23 Best Sights in USA

The state's designated history and culture museum, founded in 1889 by Charles R. Bishop as a memorial to his wife, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, began as a repository for the royal possessions of this last direct descendant of King Kamehameha the Great. Today, its five excellent exhibit halls contain almost 25 million items that tell the history of the Hawaiian Islands and their Pacific neighbors.

Gain understanding of the entire region in the Pacific Hall, and learn about the culture of the Islands through state-of-the-art and often-interactive displays in the Hawaiian Hall. Spectacular artifacts—lustrous feather capes, bone fishhooks, the skeleton of a giant sperm whale, photography and crafts displays, and a well-preserved grass house—are displayed inside a three-story, 19th-century, Victorian-style gallery. The building alone, with its huge turrets and immense stone walls, is worth seeing.

In the 16,500-square-foot science adventure wing, it's hard to miss the three-story simulated volcano where kids (young and young at heart) can make lava burble. A walk through the glowing black light tunnel is another fun feature. Also check out the planetarium, Hawaiian cultural and science demonstrations, special exhibits, and the Shop Pacifica.

If you're not in town for the real thing, here's a fun (and family-friendly) backstage look at the history and artistry of Carnival. The massive 400,000-square-foot complex, just upriver from the New Orleans Morial Convention Center, features an enhanced guided tour through a maze of video presentations, decorative sculptures, and favorite megafloats from Mardi Gras parades such as Bacchus, Rex, and Endymion. A gift shop sells masks, beads, and Mardi Gras posters, as well as tickets for the tour, during which participants can sample king cake and coffee, pose for pictures in front of parade floats, and see artists at work, sculpting with papier-mâché and fiberglass. For special events, visitors enter through a plantation alley that is part Cajun swamp-shack village, part antebellum Disneyworld (Kern was a friend of, and inspired by, Walt Disney). A free shuttle is provided with ticket purchase and provides pickups from Canal Street.

The Branigan Cultural Center, in a striking 1935 Pueblo Revival building embellished inside with murals by Tom Lea, offers compelling programs covering such topics as the 1942–1964 Bracero Program (a Mexican guest workers initiative), or a reflection on Frida Kahlo's later years through rarely seen photographs, along with rotating exhibits covering local history and culture. The city-run Branigan is a focal point—along with the Las Cruces Museum of Art next door—of the revitalized downtown.

In spring 2025, more than 50 years after its founding, the Napa Valley Museum unveiled a new flagship location with an expanded reprise of its highly praised exhibition about chef Julia Child that toured nationally for several years. The show (which runs until early March 2026) and another to follow about three generations of Wyeth family artists (through mid-September 2026) are typical of the temporary exhibitions presented in the largest of three galleries totaling 4,000 square feet. The MAC shares a warehouselike space 1½ miles south of Main Street's shops and restaurants with Under-study, a gourmet marketplace with coffee and prepared foods from the team at Press Napa Valley next door. The museum's well-curated shows often surprise with their cultural insights or the artistry involved.

You don't have to be Swedish to find this tiny and welcoming museum interesting. Permanent displays feature items that tell the story of Swedish immigration to America and about Swedish culture in the States. On the third floor, in the only children's museum in the country dedicated to immigration, kids can climb aboard a colorful Viking ship and trace the journey of a young immigrant from a Swedish farmhouse to a cabin in Minnesota. 

A unit of the National Park Service, the center traces the history of the area through numerous audiovisual exhibits on food, music, and folklore. Be sure to watch the introductory film, which is a dramatization of the Expulsion of the Acadians (1755–64), when the British deported the descendants of French settlers in the maritime provinces of Canada to the 13 colonies. Clips from the 1929 silent movie Evangeline (a fictional account based on the Longfellow poem about an Acadian girl's search for her lost love) are incorporated into the presentation—film buffs will love it. Ranger-guided boat tours of Bayou Vermilion sometimes take place March through June and September through November in a traditional Cajun boat, but require two weeks' advance registration to book. Ranger talks on local history and culture take place Tuesday through Saturday at 10:45 am, and at noon on Saturday you'll find a free Cajun music concert taking place on the front porch.

The late local photographer and self-made historian Sylvester Francis created this rich collection of Mardi Gras Indian costumes and other musical artifacts tied to the street traditions of New Orleans. The museum hosts traveling and featured exhibits in addition to its permanent collection.

For a walk into history, stop by the Blues Heaven Foundation, which occupies the former home of the legendary Chess Records. Breathe the same rarefied air as blues (and rock-and-roll) legends Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Chuck Berry, and the Rolling Stones, all of whom recorded here. Check out the Chess brothers’ private offices, the recording studio, and the back stairway used only by signed musicians. During the summer, groove to a free weekly concert in the Blues Garden.

The Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center, adjacent to Chicano Park itself, gives the history and context behind the landmark and the political activism that inspired it. The museum also hosts galleries of rotating pieces by Chicanx artists, and make sure to visit the gift shop to take home a piece from a local artist. The museum is free for visitors 18 or younger (and donations are always accepted). Hours run from 10 am to 4 pm, but tours must be prearranged via email.

This museum, in a former railroad depot, contains modest exhibits on Cajun culture, including music and Mardi Gras celebrations. They also host live Cajun music on the second Saturday of the month.

