Imagine taking a trip in the early times of Ilocos Norte. How was life back then? What clothes did the early Ilokanos wear? How were they able to cook and make a living?
 
As the newly refurbished Museo Ilocos Norte softly re-opened, people of all ages can take a trip down memory lane and explore the richness and grandeur of Ilokano culture and heritage.
 
Linda Simon, the museum’s operations manager, said that it will be officially opened to the public in September with First Lady Marie Louise “Liza” Araneta Marcos leading the formal launching.  
 
It underwent restoration in 2019 but due to the pandemic, it was temporarily halted and resumed in January this year.

The remodeling cost more than P10 million as the museum was redone and a lot of damage has been restored.
 
Simon added they are expecting and hoping that the number of visitors will boost because this will not only benefit the museum itself but also the economy of the province.
 
"I encourage everybody to please help us promote the Ilokano heritage, characters, and way of life of the Ilokanos, especially to those young individuals who are not yet familiar with Ilokano culture and traditions," said Simon.
 
The remodeled Museo Ilocos Norte is an educational learning center as it highlights the different ancestral belongings as proof of the roots of the young Ilokanos, Yapayaos, Itnegs, and other groups in the province.

The museum was built to display artistic objects, collect, and preserve antiquities, instill pride in the young Ilocanos' history and origins, and to promote the preservation of knowledge about Ilocanos’ ancestors and legacy.
 
It also features and exhibits important events, historic places and infrastructure, and old and ancestral belongings of early Ilocano citizens in the province.
 
During its closure, the museum’s souvenir shop was open for business, selling native products and Ilocano delicacies.
 
“It continued to operate during the remodeling of the museum just to remind the public that we still have a museum,” Simon said.
 
The museum is open from Mondays to Saturdays, 9a.m. to 12 noon and 1p.m. to 5p.m. (JCR/AMB/MJTAB/JSD-Intern PIA Ilocos Norte)