[museums goers]Flickr/Alan Light Art, science, puppetry, medical oddities—there's a museum for every interest. And while each may showcase a different passion, all are united by some basic rules of conduct. Some of these rules are posted — don't touch the art, for example — but just as many are unspoken codes that help a visitor make the most of a visit while not diminishing the experience for others. Here's what not to do if you want to win at visiting any kind of museum. You can reward yourself with a trip to the gift shop. RELATED: Incredible Free Museums Around the World BRING YOUR TRAVEL BAG. SmarterTravel There are plenty of reasons a traveler would be bound to their baggage for an afternoon (or longer). Maybe you’ve already checked out of your lodging, maybe those airport lockers you were depending on no longer exist — but there's no reason you should head to a museum with a hefty suitcase in tow. At best, it’s rude and at worst, it will be the reason a museum guard won't let you through the doors. The museum might provide lockers equipped to handle a shoulder bag or even a backpack, but the staff can and should turn you away if you try to take a huge travel bag in. Aside from taking up too much space, large bags and rolling suitcases can damage floors, knock over precious artifacts, and disturb other visitors. No one wants to hear suitcase wheels barreling across the gallery as they try their best to ponder the meaning of a giant monochrome cube. Most hotels will hold onto your luggage for the day, even if you’ve already checked out. If you don’t have that option because you opted for Airbnb, try any nearby hotel or hostel — sometimes a small tip and asking politely is all it takes. CLIMB ON OR TOUCH ANYTHING. SmarterTravel Museums are not playgrounds, and despite my hope that everyone above the age of seven already knows this, it’s clear that some people don’t. Multi-million dollar artworks have been climbed on and ruined by selfie-hungry tourists—like the student who smashed an ancient Greek sculpture at a Milan institution in a quest for a picture atop it, or the British parents who saw no problem with their child climbing onto a $10 million Tate Modern installation. How you feel about an artwork or artifact doesn’t affect its worth and importance to others. You can think it’s awful, but you’d still likely be liable for any damage. Ignorance isn’t always bliss. There are museums that antsy kids (and adults) can enjoy without climbing the exhibits. Washington DC’s Renwick Gallery always has jaw-dropping decorative exhibitions that visitors can reasonably interact with, for instance there's giant hand-woven nests you’re welcome to walk into, and a 100-foot woven ceiling sculpture that guests are encouraged to lie beneath and gaze up at from the softly carpeted floor. Just because you can’t touch doesn’t mean you can’t participate. SKIP THE WALL TEXT. SmarterTravel Even the stuffiest museums are full of incredible stories and powerful statements that can wow you if you let them. The best way to understand an exhibit is to read the information that the curators provide. Reading the wall text might have helped the museum-goers who were recently duped by two teenagers at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art when one of the kids placed his glasses on the floor to poke fun at the decidedly underwhelming displays, which apparently included stuffed animals placed on a blanket. Photos of the visitors crowding around the spectacles swiftly went viral, and art lovers everywhere groaned. If you don't see wall text anywhere there are likely brochures or audio guides available. Ask a guard how you can follow along. SEE THE REST OF THE STORY AT BUSINESS INSIDER
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