Six small museum, archive and cultural website designs taken apart: planning a visit, becoming a member and using the archive, with limits noted and a brief to copy.
Big-city museum sites are built by large teams. This collection is for the small ones: county historical societies, heritage houses, community galleries and cultural associations, where one person often runs the website. Visitors mostly want to know when they can come, what they will see and how to support the place.
Five sample sites from our library that belong to the museum and heritage world (a historical society, a heritage society with a museum, a cultural association, an arts collective with a gallery and a gallery) plus a small theatre whose ticketing pattern carries over. We read each live sample and noted the first two buttons and what is missing. Checked 27 September 2026. Every design here is from the We.Inc library and is labelled as a sample or template. None is a customer site, and no entry claims results.
Sample site built by our AI (made-up business). Open it
Task: A researcher or family historian planning a trip to the archive.
Design choice: "The county's record, kept where it happened", with "Plan a research visit" first and "Become a member" second. A section called "A working archive, not a display case" sets expectations.
Limitation: No searchable catalogue. Visitors cannot check what is held before they travel; link your catalogue if you have one.
Sample site built by our AI (made-up business). Open it
Task: A casual visitor deciding whether the museum is worth an afternoon.
Design choice: "Archive, museum, research and education" in one section, and the building's story in "An 1836 building full of paper".
Limitation: Membership comes before the visit button, which puts the ask ahead of the reason to come.
Sample site built by our AI (made-up business). Open it
Task: A family looking for classes, dance and events.
Design choice: "Keep the language in the family", with "Join the association" and "See the calendar".
Limitation: The calendar is a section, not a feed. Someone has to keep it current by hand or by asking the AI.
Sample site built by our AI (made-up business). Open it
Task: A visitor coming to see the gallery or take a class.
Design choice: "A working mill floor, not a museum" with "Visit the gallery" and "Take a class" buttons.
Limitation: The menu keeps the generic labels Services, Pricing and Reviews; rename them for your visitors.
Sample site built by our AI (made-up business). Open it
Task: A visitor checking the current exhibition.
Design choice: "See current show" first and "Book a viewing" second. The headline gives scale: "Six shows a year, eighteen artists".
Limitation: No exhibition archive; past shows disappear. Add a past exhibitions page.
Sample site built by our AI (made-up business). Open it
Task: A visitor buying a ticket for a dated event.
Design choice: "Buy tickets" and "See the season", with a "Planning your visit" FAQ and a "Box office" close.
Limitation: Tickets need a ticketing link or your own Stripe checkout; the sample does not sell them itself.
| Design | Plan a visit | Become a member or donate | Use the archive or collection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland County Historical Society | Yes, research visit | Membership button | Described, not searchable |
| Cumberland Valley Heritage Society | "Plan your visit" | Membership first | Research visits |
| Hellenic Heritage Association of Tampa Bay | Open nights | Join | Archive mentioned |
| Foundry Arts Collective | Visit the gallery | Membership for artists | No |
| Ferro Contemporary | Yes | No | Current show only |
| The Foundry Playhouse | Planning your visit FAQ | Season subscriptions | No |
A website for [museum name], a small museum in [town] about [subject]. Put opening hours, admission and address at the top. Add a current exhibitions section and a past exhibitions page, a visit planning FAQ (parking, accessibility, groups), a membership section with levels, a donate button linked to [our Stripe checkout or donation page], a research request form if we hold an archive, and an events list we can update by chat.
| Ticketing and timed entry | Not built in. Link your ticketing tool, or sell simple admission through your own Stripe account. |
| Collection database | No collections management or searchable catalogue. Link the one you use. |
| Publishing for free | Free plan: up to 3 template sites on a we.inc address. No AI credits and no custom domain. |
| Having the AI write and change the site | Paid plans: Starter $20/mo, Pro $50/mo, Max $99/mo. You describe the business, then edit by clicking or by asking in chat. |
| Your own domain | Paid plans only. |
| Taking payments | Through your own Stripe account, so the money goes to you. We.Inc does not hold funds. |
| Forms | The AI builds contact and request forms. A synced booking calendar is not built in: link the scheduling tool you already use. |
Start building your museum website. Or check costs with the website cost calculator, test a current site with the website grader, and see pricing.
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