2721. Go to the Lucy-Desi Museum in Jamestown

When the hubby asked what I wanted to see while at the World Series, I told him The Lucy and Desi Museum and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Jamestown is the home of Lucille Ball and I wanted to go to the museum, especially since we were missing Lucy-Desi Days.

Friday morning, we had some free time and walked down to the Museum. It was only a few blocks from the hotel.  For $15 a person, we were able to see the museum and Desilu Studios down the block. You can start at either location. They give you a wristband to show you paid. Also available is a magic wand for $5 to give you audio at each of the displays. We passed on the wands. The hubby says it was worth the price of admission because of all the artifacts. I thought it was a good deal because we saw two different sites about Lucy and Desi.

Our first stop was The Lucy and Desi Museum. The museum showcases the lives of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez. It contains artifacts from their lives. There is also a stage for performances. Several notable comedians have been to Jamestown either for Lucy Desi Days or as a stop on a tour. There are signed posters from Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Bob Newhart, and Martin Short among others. One of the most impressive artifacts is their Mercedes Benz. It is a huge boat of a car from the 1970s. The car was probably the hubby’s favorite thing in the museum.

After touring the museum, we walked next door to the Desilu Studios. It is a few doors down from the Lucy and Desi Museum but in the winter it might not be a pleasant walk. The Desilu Studios illustrates the sets from the I Love Lucy Show. Most of the props and sets are recreations from the show because the originals have been lost. At the end of the tour is a place where you can re-enact the Vitanmax commercial. Others can see you on TV from the 1950s. In case you don’t know how the commercial goes, there are cue cards to help you out.

My greatest disappointment was that I couldn’t re-enact the grape stomping scene. That probably is my favorite scene besides the chocolate factory conveyor belt scene. I have now re-enacted 2 different scenes from I Lucy Love.  I did the chocolate factory conveyor belt scene while in St. Augustine.

Both museums have gift shops. The one at Desilu studios is geared more towards the I Love Lucy Show where the one at the Lucy and Desi Museum is geared towards Lucille Ball. I was disappointed by the selection of postcards. I have a decent sized postcard collection and wanted to add a couple to my collection. There weren’t any that I liked enough to buy. I was surprised by this. There were a lot of Lucille Ball but not many of the show or the museum which is what I was looking for.

It was a fun, interesting way to spend part of our morning.