Hans Christian Anderson "Museum" need explaination

Larry, I have not been to Odense, but I just went back and checked my Scandinavia book. Rick does call it the Hans Christian Anderson House (a museum rebuilt in HCA’s birthplace). Rick also mentions the childhood home a few blocks away but says it is skippable. So I don’t think there is a conflict. The House struck me as being a lot of fun if I had kids or if I was in the city - but not something that would cause me to made a special trip.

Travelmom,

I went back and checked my RS Scandinavia book which I just purchased (published in June 2018k) and on page 164 in bold letters it says *** Hans Christian Anderson Museum
Are you looking at an earlier edition?

Aha - I went back and looked and I am. I have the 2015 Kindle book. 2018 wasn’t out yet when I bought mine (we went to Copenhagen in June this year). Interesting change. But he definitely calls it the HCA House, then defines it as a museum.

Yes - it is a bit complicated.

There is the place where he grew up. It was tidied up and some notes put in with comments. Interesting but only for about30 minutes - less for children.

Then there is the museum. A modern building with exhibitions, a theater, and a souvenir shop. Much more child friendly.

Also check http://andersensodense.dk/andersensodenseen.pdf

"As we all know Rick does not give attractions a *** easily."

I wouldn't go that far. Rick only picks certain places to get the *** designation. But his opinion is just that - an opinion. My rankings and his rankings of sights are often quite different, for a variety of reasons. I certainly take his impressions into account, and I find his detailed descriptions very useful. But I don't go to a place just because Rick gives it ***, and I don't avoid it just because Rick doesn't mention it (or gives it only *).

As for TripAdvisor, while I find them helpful as well, their rankings are even more idiosyncratic than Rick's. In many cities, "escape the room" games rank above actual unique sights. Or, a single sight can be have two or three separate rankings.

So, if the Hans Christian Anderson sights interest you, see them, regardless of what TripAdvisor says. If they don't, don't worry about skipping them just because Rick gives them ***.

Alas, I haven't been to Odense, so I can't give personal opinions about these sights.

Larry, if you have that latest edition, then you also know that the museum is somewhat rearranged during construction of a new location. I'd consider the *** rating to be based on the previous/full museum, not any temporary closures or detours that may be necessary in the next year or two. There are also the railway museum and open-air museum in Odense, if needed to round out your day.

There are also the railway museum and open-air museum in Odense

Actually I enjoyed the open air museum much more than the Hans Christian Andersen Museum. But then I am Danish and a bit fed up with H.C.Andersen.

Ohh - and you can sail by boat to the open air museum - and visit the zoo on the way back.

I was in Odense this past August and visited the HCA sights. You buy a 5-in-1 ticket (~$19, cheaper in winter) and can then visit any/all of 5 different sights in town: HCA birthplace, HCA childhood home, HCA museum, Møntergården museum of cultural history, and the Tinderbox (children's fairytale center). I visited all except the Tinderbox.
The birthplace and childhood home are two small cottages that illustrate HCA's younger years and how people lived at that time. Both are picturesque but the exhibits are very small and do not take much time to visit.
The current HCA Museum exhibition is centered on his life and career within historical context. It was interesting to learn more about him and his artistic development, as well as to see his papercut designs, but it's not a huge museum, maybe an hour or so to visit. It is very close to the HCA birthplace, set in a pedestrian 'old town' neighborhood with lovely traditional houses. A new HCA Museum is being constructed and will be complete ca. 2020.
Møntergården is an interesting collection of exhibits, although it has less to do specifically with HCA. There is a good city museum about the history of Odense, a separate exhibit about the region Funen, and a courtyard with a number of intact old houses that give a good picture of life at different times in Odense from the middle ages to WW2.
Although I enjoyed the various sights, I was staying overnight in Odense anyway. Unless you have a special interest in HCA or are passing through Odense already, I am not sure it is worth a day trip unless you have a lot of days to fill up. There are other things to do around Copenhagen that I would probably suggest ahead of this (Roskilde, Kronborg, Fredriksborg castle).
Hope this helps and feel free to msg me if you have questions.

Thanks to all, this clarifies the entire HCA picture for me. larry