Here are some interesting and quite different examples you should examine: The Museum of London (England). Situated by the London Wall, this is a very interesting portrayal of London's history from earliest times. Recently, a ride has been introduced by what I think is an independent contractor that takes you through scenes from the city's history. I have not seen it but I understand is is well researched and very interesting. The Minnesota Historical Society has a gallery in their interesting and novel museum which presents in one galleries a series of vignettes from state and local history, including one that features what had been for years a promiment local eatery. I thought it an unusual and moving part of the gallery. The (relatively) new Museum of Sydney in NSW is built over an archaeological site, parts of which are displayed to visitors through what look like small greenhouses (much the way Roman ruins are kept visible in the centre of Dorchester in Dorset). The museum has relatively few artifacts and relies on other media to tell the story of Sydney. Most of what they do have are tiny objects, displayed in various forms of "open collections storage". Australian museum folk seem to be about evenly divided between those who find it interesting and creative and those who can't stand it. I'm of the first group, but think they have a ways to go before realizing their full creative potential. One of the problems (great advantages of?) in Sydney is the sheer number of interesting well-preserved historic sites, ranging from Hyde Park (old convict) Barracks, though a while range of historic properties, to a site in The Rocks which I believe is called Dorothea Terrace - a block of very old tenements. The BIG problem in Sydney is pulling these varied and colourful snapshots together into an integrated picture and I am afraid the Museum of Sydney does not take as good advantage of the other sites (mostly owned by the same Historic Houses Trust of NSW) as it could. The same might also be said of a relatively new museum of archaeology located in the oldest continually occupied part of Montreal, which allows you to walk through parts of the site. There is good use made of models and some innovative use of the "talking head" type of hologram; a separate museum presents later history of the area with a memory that, as an historian, I must regard as quite selective. For a more traditional treatment, I rather like the local history museum in Baltimore MD. It's certainly not the latest word on museology, but the collections are interestingly presented. There are other museums which address local history tough their mandates are quite specialized. Maritime museums are a good example. Harry Needham Canadian War Museum