Ogle everything from Northwest coastal art, to African and Asian works, to a new porcelain room in the bright and airy, internationally renowned space
A tour de force of artist Dale Chihuly’s most significant works. Wander the 8 galleries before reaching the center of it all: the Glasshouse storing a sculpture of red, orange, & yellow glass flowers.
Frye showcases mainly German painting and sculpture from the 19th century to the present. See breathtaking pastoral landscapes from Fritz Baer and Francois Cachoud, or attend one of the many lectures.
Dedicated to contemporary pop culture, music, and science fiction, exhibits here are largely interactive — the Sound Lab allows visitors to explore the latest in musical gear and audio technology.
Get up close with Amazonian fish, coral reefs, and an albino alligator at this museum of natural science. Don’t miss the Living Roof observation level and the popular, after-hours NightLife series.
Houses an extensive collection of ancient American & Native American art as well as a 144-foot observation tower showcasing views of the park’s treetops, the Golden Gate Bridge, & the Marin headlands.
With three times as much space and more than 600 indoor and outdoor exhibits, there are plenty of ways to play.Enjoy interactive exhibits, fog installations, and observatory rooms w/ waterfront views.
If you think watching The Walking Dead has desensitized you from wincing at macabre, think again: Watch a how-to video on embalming, or hang out at a mass suicide site replica and Cannibalism Niche.
The 500,000-strong collection of American West-themed art w/ exhibits that range from The Cowboy Gallery to How the West Was Worn by Michael Jackson will leave you with an appreciation for Americana.
With a collection including works by Gustav Klimt, Auguste Rodin, & Man Ray,plus a revolving roster of exhibitions, breaking for refreshments is a must: The on-site restaurant and cafes are a godsend.
A collection of more than 28,000 incarnations of floppy-eared fur balls (including free-roaming live ones you can feed) that runs the gamut from the adorable (Thumper) to the surreal (Elvis-as-bunny).
Devoted to showcasing folk art and craft items the world over, this museum is home to ancient and contemporary pieces from 141 countries. It’s like one, big, artsy global family (and all their stuff).
As if the building’s architecture isn’t stunning enough, the killer art collection from German expressionist prints to contemporary art and an Eero Saarinen-designed War Memorial make it a true gem.
The big draw here may be Sue (the world’s largest, most complete T. rex skeleton), but there are plenty of exhibits to geek out over, from the wonders of the 1893 World’s Fair to Egyptian mummies.
It would take days to make a dent in the collection of 300,000-plus works of art, which includes classic paintings (American Gothic by Grant Wood), Asian prints, modern photography, & architecture.
Attention all CSI fanatics! Browse four floors packed with info about the history of the medical field, and exhibits that delve into everything from DNA to antiquated equipment. It’s free on Tuesday.
Take your iPad (or rent one) and wander with ArtLens, an app with nine hours of tours and trivia. Stop into the interactive Gallery One for a taste of the masters (Picasso, Rodin, and Chuck Close).
See more than 10,000 photos and artifacts that highlight the spirited lifestyles of female ranchers, pioneers, and entertainers. Then test your own cowgirl skills with a ride on a model bronco.
If you’re even remotely curious about the natural world, set aside a good five hours to wander through this interactive science museum that’s geared toward kids.
Get lost in this installation-only museum filled w/ works by artists in residence from around the world. The permanent collection highlights artists like James Turrell alongside rotating exhibitions.
Home to 7 floors of drawings, videos, self-portraits, & more dating back to Warhol’s student days. An archive of ephemera dedicated to documenting the life of the city’s beloved son adds to the fun.
Explore the collection of postimpressionist and modern paintings, African sculptures, and Native American textiles.The outside is just as eye-catching, with fountains and a Ellsworth Kelly sculpture.
Famous for its entry stairs (the ones Rocky sprinted up) as well as its massive collection. Work spans from medieval to modern, and its Art After 5 events bring a party feel to the hushed environs.
The focus is on more than just textiles. You’ll find work that incorporates painting, video, and other mediums. The gift shop merchandise is just as quirky and contemporary as the museum’s exhibits.
Does your bucket list include eating a cricket? Here you can. Meander through the collection of live, exotic insects. Then visit the Cockroach Kitchen to feel better about your quasi-messy apartment.
With collections spanning Egyptian to Central American, this is the place for anyone who appreciates learning about world cultures. Think you’ve seen your share of masks and pottery? Think again.
Take in nearly 450,000 pieces of art — one of the largest collections in the world. Among the must-sees: Van Gogh’s Houses at Auvers, Renoir’s Dance at Bougival, and the sculpture of King Mycerinus.
