Color photograph of Tove Jansson and Tuulikki Pietilä on a rocky shore. Behind them is a wooden cottage in the archipelago.

Dating Path: Escape to Moominvalley

The Dating Path is a way to get to know another person through the worlds of architecture, design, the Moomins, and Tove Jansson. The Dating Path guides visitors through the Escape to Moominvalley exhibition room by room, offering small reflection tasks and questions that spark conversations about memories, dreams, and attitudes toward life. The museum experience becomes a shared journey of experiencing, listening, and connecting—not only with the exhibition, but also with each other. The Dating Path is suitable for first dates, old friends, or companions who want to meet each other in a new way. It’s a playful, gentle, and profound way to spend time together. The Dating Path is available as a printed booklet at the museum. The booklet can be borrowed free of charge during the museum visit. The contents of the Dating Path are also available in text format on this website.

Questions and discussion topics to help you get to know each other in the exhibition

Welcome to the Museum of Architecture and Design! We are delighted that you have chosen us as your meeting place. In this exhibition path booklet, we have compiled questions and discussion topics that will help you get to know each other better. Enjoy your visit to the exhibition together!

Before the exhibition 

Discuss your relationship with museums and your type of museum:

What is your relationship with museums like?

A: I am a museum lover. I am interested in different museums, and I visit them often. I could spend hours in a museum without getting bored.
B: Museums are a place among others to spend time. I visit museums occasionally, when there is something interesting on offer or when someone invites me to visit a museum with them.
C: Museums are a new thing to me. I can’t remember when I last visited a museum or I’m not sure if I’ve ever been to a museum.

What kind of museum type are you?

A: Museum nerd. I read all the exhibition texts and make sure I’ve seen and experienced everything that’s on display in the museum. I want to learn new things and challenge myself.
B: Museum enthusiast. I go at my own pace and according to my interests. I enjoy the atmosphere and beauty of museums. It’s easy to relax and be inspired by culture and art.
C: Museum novice. I’m curious, but other forms of knowledge, art and culture suit me better. Museums make me nervous, and I’m not sure if a museum is a place for me.

Flash questions – take turns to continue the following sentences:

My favourite museum is…
A museum exhibition that I would like to visit again is…
An object or thing that should be in the museum’s collection is…
If I were to create a museum, it would be…
From this museum visit I expect…

Great, you’re now ready to move together on to the Escape to Moominvalley exhibition!

In the exhibition 

You have arrived at the Escape to Moominvalley exhibition!

The Dating Path progresses room by room. All the stops on the Dating Path are marked on the map. In the exhibition space, the stops on the Dating Path are marked with a pink stickers. The stickers feature a symbol with two hearts.

You can go through the exhibition at your own pace and in the order that suits you best. The signs in the exhibition spaces guide you through the different exhibition rooms.

You can choose your first stop from the map!

Symbol of the Dating Path in the Escape to Moominvalley exhibition.

The stops on the Dating Path marked on the exhibition floorplan. — The stops on the Dating Path marked on a map in the Escape to Moominvalley exhibition.

1. Tove Jansson’s studio home

Get to know together the contents of the room Tove Jansson’s studio home. Each of you chooses their favourite thing in the room and presents it to the other person. Why did you choose that particular thing?