Summer 2015 at Sámi Museum and Northern Lapland Nature Centre Siida

In addition to the Sámi Museum, Siida is the home of Metsähallitus’s Nature Centre, which provides information on hiking and excursions to the beautiful sights of Northern Lapland. The Centre will, for example, offer you information on Siida’s partners that serve visitors in the Lemmenjoki National Park, as well as the daily boat service that will take you to the magnificent Lemmenjoki river valley surrounded by fells. Metsähallitus also runs the tourist information of the municipality of Inari in Siida, so, here, you will find information on local services and events taking place in the area.

Siida’s exhibitions are now ready to receive the summer visitors. Three temporary exhibitions take the guests to the Varanger Fjord in Norway, display the elegant photography of Antonio Briceño, and tell the story of a folk shaped by water. In addition to the changing exhibitions, there are new things to see in Siida’s permanent exhibitions, even for those who have visited them earlier.

The historical Open-Air Museum of the Sámi Museum will again be open for the summer season. In the area, you can have a look at the lodge of a gold prospector and the Tirro farmyard; you can also try throwing the Sámi lasso. The 52-year-old Open-Air Museum now has a mobile guide, which will give you further information on the exhibits through videos, photos and stories. The Mobile Guide enables the visitor to read more about the Tirro farmyard and watch programmes that have been shot in the premises of the Open-Air Museum.

During the summer, a range of events will also be held in Siida. In connection with the Inari Weeks, we will have an Open-Air Museum Day in our outdoor museum with guided tours, sale of handicrafts, crafting demonstrations and a programme for children. The Open-Air Museum Day will take place on Thursday 23 July, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A detailed programme is available in Siida’s calendar at www.siida.fi.

Metsähallitus’s Northern Lapland Nature Centre Siida will participate in arranging an excursion to Lemmenjoki, the largest national park in Finland, on Friday 24 July. The programme includes guiding, work demonstrations and boat trips into the Lemmenjoki river valley. The Lemmenjoki Day is part of the programme of the Inari Weeks, and it is jointly arranged by the paper Saariselän Sanomat and the entrepreneurs of the Lemmenjoki area. A more detailed programme is available in Siida’s calendar.

The Skolt Sámi Heritage House run by the Sámi Museum will also be open for the summer in Sevettijärvi. The Heritage House consists of a small museum shop, an exhibition and an open-air museum. It is open every day from the beginning of June to 25 September from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with free entry.

The Utsjoki Nature Hut of Metsähallitus serves visitors for the summer in the village of Utsjoki. It provides information on hiking and excursions, and also runs the tourist information of the municipality of Utsjoki; its exhibition on the history, natural conditions and culture of the area was renewed last year. The Nature Hut is open from 9 June to 18 September from Monday through Friday (10 a.m. – 6 p.m.), with free entry.

Siida is open in the summer – from 1 June to 19 September – daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Restaurant Sarrit on Siida’s first floor is also open daily, providing a buffet lunch every day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It also offers fresh coffee bread and other delicacies for those who are less hungry.