The Most Unmissable Art Attractions Across America

For the love of art

From world-class art galleries filled with iconic artworks to cities with vibrant street art scenes, America is blessed with a multitude of incredible attractions for art lovers. Our well-traveled editorial team has selected and ranked the best of them, in the knowledge that any such ranking is purely subjective.

Click through the gallery to discover which amazing art destination is in our number one spot...

30. Meow Wolf Immersive Art Museum, Santa Fe, New Mexico

The first of Meow Wolf’s trippy interactive installations which can now be found in five US cities, the Immersive Art Museum in Santa Fe is a mind-bending neon colored combination of technology, sculpture and sound. At its heart is The House of Eternal Return, a massive 20,000 square foot installation that is part mystery narrative and part House of Fun. Visitors venture through a maze of colorful rooms and dark passageways, lined with towering alien monsters, in an attempt to solve the mystery of the fictional family who once inhabited the house.

29. Edward Gorey House, Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts

One of the 20th century’s most beloved writer-illustrators, Edward Gorey’s macabre, surreal and darkly humorous books have been delighting audiences for more than 60 years. After his death in 2000, Gorey’s house on Cape Cod, a 200-year-old sea captain’s cottage in the village of Yarmouth Port, was turned into a museum devoted to his life and work. Open from April to December, it hosts annual exhibitions of his intricate pen drawings, etchings, set and costume designs, book illustrations for literary giants such as Samuel Beckett, T.S. Eliot and Muriel Spark, and other Goreyesque ephemera. 

28. Magic Gardens, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

There is something genuinely magical about Magic Gardens. They were the brainchild of Isaiah Zagar, who began making mosaics as a form of therapy in the 1960s and ended up covering three entire city lots in Philadelphia’s South Street neighborhood with a colorful mixture of handmade tiles, bottles, mirrors, bicycle wheels and anything else he could lay his hands on. In collaboration with other local artists and activists, he transformed this once depressed area into a thriving artistic haven. He's even extended his ever-growing installation underground, digging tunnels and grottos. It's all been open to the public since 2008.

27. Great Wall of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California

One of the world’s largest murals, the Great Wall of Los Angeles stretches for more than half a mile along the western wall of the Tujunga Flood Control Channel in North Hollywood. Part artistic vision, part community project, it was created between 1974 and 1984 by 35 artists and 400 young mural makers (including a team of at-risk youths). The mural leads viewers through California’s history, emphasizing the role played by traditionally marginalized communities such as Native Americans, Latinos and African Americans in creating its unique culture, while also highlighting issues around immigration, land rights, women's rights and racial justice.

26. Pollock Krasner House and Study Center, Springs, New York

In 1945, Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner, the First Couple of Abstract Expressionism, moved into a 19th-century house in Springs on Long Island. Pollock established his studio in a nearby barn where, over the following years, he created his most famous poured paintings. Perfectly preserved since Krasner’s death in 1984, from the paint-spattered studio floor to Pollock’s collection of jazz records, both house and studio are now open to the public, offering an intimate glimpse into their life together and the artistic process which produced some of the most iconic paintings of the 20th century.

25. Mission District Murals, San Francisco, California

24. Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Opened in 1988 and reconstructed in 2017, the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is an outdoor showcase for the Walker Art Center’s world-class collection of modern and contemporary art. Covering 11 acres, it’s home to more than 60 3D masterpieces, including work by Henry Moore, Alexander Calder, Sol LeWitt, Judith Shea, Robert Indiana and Roy Lichtenstein. Most famous of all is Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s Spoonbridge and Cherry. It’s now an icon of the Twin Cities, inspiring countless trick-perspective photos where visitors appear to be licking the big cherry or holding it by its stem.

23. Murals and Street Art, Denver, Colorado

Long renowned for its thriving arts scene, Denver isn’t short of great museums and galleries. But one of the best ways to enjoy its unique vibe is to explore the vibrant murals, graffiti and street art which cover its urban landscape. Many of the city’s warehouses, storefronts, garage doors and alleyways have been transformed into a vast, ever-changing canvas of colorful imagery. Neighborhoods to check out include the River North Art District (RiNo), East Colfax, Confluence Park and the Art District on Santa Fe. If you're new in town, several guided tours are available.

