309 Best Sights in USA

This teaching museum exhibits contemporary art, works by old masters, and American Indian art and artifacts. The new building, opened in 2021, is its own work of art designed by Machado Silvetti. Among the 18,000 items spanning 22 centuries are a mural by Mexican artist José Clemente Orozco, first-edition Goya etchings, and 15th- and 16th-century Italian panel paintings. 

Although it was around less than 25 years in the mid-20th century, the famed Black Mountain College was important in the development of several groundbreaking art, dance, and literary movements. Some of the maverick spirits it attracted in its short lifetime were artists Willem and Elaine de Kooning, Robert Rauschenberg, Josef and Anni Albers, and Kenneth Noland; dancer Merce Cunningham; composer John Cage; filmmaker Arthur Penn; futurist Buckminster Fuller; and writers M. C. Richards, Charles Olson, and Robert Creeley. This museum celebrates their historic work alongside modern exhibitions and performances.

Comprised of three galleries, this multipurpose space is among the most notable sights on the Northwestern University campus. The impressive rotating collection includes prints, photographs, and other works on paper spanning the 15th to 21st centuries. An outdoor sculpture garden features pieces by Joan Miró and Barbara Hepworth. Workshops, lectures, and symposia are also hosted here, and the museum's Block Cinema screens classic and contemporary films.

Changing-exhibition galleries on the first floor showcase internationally known artists—both past and present—at this museum in a spectacular building that's part of the Mizner Park shopping center; the permanent collection upstairs includes works by Picasso, Degas, Matisse, Klee, Modigliani, and Warhol, as well as notable African and pre-Columbian art. Daily tours are included with admission. In addition to the treasure hunts and sketchbooks you can pick up from the front desk, there's a roster of special programs that cater to kids, including studio workshops and gallery walks. 

View local and worldwide contemporary art exhibits and performance art at this innovative museum with frequently changing exhibitions. Admission is free on Saturday, and the museum stays open late on Wednesday during the summer when the farmers' market is in season.

A crowd-pleasing Basquiat show in 2019 marked the inauguration of this East Village art space, and subsequent shows have proved that the privately owned Brant Foundation isn't a one-trick pony. That's not surprising since Peter Brant's own collection includes a vast selection of works by such contemporary artists as Andy Warhol, David Altmejd, Carl Andre, John Chamberlain, Urs Fischer, Dan Flavin, Dash Snow, and the aforementioned Basquiat, just to name a few. The four-level space was once a power station (it later became the studio of conceptual artist Walter De Maria), and it's towering ceilings and giant windows are the perfect setting for large-scale artworks. There’s a quiet garden and a gift shop, too. Check the website to confirm opening times, price of admission, and to make a reservation to visit.

Downtown is the hub of Brattleboro's art scene, at the forefront of which is this museum in historic Union Station. It presents changing exhibitions of works by local, national, and international artists, and hosts lectures, readings, and musical performances.

More than 10,000 objects from Box Elder County's 170-year history tell the story of the area's early settlement and Mormon cooperative periods. This well-designed, modern museum also includes a permanent collection of more than 300 works of art, with several rotating exhibitions throughout the year.

This is a stunning museum that celebrates the art, history, and culture of the American West, located in a beautifully restored 1930s San Antonio Public Library building on the River Walk. The museum is named in honor of the late Texas governor Dolph Briscoe Jr. and his wife Janey Slaughter Briscoe. Highlights of the collection include a monumental bronze sculpture, John Coleman's Visions of Change, that represents both Native Americans and cowboys. Featured works include those by Frederic Remington, Allan Houser, Martin Grelle, Charles Marion Russell, W. Herbert Dunton, and more. There are 14 galleries on three levels, housing paintings, sculpture, photography, and artifacts reflecting Native American art, Spanish and Mexican colonial-era art, and Western folk art. The beautiful McNutt Sculpture Garden is free and open to the public, with access from the River Walk and an entrance on Market Street.

The permanent collection of more than 17,000 works here includes primarily American artists, such as Maynard Dixon, Dorothea Lange, Albert Bierstadt, Minerva Teichert, and Robert Henri, and emphasizes the Hudson River School and the American impressionists. Rembrandt, Monet, and Rubens also turn up, along with some fine Far Eastern pieces. The museum's café overlooks the sculpture garden.