Long before the Civil War, free people of color lived alongside enslaved African Americans in New Orleans, making up the largest population of free blacks in the south and becoming an important part of the city’s cultural identity. Founded by the McKenna Family (descendants of free people of color who also run the McKenna Museum of African American Art in Central City), this museum provides a well-informed narrative into a crucial area of New Orleans history. Visits are by guided tour only, which must be scheduled in advance. From January through June, on every third Wednesday of the month, a moonlight tour is offered from 6 to 7:30 pm.

Standing for joy, art, and music, JAM NOLA is a series of immersive and colorful exhibits showcasing the works of some 30 local artists. The space is chock full of murals and installations, with plenty of fun photo opportunities. Tickets must be purchased in advance online. JAM NOLA is scheduled to move to Frenchmen Street by December 2024; check the website for updated information before you go.

Highlighting the best of Japanese art, food, and culture with a goal to nurture a deeper understanding of Japan in the world, Japan House is an oasis of serenity on frenetic Hollywood Boulevard. This two-floor, multiuse space, whose interior and exterior were designed by leading Japanese designers, is made up of a gallery, a store with beautiful Japanese wares for sale, a library, an event space, and a fine-dining restaurant serving a traditional Japanese kaiseki menu of seasonal dishes. The gallery hosts touring and original exhibitions focused on photography, architecture, manga, paper culture, and more. The library and reading nooks welcome further exploration.

Founded in 1977, the Mitchell Museum houses more than 10,000 Native American artifacts from the Paleo-Indian period through modern times. Permanent exhibits focus on tribes in the Plains, Southwest, Northwest Coast, Woodlands, and Arctic areas. Guided tours, lectures, and kids' craft mornings (weekends only) are a regular part of the programming here.

Taking a deep dive into patterns of immigration, commerce, slave ownership, and the bonds of friendship between Jewish settlers and the non-Jewish southerners, this compact museum displays creative tableaus and some 4,000 artifacts that inform the visitor about how Jews influenced and were influenced by the south. Learn about how Jewish and southern cuisines merged, how Jews became involved in the Civil Rights Movement, and more. There’s also a beautiful collection of stained glass windows inspired by synagogues throughout the south.

A whimsical creation of repurposed urban wasteland, this artist-built sculpture garden features an interactive landscape of music-making structures and houses. The space hosts seasonal musical acts, performances, and workshops. Most weekend days when there isn't an event, the space is open for the public to explore and play (check the website calendar for "Open Hours" before visiting).

Given Ballard’s long history as a home for Scandinavian immigrants, it’s fitting that this is the neighborhood’s one major museum. Inside the spacious, modern building, galleries are dedicated to Nordic history, culture, and the immigrant experience—you’ll see everything from ancient axes to futuristic fish-leather sneakers. Most exhibits have a broad scope, but the one dedicated to immigration focuses on Seattle, displaying hundreds of homey artifacts, most donated by Ballard residents. There’s also a gallery showing temporary exhibits, usually contemporary art with a Nordic theme, and out back a shady garden holds a century-old sauna and a reconstructed Viking ship.

Set in a historic villa surrounded by a lovely small park and gardens, this terrific museum offers a year-round calendar of events and exhibits that highlight African and African-diaspora art and artists. The building itself is a prime example of the West Indies–style French colonial architecture that used to fill much of the French Quarter. The house was built in 1829 by Simon Meilleur, a prosperous brick maker; the main house was constructed with Meilleur's bricks, and the brick patio behind it bears imprints identifying the original manufacturer. While the larger museum is currently undergoing a massive renovation, there are several exhibits set up across the street, at  1417 Governor Nicholls Street. The museum holds events and programming in the villa's gardens as well.

This homegrown museum may turn skeptics into believers. Voodoo isn't just something marketed to visitors; it lingers on in the lives of many New Orleanians, who still light candles for good luck or rely on a potion to find love. The large collection of artifacts on display here include portraits by and of voodoo legends, African artifacts believed to have influenced the development of the religion, and lots of gris-gris (African and Caribbean amulets). The gift shop sells customized gris-gris, potions, and handcrafted voodoo dolls. A psychic reader is on duty to divine your future.

In 1987 the U.S. Congress declared jazz a "national American treasure," and shortly thereafter the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park was created to educate people about the art form and to preserve its history. The park hosts free performances and educational events in two locations around the French Quarter: the Visitor Center and the Old U.S. Mint, which also houses the state's jazz collection. Some of the park's rangers are also working musicians; don't miss the chance to catch their lively and informative demonstrations exploring the full range of Louisiana's musical heritage.

This small, home-grown museum is among many spots in Tremé where you'll get a chance to really dig into fascinating local history. Owner and enthusiastic jazz historian Al Jackson will lead you through his one-room, colorful collection of art, photographs, and memorabilia, providing insight on the origins of jazz and its place in the neighborhood. Located close to the New Orleans African American Museum and the Backstreet Cultural Museum, the location makes it easy to visit a couple Tremé museums in the same afternoon.

Near the Chile Pepper Institute, the Zuhl Museum is home to the Zuhl Geological Collection, featuring a rich abundance of petrified-wood samples (vibrant reds and yellows mark the Late Triassic pieces from the Chinle region of Arizona), fossils, minerals, and an oviraptor dinosaur nest.