood floors. The walls in the hallways are covered floor to ceiling with huge reproductions of comic book covers, comic strips, and original movie posters.

Room by room you can follow the history of the things we can’t get enough of: movies, music, games, toys, and of course comic books. What were the playthings of the 18th century? What were the origins of the comic strip? How cool were those prizes from the old radio shows and food promotions? (Much better than today’s Cracker Jack prizes, by the way.) What was it like to watch the first televisions?

As much fun as it is to see things you’ve never heard of or seen only in books, it is just as entertaining to see stuff from your own childhood. I grew up in the ’70s and ’80s, and so I had some fun in the room from that era playing “Had It/Wanted It” with the rows of action figures and promo glasses and video games. I want to take my parents there just to show them how all the stuff they threw out is now under glass in a museum!

If you bring the kids, they’ll enjoy the interactive aspect of GEM. At the welcome desk, everyone gets a Treasure Hunt card that you scan in every room for an interactive quiz. Once you get past the introductory question, you get a clue for the next question which makes you search that room for a particular item. It makes you and/or the child pay closer attention to the exhibits and gives the computer generation a screen to tap. There is also a touch screen radio tuner in the radio-themed room that allows you to listen to Big Band music or snippets from old radio shows including the War of the Worlds broadcast from Orson Welles. Another fun interactive aspect is the red “Bat-phone” replica from Commissioner Gordon’s office on the ’60s TV show. Every time you pick up the phone, a voice on the other end gives you a clue to find an item in the room. One of the last rooms had the temporary exhibit called “Out of the Box” that allowed kids to play with actual toys new and old.

GEM is a great add-on to your next Baltimore visit. It’s located at Camden Yards in the same building as the Sports Museum. If you’re taking the kids to the National Aquarium or checking out the Inner Harbor, leave some room for GEM.

Geppi’s Entertainment Museum, 301 W. Camden Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201

410-625-7060     www.geppismuseum.com