Neil Aronson Northern Thailand is one of the best places to learn about Thai culture and the history of this amazing region. Civilizations date back thousands of years, and art forms in the region date back some 5000 years. And with temples more than 700 years old, there is an abundance of art and history for tourists and locals to explore and learn about.
These are some of the best places in the region to learn about Thai culture and history. For art lovers the artifacts that can be seen date back to BC, and progress through the Lanna period to current modern day art and photography.
Lovers of history tend to seek out museums when they travel, and Chiang Mai and its surrounding provinces have many great museums and centers to visit. If learning about the past of a city to appreciate its present is your thing, then it is well worth taking half a day to visit a couple of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, or Lamphun museums.
Some will say Chiang Mai itself is already a museum. Just walking around the city you can see the history all around you, as well as entering the ancient temples full of culture, history and art. Chiang Mai is applying to become a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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Resources
Agoda is the best place to book cheap affordable hotels in Thailand, especially near national parks. They also book flights as well.
Expedia is my favorite place to book flights, hotels, cars, and more. Their group includes Hotels.com and Vrbo for vacation rentals.
Viator is the top choice for activities. Book everything from a waterfall tour to scuba diving and jungle trekking,
12Go is the top transportation source for Asia. From busses to trains to regional flights.
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai National Museum
The National Museum was Founded in 1969 and underwent a recent facelift in 2017, this is the oldest and most comprehensive museum run by the Fine Arts Department. The museum has an outstanding collection of artefacts and plenty of interactive displays telling the story of Chiang Mai and the Lanna kingdom. The museum sits on beautiful grounds which are lovely to stroll in.
The main purpose of establishing the National Museum is to display antiques. Art objects collected from the upper northern region which consists of 8 provinces, namely Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Phrae, Phayao, Nan, Lamphun and Lampang, and the reasons for consideration Chiang Mai Province.
Chiang Mai Cultural Center
The Chiang Mai Cultural Center is one of the best places for visitors to learn about Thai culture, and easily accessible in the center of the old city. Consisting of three separate museums, each changing its exhibitions regularly. Admissions is just 90 baht for adults.
Located on Prapokkloa Rd in the city center, near Wat Chedi Luang. Find the Three Kings Monument, and you will find multiple fantastic museums. It consists of three of the best places including the Art and Cultural center. The History Center. And the Lanna Folklore Center.
The Cultural Center was created to help local people understand the city’s historical importance. It was also created to help them understand their roots in Thai culture and foster a sense of pride in local identity, and thus to help preserve the beauty of local customs and Thai culture. In addition, the center contributes to conservational tourism by preserving the heritage of the old city center and giving visitors the opportunity to know and understand the city of Chiang Mai.
Lanna Folklife Centre exhibits the lifestyle of Lanna people and the art that appears in Buddhist art including tools used in rituals, Lanna architectures, traditions, mural paintings and craftsmanship which can be found in a wide variety of categories in order to inherit the tradition and be able to reach out to general public. The History Center is one the best places to learn about the local history of Chiang Mai and the region.
House Of Photography
For my photography friends, across the street from the Cultural Center is the Lanna House of Photography. If you are into photography and want to learn Thai Lanna history, this is a great place for you. The Chiang Mai House of Photography was established to collect and preserve photographs for the documentation and understanding of northern Thai culture.
Wat Umong Suan Puthatham
I chose to include this temple, Wat Umong, as it is one of the best places to learn about Thai culture and history of the area and Buddhism. The entire Wat Umong complex consists of 37.5 rai (15 acres) of wooded grounds full of information and artifacts. “Talking trees” have words of wisdom in Thai and English. My favorite part was reading the proverbs, scattered around the grounds.
Thai culture can be found in the Buddha field of broken sculpture, a fasting Bodhisattva, a Spiritual Theatre of paintings similar to those at Suan Mokkh, reproductions of ancient Buddhist sculpture of India, and a library-museum. The library-museum many books on Buddhism and other philosophies as well as a collection of historic objects and Buddhist art.
Wat Umong can be easily found near the entrance of Doi Suthep National Park and Chiang Mai University.
Outside Chiang Mai
Hilltribe Museum and Education Center (Chiang Rai)
The Hilltribe Museum and Education Center was established to provide Tourists in Chiang Rai with basic information about the culture of the six major tribal groups in Northern Thailand. These tribal groups include the Akha, Hmong, Karen, Lahu, Lisu, and Yao.
Located in Chiang Rai, this museum focuses on the indigenous hill tribe cultures of Northern Thailand. It offers insights into their traditional way of life, customs, and crafts, aiming to promote understanding and cultural preservation.
Hall Of Opium (Chiang Rai)
Visiting what is called the Golden Triangle area of north east Thailand is one of the best places to learn about modern day Thai Culture and the history of this area. A lot of the history of course is dark and surrounded by the drug trade. The Hall of Opium Museum is a combination of multimedia and exhibition to make learning more fun. Aiming to educate people about opium, this exhibition portrays every angle of the story.
Starting from the history of the Golden Triangle, the origin of opium, the opium war, opium warlords, the battle against opium and poppy growing. And the rehabilitation of living conditions of the people who live in the center of the Golden Triangle.
Baan Dam Museum (Chiang Rai)
The Baan Dam Museum is located in Nang Lae subdistrict north of Chiang Rai, and is the work of Achan Thawan Duchanee, a National Artist in Visual Arts (Fine Arts). It consists of over 25 buildings of local Northern architecture and many applied local architecture buildings displaying folk art all painted black. These are the creations of local artisans from the past to the present. Each house is decorated with beautiful patterns of carved wood.
Hariphunchai National Museum (Lamphun)
Haripunchai National Museum in Lamphun. It is the best places to visit if you are looking to learn about the Mon Kingdom of Haripunchai. The museum houses over 3000 historical artifacts, bones, relics, and antiques found in Lamphun.
The museum is located along route 106, behind Wat Hariphunchai, as is several other of the best places to learn about Thai culture.
In the downtown area of Lamphun is the Queen Cham Dhavi Monument. She was the first monarch and Queen of Hariphunchai, as noted above, she is buried at the temple of the same name. Also note, her name is often spelled also as Jamadevi or Chammathewi.
Museum of Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park
One of the best places to explore Thai culture and history in an archiological setting. However it is a 4 hour trek south of Chiang Mai. Kamphaeng Phet historical park also has a great museum with a large collection of artifacts from this Thai culture.
Kamphaeng Phet province is home to this UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring ancient ruins from the Sukhothai Kingdom. The museum within the historical park displays artifacts and information about the site’s history and significance.
