Pros
It's a great cultural institution. There are a lot of really cool events and activities going on that you don't get at other regular employers. The building and location is fantastic to work at. You can't beat lunch on the canal every day. The atmosphere is generally laid back. There are stresses like anywhere, but people are generally open to a good work/life balance. It's a 37.5 hr work week, and no one expects you to put in 50+ on a consistent basis. The place is cleared out by 4:30pm most days. State benefits are nice, especially if you have a family, the insurance is super cheap with health savings contributions you pay $0 for health insurance. There is opportunity to be successful and create things if you can learn to navigate the silo system between departments.
Cons
State employment, so low pay, raises are generally 2-4%/year with no option to get a pay raise unless you get lucky and an upper position opens. They don't value their successful employees and make no attempt to keep them. They make poor personel decisions when moving people up/around. Leadership does not have a shared vision, which leads to little input from department to department. There is high turn over in certain professional departments. There is a silo culture between departments that makes it difficult to implement innovative ideas. The financial goals for your budget are lofty, but the openness to try new and innovative things is lacking. Certain departments have too much control over decision making, which makes it hard for other departments to thrive.