Local and regional museum sites If you think Reno is a cultural wasteland - think again. About 20 museums within one hour's drive of the city. Here are those that are on the Internet. They are: CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF NORTHERN NEVADA - This site for the Carson City Museum contains a short home page and browsing choices like membership information, location and hours. There is an events schedule, but it hasn't been updated since last April. The only graphic is a garish clown, repeated mercilessly. Their saving grace is quick download time and a paragraph stating that museum visitors are encouraged to touch, poke turn, pull, and take part in a fun and enlightening experience. I wanted to see examples or information on the different exhibits, but found none. HARRAH'S NATIONAL AUTO MUSEUM - this web site boasts of decent graphics, a sense of style, and puh-lenty of information about this landmark museum, located in downtown Reno. You can click on menu topics such as membership, research, donations, or choose from one of the racy license plates on the left-hand sidebar. For example, click on the license plate that reads L8ST NUZ - and you'll get the latest news. Other plates are clues to the calendar, legendary autos, or a detailed layout of the facility. There are lots of educational options and children's programs, as well. Fleischmann PLANETARIUM - This web address will link the space lover to planetarium websites throughout the US and the world. Fleischmann's home page shows what's playing. Space and Telescope Magazine offers an astronomical directory of all Nevada planetarium sites and astronomy clubs ... and the list is more extensive than you might think. There's an IPS: Planetaria Worldwide link, and another link promising 1,300 other planetarium links. The sites I viewed were disappointingly primitive and devoid of graphics, but I'm sure with all these links, you should be able to find some cool graphics somewhere. NEVADA MUSEUM OF ART - Did you know that this museum, located at 160 W. Liberty St. in Reno, offers free admission every Sunday through 1999. If you want to know more about this cultural oasis, you can click on several options at this site, featuring a virtual tour of some exhibits, programs and tours, or special events. The graphics were decent, nothing really creative, but at least there's a few splashes of color and art. Other links will connect you t o cultural happenings in Tahoe, or the Sierra Pacific community calendar. California museums, especially in the Bay Area, offer cultural horizons we can only dream of here in the Truckee Meadows, as well as funding and resources our state just can't match. For a glimpse into websites of world-class museums, browse on, but BEWARE - a person could get lost in these links for days! CALIFORNIA STATE RAILROAD MUSEUM-The graphics are fair - and the train trivia deep, on this Sacramento-based web site. The layout offers a sparse menu of train-buff categories like locomotives,. steam engines, and rail cars. You can check into membership, museum history, or the calendar, which reveals a busy schedule of fun and educational events. EXPLORATORIUM -Museum of Science, Art and Human Perception - Fantastic graphics, a rainbow of colors and eye-catching layout grace this web site. Teasers of the featured web cast, exhibit and activity greet you at top left, giving way to interesting-looking choices in the center panel. You can browse the Exploratorium's on-line magazine, click on the Learning Studio, explore a Solar Eclipse, or choose Memory, which features on-line interactive games ... and they look like fun! Other interesting pages show massive amounts of information on topics like chocolate and paper. There's a digital library, collections of past exhibits, images, archives, web casts, web cams and more on this in-depth web site. M H DEYOUNG MEMORIAL MUSEUM - offers several links to Bay Area museums, galleries and cultural happenings. The de Young Museum web site menu, bursting with graphics and style, can hook you up with the calendar, collections, educational programs, virtual exhibits, a site map or panoramic virtual galleries. You can sign up for a mailing list, and send feedback and comments to a special address. SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART -here you'll find links to museums nationwide - voices.htm features 150 full-screen art reproductions, rare audio and video clips, artists' information and SFMOMA gallery shop-by mail. Browse on - to view images of art from every cultural category and time period, including music painting, sculpture, costume, pottery, arms and armor. Each of these topics is also linked - by category - to museums all over the country. SAN JOSE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART - will hook you up to some obscure and highly specialized sites - like lists of fundraisers or members. Keep browsing and you'll find the museum's home page. The graphics are simple and in good taste. The site is loaded with information, offering the usual options, including a calendar packed with local happenings. This sites strong suit is it's educational programs - like detailed guides to organizing field trips - featuring information on about 75 destinations ranging from Alcatraz to the Winchester Mystery House ... and all the fun and educational stops in between!   Links package compiled by Diane Rose Weeks, Outpost staff Posted Sept.21, 1999 Copyright 1999, Nevada Outpost TOP