Focused on art and nature, this lively new Parkway cultural destination opposite the Barnes Foundation includes a building by architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron for works by sculptor Alexander Calder (1898–1976) and naturalistic gardens by landscape designer Piet Oudolf. Extensive public programming, from performances to wellness activities, is planned, and galleries and outdoor spaces present rotating displays of art from the Calder Foundation. The third generation of Calders whose creations can be seen in Philadelphia, Alexander Calder is noted for his mobiles but also produced stabiles (static sculptures), wire sculptures, oil paintings, jewelry, and other works.

With more than 4,500 historical artifacts, this museum showcases contemporary art of the African diaspora. Artists represented here include Betye Saar, Charles Haywood, and June Edmonds. The museum has a research library with more than 6,000 books available for public use.

If possible, visit on a Sunday or Thursday, when there's almost always a diverse lineup of speakers and performances.

In the center of Raleigh's Warehouse District, the Contemporary Art Museum hosts a rotating display of art exhibitions and cultural events. The glass-enclosed, folded-roof design nods to the neighborhood's train depot and industrial loading docks, welcoming visitors to its intimate galleries. First Fridays stay open late for a local vendor market.

Seattle's newest museum is also its largest and most outlandish. Cannonball Arts opened its doors in August 2025 in Belltown and has made a splash since its debut. This 66,000 square foot space is a mecca for contemporary arts, embracing the eclectic and experimental essence of Seattle's modern art scene and featuring everything from experiential sculptures and VR exhibits to an indoor garden and live canoe carving by Native artists.

Originally named the Hawaii State Art Museum, this fairly compact museum reopened after a renovation in late 2023 as Capitol Modern, a somewhat opaque name chosen to distinguish it as a contemporary art venue. The museum has four galleries that display art from the Hawaii-focused state art collection and the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. There's an outdoor sculpture garden and courtyard where events occur frequently, as well as The POD (Passion on Display), which presents artist-in-residence and temporary exhibitions. All galleries and programs at the museum are free; also check for free monthly events such as live entertainment.

Hawaii was the first state to legislate that a portion of the taxes paid on commercial building projects be set aside for the purchase of artwork. The state bought an ornate period-style building (at one time the Armed Services YMCA Building), and, in 2002, opened a 12,000-square-foot museum on the second floor dedicated to the art of Hawaii in all its ethnic diversity.

One of the more imaginative adaptations you'll ever see of a mid-century modern grocery store, this sustainably designed regional art museum sits on the edge of downtown Edmonds, steps from the ferry terminal. The museum presents rotating exhibits that focus heavily on Pacific Northwest art from the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries, and the curators make it an important part of their mission to include female, minority, and LGBTQ artists. Classical music performances are held here monthly.

Ansel Adams conceived the idea of a photographer's archive and donated the majority of his negatives to this museum. In addition to its superb collection of his work, the center houses the David Hume Kennerly Archive and works by other major photographers, including Paul Strand, W. Eugene Smith, Edward Weston, and Louise Dahl-Wolfe. Changing exhibits in the main gallery display selected pieces from the collection. 

Just steps from the base of the Space Needle, this museum celebrates another Seattle icon—the Pacific Northwest’s own Dale Chihuly. Since the 1970s, Chihuly has redefined glass as an art form, crafting vivid, fluid sculptures that have been exhibited around the world. Eight immersive galleries showcase his mastery of color, light, and form, revealing how he uses glass’s translucence to mesmerizing effect. Throughout the day, visitors can watch live glassblowing demonstrations or step into the theater for short films that illuminate the artist’s life and creative process. If you're also planning to visit the Space Needle, a combination ticket will save you some money.

By any standard, the Chrysler Museum of Art downtown qualifies as one of America's major art museums. The permanent collection includes works by Rubens, Gainsborough, Renoir, Picasso, Cézanne, Matisse, Warhol, and Pollock—a list that suggests the breadth available here. Classical and pre-Columbian civilizations are also represented. The decorative-arts collection includes exquisite English porcelain and art nouveau furnishings. The Chrysler is home to one of the most important glass collections in America, with objects from the 6th century BC to the present and particularly strong holdings in Tiffany, French art glass, and English cameo, as well as artifacts from ancient Rome and the Near and Far East.

Though he showed very little of his work and sold even less during his lifetime, artist Clyfford Still has nonetheless been credited as a significant contributor to the abstract expressionist movement, if not one of the most instrumental in its development. The vast majority of his extensive body of work had been sealed from the public since his death in 1980, but in 2004 his second wife chose Denver as the final resting place for a carefully curated portion—a little more than a hundred works of the more than 2,400 pieces, including paintings, drawings, and sculptures. The nine galleries reveal Still's progression in chronological displays, and true to Still's wishes, it offers no restaurant. Periodically, the museum refreshes the works on display to present a new side of the artist's vision.