After you’ve basked in the year-round sunlight of the flower-filled courtyard, take your time in relishing the museum’s 2,500 paintings, sculptures, textiles, and furniture pieces.
The 30-acre grounds host an awe-inspiring collection of large-scale sculptures & installations. The museum houses a rotating selection of exhibitions and collection of modern and contemporary artwork.
Explore impressionist paintings, folk art, and special exhibits spread among historic buildings & lush grounds. Tour the brick house decorated with English ceramics, historic wallpapers, & fine art.
This zany science museum is home to the first Hoberman sphere. Though geared toward littles (the calendar is packed with interactive learning events), it brings out the childish nerd in any adult.
Large-scale works by Dan Flavin, Richard Serra & Andy Warhol are on display in this converted Nabisco factory that’s now on the National Register of Historic Places. Free tours on Saturdays at 1 p.m.
Ideal for claustrophobes (or people with young children), the 500-acre sculpture park is entirely outside. Stroll the grounds and stumble across works by Maya Lin, Roy Lichtenstein & Alexander Calder.
The borough’s largest museum is a must. With more than 1 million pieces to see, it’s easy to get lost among the Colonial era art,Egyptian antiquities & peculiar collection of South Pacific artifacts.
Contains one of the country’s more significant collections of Himalayan art and artifacts. Step into the garden, which has breathtaking views of New York Bay, and watch prayer flags blow in the wind.
If off-kilter art is your thing, you are at home in the hallways of works from both emerging and famed artists. Head over for Sunday Sessions for weekly servings of film, performance, and discussion.
Follow the crowds to the Costume Institute exhibitions or take a Museum Hack tour- what the guides lack in art history doctorates, they make up for in highlighting works you’d normally pass over.
Once home to nearly 7,000 working-class immigrants, the tenement apartment building-turned-museum re-creates immigrant life in the 19th and 20th centuries w/ insights into their personal experiences.
After gawking at the old-school woodwork, original furniture, lush gardens, and early 20th-century glitz in general, check out the masterpieces of Goya, El Greco, van Dyck, Whistler, and more.
Get lost in the 19,000-piece collection of paintings, photography, drawings, films, and more that touches on the works of greats like Georgia O’Keeffe.
Sorry, it’s not a giant porn celebration. It’s actually an informative look into the history, evolution, and cultural aspects of human sexuality. That said, climax at the gift store.
Don’t miss the 94-foot model of a female blue whale suspended from the ceiling of the Hall of Ocean Life, the replica of the Barosaurus or the planet renderings in the Rose Center for Earth and Space.
The shiny, silver architectural addition to the Bowery is dedicated to showcasing contemporary art & acts as an incubator for adventurous ideas birthed by domestic and international emerging artists.
With its iconic, circular white building the Guggenheim presents important & extensive collections of impressionist,postimpressionist, & modern art, as well as showing the work of present-day artists.
Mingle w/ the likes of Henri Rousseau, Roy Liechtenstein, and Umberto Boccioni & check a few masterpieces off your to-view list (Warhol’s “Campbell’s Soup Cans”; Dali’s “The Persistence of Memory”).
A village-size museum of Americana, the collection comprises a chateau with 175 period rooms; a museum holding 85,000 objects and a naturalistic 60-acre garden.
Learn the story behind Argo, separate James Bond fact from fiction, and practice your decoding skills. The gift shop is stocked with invisible ink, bionic ears, thrillers and peel-and-stick mustaches.
This free Smithsonian Institution houses international modern and contemporary art: Francis Bacon, Yoko Ono, Barbara Kruger, and dozens of others whose works sparks debate and wonderment.
This lesser-known, private art gallery near Georgetown University is home to a mix of African sculpture, impressionist & modern American art, a collection as spellbinding as it is modernist building.
Learn the history of the beloved beverage, get as close as you can to the secret formula, and go caffeine crazy in the Coca-Cola Freestyle room with more than 100 fizzy flavors to taste.
This architectural stunner has a renowned collection of classic and contemporary art and an exhibit resume with highlights like Frida and Diego, Picasso to Warhol, and Salvador Dali: the Late Work.
Impressive kids’ shows, adults-only plays, puppet-making workshops, and interactive exhibits go down in one of the country’s premier puppet centers which displays some of Jim Henson’s original puppets
In addition to diverse exhibitions and growing collection of more than 1,300 international works, the space includes Verde (a Stephan Starr restaurant) and an outdoor sculpture garden.
Special attention is paid to programming, such as concerts from local bands and classes taught by Miami-Dade educators. Pop in on nonevent days to browse edgy pieces and visiting installations.
