New Museum on African American History & Culture Opens in D.C. Established by an Act of Congress in 2003, the long-awaited National Museum of African American History and Culture opens this weekend (Sept. 24-25) in Washington, D.C., just steps away from the Washington Monument, between Madison and Constitution Avenues and 14th and 15th Streets, NW. It is the 19th Smithsonian Institution museum and is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, art, history, and culture. The buildup to the opening has seen a flurry of news and feature articles through every conceivable channel of communication in the USA. Because of the crowds expected at the new facility—it has a collection of some 37,000 objects—timed passes will be required for entrance. For more information, visit https://nmaahc.si.edu/.
Estate of Prince (the rock star) Opening for Tours: Paisley, the home, studio and grounds that comprise the estate of the late rock star Prince (Rogers Nelson) in Minneapolis, Minn., will open next month for both self-guided and escorted tours. The Prince complex occupies an area of five thousand square meters and was where the body of the singer, who died last April 21, was found. Site visits will include walks through the halls of tests and the spaces have personal pieces, prizes, musical instruments, art works and memorabilia of some of the most important singer tours. The self-guided tour, which retails for $38.50, should take about 70 minutes. The VIP ticket for small groups will cost $100. The visits will be made in groups of 25 to 30 people. For more information, visit: https://www.officialpaisleypark.com/.
Imitation Star Trek Set Open for Tours: Sets that are strikingly similar to those of the 1960s TV series “Star Trek” are now part of a permanent exhibit at an ad hoc museum (the building once housed a grocery store) that opened recently in Ticonderoga, N.Y. The new attraction, which has become wildly popular to “Trekkies” via the social media network, is the creation of James Cawley, who, in 1997, received a copy of the original Starship Enterprise blueprints from a costume designer on the original 
show. He then took years to build the recreation of the TV show’s set. The set/museum is faithful to the series, which this year celebrated its 50th anniversary, and has been the setting for an internet film. During the course of the growth of the site’s popularity, Cawley had to deal with a copyright infringement suit by Paramount Pictures and CBS Studios, which settled the matter by imposing friendly conditions on what could and could not be done with material filmed at the young museum. Opening the sets to visitors became a way to keep the fans coming. Cawley obtained a license from CBS Consumer Products and recently opened the facility to tours. Adult admission is $24.30. For more information, visit: https://www.facebook.com/StarTrekTour/.