Half this museum set inside converted vintage downtown storefronts houses a collection of works by renowned painter John Clymer (1907–89), an Ellensburg native who was one of the most widely published illustrators of the American West, focusing many of his oils and watercolors on wildlife and indigenous culture. The other galleries mount rotating exhibitions featuring other established and emerging Western and wildlife artists.

This regional museum has a fine permanent collection of modern art and excellent rotating exhibits. Some highlight the cultural contributions of regional artists; others focus on famous artists such as the glassmaker Dale Chihuly and American pop artist Andy Warhol. Enjoy the view of Pikes Peak and the mountains from the patio in the summer.

The state's largest art and history museum invites visitors to celebrate creativity and culture through the experience of American art, regional history, tranquil gardens, and more. The museum reopened in May 2024 following a transformative renovation including a new children's gallery and garden, history galleries, orientation spaces, courtyard, and grab-and-go café. The art galleries have been reimagined and historic features in the Bradley Olmsted Garden have undergone repair. Art enthusiasts, history buffs, nature lovers, and learners both young and old will find something of interest here.

This small but important cultural landmark is a nonprofit supporting contemporary crafts and traditional folk arts. The two-story space displays rotating exhibitions, and the ground-level gift shop stocks a unique collection of handcrafts, jewelry, ceramics, books, and textiles. 

The Beaux Arts Memorial Continental Hall, built in 1929 as the headquarters for the Daughters of the Revolution (DAR), is home to Washington, D.C.'s only decorative arts museum. The enormous collection encompasses furniture, textiles, quilts, silver, china, porcelain, stoneware, earthenware, glass, and other items made and used in the daily lives of Americans from the Colonial era through the early 20th century. Thirty-one period rooms reflect more than two centuries of American interiors, including a 1690s New England hall, an 1860s Texas bedroom, and a 1920s Ohio parlor. Two galleries feature changing exhibitions of decorative arts, and a study gallery allows researchers close access to the collection. Docent tours of the period rooms are available on weekdays, depending on docent availability. You can also take a self-guided tour. The museum also hosts special events for children and adults; check the website for details.

It seems that everyone in town has a strong opinion about the de Young museum: some adore its striking copper facade, while others just hope that the green patina of age will mellow the effect. Most maligned is the 144-foot tower, but the view from its ninth-story observation room, ringed by floor-to-ceiling windows and free to the public, is worth a trip here by itself. The building almost overshadows the de Young's respected collection of American, African, and Oceanic art. The museum also plays host to major international exhibitions; there's often an extra admission charge for these. The annual Bouquets to Art in June is a fanciful tribute to the museum's collection by notable Bay Area floral designers.

In an 85,000-square-foot building, the museum presents several notable American and international collections in galleries that reflect diverse, engaging stories about artists and the periods in which they worked. Its strong holdings of American illustration include paintings by Howard Pyle (1853–1911), a Wilmington native known as the "father of American illustration," and works by his students N. C. Wyeth, Frank Schoonover, and Maxfield Parrish. Some other American artists represented are Benjamin West, John Sloan, Winslow Homer, Faith Ringgold, and Grace Hartigan. The museum is renowned for the largest American collection of 19th-century English pre-Raphaelite paintings and decorative arts, with works by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones, among others. Dale Chihuly's colorful Persian Window glass installation, the interactive Kids' Corner, and the open-air Copeland Sculpture Garden are other highlights.

This museum includes the restored 18th-century home, studio, and garden of Charles Demuth (1883–1935), one of America's first modernist artists, who lived in the city of Lancaster for most of his life. A watercolorist, Demuth found inspiration in the geometric shapes of machines and modern technology, as well as the flowers in his mother's garden. Items from the 42-piece collection of Demuth's works are displayed on a rotating basis; one gallery is dedicated to changing exhibits of regional and national artists. Next door is the now-shuttered Demuth Tobacco Shop, which dates to 1770.

One of the best collections of Western art in the nation includes paintings and sculpture by Frederic Remington, Albert Bierstadt, and others. The museum has an extensive historic photography collection, and is leading an oral history project to capture the stories of the area's longtime residents.

The late Rene di Rosa assembled an extensive collection of artworks created by Northern California artists from the 1960s to the early 2000s, displaying them on this 217-acre Carneros District property surrounded by Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vineyards. Two galleries at opposite ends of a 35-acre lake show works from the collection and host temporary exhibitions; the Sculpture Meadow behind the second gallery holds a few dozen large outdoor pieces.