22. Georgia O’Keeffe Home and Studio, Abiquiú, New Mexico

An unmissable pilgrimage for fans of the iconic artist's work, the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe houses the largest collection of her work and personal materials in existence. But those who want to delve deeper into O’Keeffe’s world should head 60 miles northwest to the small village of Abiquiú, which she made her home from 1949 until 1984. There, her house and studio, a quiet sanctuary which she lovingly restored and decorated with rocks and bones from her collection, have been immaculately preserved and are open to the public from March to November.

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21. Rodin Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Administered by the nearby Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Rodin Museum is home to one of the most comprehensive collections of the sculptor’s work outside Paris. Featuring over 150 objects, mainly bronzes, marbles and plasters, it includes versions of many of his most iconic pieces including The Kiss, The Burghers of Calais (pictured) and The Thinker, which greets visitors in the museum’s courtyard. The collection also includes the first ever cast of the monumental Gates of Hell, the defining project of Rodin’s career, which he worked on for 37 years. 

20. National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson, Wyoming

Built into a hillside overlooking the National Elk Refuge in Jackson Hole, the National Museum of Wildlife Art, holds more than 5,000 artworks representing wild animals from around the world. It features works by major artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Andy Warhol, Robert Kuhn, John James Audubon, and Carl Rungius. A highlight is the Sculpture Trail, designed by award-winning landscape architect Walter Hood, which features spectacular wildlife sculptures in a stunning natural setting.  

19. Studio Museum in Harlem, New York

Founded in 1968, New York’s Studio Museum in Harlem was designed to reflect the interests and everyday experience of the African American community, focusing on work by emerging and established artists of African descent. Since then, it has built a collection of 9,000 objects by 700 artists, spanning 200 years of history. Highlights range from work by the legendary Jean-Michel Basquiat and renowned Young British Artist Chris Ofili to the Primitivist paintings of Bill Traylor and the remarkable photographs of James Van Der Zee, a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance. The museum's new home will open in 2025.

18. Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas, Texas

Housed in a beautiful, minimalist building by world-famous architect Renzo Piano (who also designed the Pompidou Centre and the Whitney Museum of American Art), the Nasher Sculpture Center houses one of the finest collections of modern and contemporary sculpture in the world. It’s home to over 300 masterpieces, including work by Rodin, Gauguin, Degas, Matisse, Picasso, Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth (pictured). The vast collection is spread between the main building and an intimate Sculpture Garden designed by celebrated landscape architect Peter Walker.

17. Street Art, Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles street art is hard to beat. From 50-year-old murals deeply rooted in Chicano history to modern artists transforming previously bland locations into vibrantly colored galleries, the diversity and creativity on show is simply jaw-dropping. If you want to discover the best street art out there, check out LA Art Tours. Owned and run by local artists, they'll take you on a tour of hidden artist lofts, back-alley graffiti walls and even private gallery showings.

16. Legion of Honor, San Francisco, California

Part of the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, the Palace of The Legion of Honor occupies a stunning spot in Lincoln Park, with epic views over the Pacific Ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge. It houses a superb collection of European painting, sculpture (pictured is Rodin’s The Thinker) and decorative arts, as well as major holdings of ancient and contemporary art. One of its main attractions, however, is not on permanent display. The museum is home to the Aschenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts which, with over 90,000 items, is the largest collection of prints and drawings in the western United States.

15. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

14. Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement, St Petersburg, Florida

Like its British counterpart, the American Arts and Crafts movement was marked by the belief that traditional craftsmanship could benefit a society that was being adversely impacted by rampant industrialization. While somewhat idealistic, there is no doubt that the artists and craftsmen involved in the movement created some beautiful objects. Some of the finest examples can be found in the Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement’s collection.

13. Gee’s Bend, Alabama

The innovative patchwork quilts produced by the women of Gee’s Bend are seen as expanding the realm of Black visual culture and have been exhibited in major galleries worldwide. Patterns and piecing styles had been passed down over decades, surviving slavery and Jim Crow. They were discovered by a wider audience thanks to the founding of the Freedom Quilting Bee (FQB) in 1966, which began selling made-to-order quilts to New York decorators and Bloomingdale’s. Visitors to Gee’s Bend can view these astounding creations in the River Gallery or follow the Heritage Trail, celebrating 10 quilts that appeared on US postage stamps in 2006. 

12. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, Massachusetts

Isabella Stewart Gardner was a bohemian millionairess and art collector who established an eponymous museum inspired by a Venetian Palazzo when her vast collection outgrew her home. The extraordinary building opened to the public in 1903 and Isabella spent the rest of her life working on the installation of her collection which included works by Rembrandt, Titian and Vermeer (the latter was one of 13 works stolen in an infamous 1990 art heist). When she died in 1924, she left the museum to the public, stipulating that nothing in it be changed. Her wishes have been respected, although a new wing opened in 2012.

