Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum
4.7(1.7K)google
4.6(64)yelp
Senior-FriendlyIndoorQuirkyEducationalHistoryFilmHollywoodPerformance
Overview
The Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum, formally The Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum & Center for Comedy and commonly known as the Lucy-Desi Museum, is a museum at 2 West 3rd Street, Jamestown, New York that is affiliated with the nearby National Comedy Center with which it shares executive director Journey Gunderson. The museum is dedicated to the lives and careers of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Jamestown was Ball's birthplace.
Practical Info
Mon10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Tue10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
WedClosed
Thu10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Fri10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sat10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sun10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Suggested Duration2-3 hours
Best TimeOpen year-round, this indoor comedy heritage shrine is dedicated entirely to the legacy of TV icons Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Booking a weekday morning tour at 10:30 AM is ideal to beat the crowds; the galleries feature full-scale authentic studio set recreations from 'I Love Lucy,' allowing you to admire original Emmys, stage scripts, and glamorous costumes under cozy studio lighting in peace.
Getting TherePerfectly nestled at 2 W. 3rd Street in the center of historic downtown Jamestown, NY. Drivers take highway I-86 straight to Exit 12, merge onto NY-60 South toward the city center, and make a right turn onto West 3rd Street; a multi-level paid municipal parking garage sits directly behind the museum complex wings. It sits within an easy 5-minute pedestrian walk from the Jamestown local transit terminal.
Travel Tips
- The annual August Lucille Ball Comedy Festival prompts total downtown traffic lockdowns; booking entry tickets and satellite parking spaces 6 months in advance is critical.
- The museum and the National Comedy Center share a unified ticketing network; purchasing individual admissions at the counter is costly, making online Dual Admission combo passes the best choice.
Photo Tips
Photo Rules
- The museum's vintage Hollywood costumes and manuscript scripts are highly light-sensitive; operating any camera flash or auxiliary led lights is strictly banned and monitored by docents.
Reviews
Positive
- Unmatched nostalgia and core value! Dedicated to comedy queen Lucille Ball, the interior meticulously recreates the iconic NYC apartment living room and Hollywood studio sets from 'I Love Lucy'.
- The curation utilizes rare HD archival footage, original scripts, vintage costumes, and real Emmy trophies, beautifully capturing the golden age of television with great interactive fun.
- The museum management and maintenance are high-caliber; it's spotless with plenty of clean restrooms. Flat ADA ramps run throughout, and staff are incredibly warm, die-hard classic TV fans.
- Located in the quiet center of Jamestown, daily visitor density is moderate; you never face bustling crowds or long lines, allowing you to relive the classic laughs in a peaceful, relaxed setting.
Heads up
- For the younger generation or foreign tourists who have no background in 1950s-60s US black-and-white sitcoms or have never watched 'I Love Lucy', the museum can feel dry and obscure.
- The admission price feels a bit steep relative to the small museum footprint. Furthermore, there is zero multilingual translation; all long text plaques are strictly in English.
- The venue has no internal dining space or cafe, selling only basic candies in the gift shop; if you want a coffee or lunch midway, you must completely exit the building to find street diners.
- Being in an old downtown core, it lacks a dedicated large surface parking lot in front; drivers must rely on street meters, which become highly inconvenient during local town festivals.