Fodor's Expert Review Taft Museum of Art

Works by artists from around the globe are displayed in this Federal-period mansion where William Howard Taft accepted his presidential nomination in 1908. Galleries are arranged according to a chronological story line that illustrates the evolution of Western and Chinese art from the medieval period through the Industrial Revolution. The collection includes paintings by Rembrandt, Gainsborough, and Corot; Chinese porcelains; 19th-century American furniture; French Renaissance enameled plaques; jewelry; and watches. There's a formal garden on the property. A $23 million renovation and expansion in 2004 added a lecture and performance room, a café, a greatly enlarged special exhibits gallery, and classrooms and studios, while preserving the integrity of the 1820s-era home.