Clinton Museum In Pugo, La Union Has Vintage Cameras, A Camera-Shaped Room, & A Hobbit Hole In A Forest

Museum and art gallery in Pugo, La Union

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Baguio lives up to being a UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art, peppered with museums and art galleries. However, those who frequent the city may have already seen everything it has to offer, including BenCab Museum just a taxi or jeepney ride away in Tuba, Benguet.

If you’re looking for a lesser-known art spot near Baguio that’ll tickle your fancy, Clinton Museum is located in Pugo, La Union, just by the province’s boundary with Tuba. It’s a vintage camera museum and art gallery that will surely make your trip unique from everyone else’s.

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Vintage camera collection

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Vintage cameras at Clinton Museum
Image credit: Clinton Aniversario

Clinton Museum is a must-visit for people who enjoy photography. It houses over 200 vintage and analog cameras from museum owner Clinton Aniversario’s collection.

Some of the oldest cameras that can be found at Clinton Museum are a Goerz camera from 1910 and an Ernemman camera from 1917, both made in Germany.

The Dark Room
Image credit: Clinton Museum

There’s also a life-size, camera-shaped structure in the area called the Dark Room where you can pose for a photo.

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Different types of art by one artist

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Different artworks at the museum
Image credit: Clinton Aniversario

Besides vintage cameras, Clinton Museum has different types of art by Aniversario, who has exhibited his artworks several times around the country and in South Korea. These include paintings, sculptures, and mixed media art.

Hobbit hole
Image credit: Clinton Museum

You can also find sculptures and art installations in the forest surrounding the museum, such as a Hobbit hole and life-sized chess set with indigenous art-inspired figures as chess pieces.

Chess sculpture
Image credit: Miss D

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Garden picnic and other activities

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The garden
Image credit: Clinton Museum

Food isn’t sold at the museum but you can bring your own baon (food provisions) and have a picnic in one of the place’s outdoor spaces. You can also set up a tent and stay in the forest overnight.

There are also other activities you can do in the area. There’s a pond where you can get a free fish spa to get rid of dead skin cells from your hardworking feet.

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can go off the property to a cascading river just a 10-minute walk away.

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How to get there

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Camping
Image credit: Clinton Museum

If you’re commuting from Baguio, you can ride a jeepney going to Palina or Taloy near Good Taste Restaurant. The trip takes 35 to 40 minutes and costs P50 (~USD0.98). However, you should be sure to prepare for Baguio before 5PM to catch a jeep back.

You can also simply drop by the museum on your way to Baguio or back home if you’re traveling in a private vehicle via Marcos Highway.

Waterfall near the museum
Image credit: Clinton Museum

Entrance costs P150 (~USD2.93) per person. If you want to do more than just a day tour, you can pay P300 (~USD5.86) to also go swimming in the nearby waterfall or P500 (~USD9.77) if you’re camping overnight.

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Switch up your Baguio itinerary and visit Clinton Museum

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The UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art Baguio City has plenty of artistic locations, but it pays off to take the road less traveled from time to time.

By doing so, you’ll get to meet different kinds of people, see more art, learn further about a place’s culture, and bring home stories not a lot of people have.

Address: Marcos Highway, Palina, Pugo, La Union
Opening hours: 7AM-6.30PM, Daily
Telephone: 0927 545 4055

Also check out:

• Baguio’s Igorot Stone Kingdom
• 7 Baguio City coffee shops
• 9 dessert spots in Baguio

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Cover image adapted from: Clinton Museum and Clinton Aniversario