BY: Aditi Shivaramakrishnan, newsroom intern

YOU may have paid close attention to the exhibits on visits to Singapore's museums.

But you may not have realised that the buildings themselves are rich in history and folklore - from the grand old fixtures to the ghosts that supposedly reside within.

That is precisely what you can learn at Flight of the Night Owl tomorrow. Organised by the National Heritage Board, it comprises Museums Tours: Memories and Secrets, and The Heritage Quest: Treasures of Singapura - an exciting race through the arts and heritage district.

You must register for the tours, but don't need to pay any admission fees to enter the museums.

These are the Asian Civilisations Museum, National Museum of Singapore, Peranakan Museum, Singapore Art Museum and Singapore Philatelic Museum.

If you register, you can go on hourly guided tours costing $2 to learn more about each museum. Walk through the buildings' premises, and learn stories and secrets about the museum from costumed guides. The tours are free for students, senior citizens and national servicemen.

If you like your history pumped with adrenaline, you can form a team of five and take part in The Heritage Quest.

Solve puzzles and overcome challenges as you race through the five participating museums and various places in the arts and heritage district. You may even win cash prizes.

The New Paper got a sneak preview of three highlights on the museum tours.

1) 100-year-old banyan tree - National Museum's icon

IT'S not known exactly how old the banyan tree near the National Museum is.

Ms Amaranta Lim, programmes manager for the museum, said it is "definitely more than a 100 years old, as it is seen in the earliest photos of the museum".

Over the past century, two trees have entwined together and now appear to be a single, gnarled banyan tree. At night, it looks eerie and ghostly with its numerous hanging roots.

Ms Lim said urban myths about the tree abound: "There are rumours that spirits live in the tree, guarding the museum."

Many Singaporeans, especially those in their 50s and 60s, consider it an iconic feature of the museum. Ms Lim said: "We often do special tours upon request, and a lot of people ask if the banyan tree is still there."

2) Spiral staircase - sealed off because...

AT first glance, it appears like an ordinary spiral staircase - narrow and steep. But this staircase, (pictured at top of article) on the second level of the National Museum, leading up to the roof, is off limits - for a reason.

According to Ms Lim, someone is said to have died after tripping and falling down from it. Since then, people have reported sightings of a priest-like figure roaming around the area.

Apparently, many people also said they were tripped or pushed by an "unseen force" when they used the staircase in the days before it was closed.

Said Ms Lim: "Partly because of how narrow it is, and partly because of these reports, the stairway has been sealed off from the public.

"Plus, it's very old and if too many people go up and down it may just collapse."

These days, the cordon is removed only during routine spring cleaning. The staircase is also noteworthy for its design. The metal patterns on the balustrades resemble those in the Victoria and Albert Hall in London.

3) Vaults that once kept S'pore's banknotes

TODAY, these galleries at the Asian Civilisations Museum are homes to artefacts showcasing Asian cultures. But once upon a time, there was money there instead.

In the 1960s, the building's ground floor occupants included the Board of Commissioners of Currency. Singapore banknotes and coins were safely stored in 11 strong rooms there. Gurkhas used to guard the building.

Mr Gregory Chew, assistant director of corporate services for the museum, explained that the rooms' walls were broken down in a series of renovations, to enlarge the gallery space. But the vaults' doors have been retained.

Said Mr Chew: "We decided to include this site on the tour as it's not well-known to the public that money was once kept here."

This article was first published in The New Paper on July 24, 2008.