11. The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico

10. Getty Center, Los Angeles, California

Split between two locations, the J. Paul Getty Museum (generally known as just The Getty) is a must-see for any art lover in Los Angeles. The Getty Villa houses Greek and Roman art in a beautiful recreation of a Roman house, while the Getty Center in Brentwood is home to an astonishing collection of European paintings, drawings, sculpture, illuminated manuscripts and decorative art. Perhaps unsurprisingly in the world’s richest museum, highlights are hard to pick. In no particular order, they include Van Gogh’s Irises, Rubens’ The Entombment and James Ensor’s masterpiece Christ’s Entry into Brussels in 1889.

9. National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC

The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) was the first museum in the world solely dedicated to female artists. Its founders, Wilhelmina Cole Holladay and Wallace F. Holladay, were pioneering collectors of art by women and their collection forms the core of the museum’s holdings. The museum aims to address the ongoing gender imbalance in collecting and displaying female artists' work by highlighting significant women artists of the past while also promoting remarkable women artists of today. Artists on display include Mary Cassatt, Leonora Carrington, Rosa Bonheur, Lavinia Fontana and Clara Peeters.

8. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California

LACMA is the largest art museum in the western United States, with a collection of more than 150,000 objects through which visitors can explore over 6,000 years of artistic expression across the globe. Highlights of the collection include David Hockney’s Mulholland Drive: The Road to the Studio, one of many works inspired by his time in Los Angeles, René Magritte’s iconic The Treachery of Images and Chris Burden's Urban Light (pictured). Composed of 202 cast iron streetlamps from the 1920s and 1930s that once lit the streets of LA, it has become LACMA's most popular artwork.

7. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

Founded by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney in 1930, the Whitney Museum of American Art was originally dedicated to the work of living American artists, making it the first of its kind. It now encompasses 25,000 works created by more than 3,600 artists in the United States during the 20th and and 21st centuries. Certain key artists are particularly well represented including Alexander Calder, Jasper Johns, Glenn Ligon, Agnes Martin, Georgia O’Keeffe, Claes Oldenburg, Ed Ruscha and Cindy Sherman. It has the largest collection of Edward Hopper’s artwork in the world including iconic works such as Early Sunday Morning (pictured).

6. Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio

The Cleveland Museum of Art is most definitely a multi-day destination. Renowned for the quality and breadth of its collection, the departments you can wander through range from African, Korean, Chinese and Islamic Art to photography, prints and textiles. The museum also has an internationally renowned collection of European painting and sculpture dating from 1500 to 1960, along with a contemporary collection featuring the work of leading artists from the 1960s to the present day. Whatever your taste, there will be something to please you here.

5. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts

4. National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

With a collection of more than 150,000 works, including paintings, prints, sculptures and photographs, the National Gallery of Art in Washington traces the history of western art from the Middle Ages to the present day. The most-visited art museum in America, it’s home to the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the Americas (a portrait of Ginevra de’ Benci) along with masterpieces by Titian, Raphael, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Monet, Matisse, Degas (pictured) and many other European greats. But the American collection is equally strong, including work by Mary Cassatt, Thomas Eakins, John Singer Sargent and Edward Hopper. Also, it's free.

3. MOMA, New York

When MoMA first opened in 1929, its founding director Alfred H. Barr proclaimed his desire to give New York, “the greatest museum of modern art in the world.” And, almost a century later, MoMA is one of the few serious contenders for that title. Its collection includes around 200,000 works spread over several departments, including painting and sculpture, drawings and prints, architecture and design, media and performance, film and photography. Among the many iconic works hanging on its walls are Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, Malevich's White on White, and Van Gogh’s The Starry Night (pictured).

2. Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

1. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Coming in at number one is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Opened in 1870, the Met is the largest art museum in America. Its epic collection covers 5,000 years of history and includes more than 1.5 million objects. Treasures range from an entire ancient Egyptian temple to intricate works of decorative art, textiles and musical instruments. There's also extensive holdings of African, Asian, Byzantine and Islamic art, while its collection of European and American paintings is among the finest anywhere. Masterpieces by Vermeer, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso, Cézanne and Goya, to name a few, are all on display.

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