Full List of Major Museums in the United States
Museums play a crucial role in preserving and showcasing our cultural heritage. They are not just places to view art and artifacts, but also educational institutions that aim to inform and inspire visitors. The United States is home to a vast array of museums, each with its own unique history, collections, and mission. From the world-renowned Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. to smaller, locally focused museums, there is something for everyone to explore and enjoy.
The United States of America is a charming nation with an extensive architecturally beautiful, culturally rich, traditional, and historical heritage. Its glorious past, which speaks of history, is embellished with historical monuments. Travelers may find a museum in every city in the nation that showcases the illustrious heritage of the area. Moreover, no trip to the US is perfect without stopping by a local museum that beautifully depicts the history and culture of old America. There are numerous well-known museums in the country which provide a lot of previously unknown facts about the past. Let’s look at many of them in this comprehensive listing.
MAJOR MUSEUMS IN THE UNITED STATES: FULL LIST
This is a list of notable and major museums in the United States by state and local territory.
| State or Territory | Museums |
|---|---|
| California | Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Getty Museum, California Science Center, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, The Broad, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Petersen Automotive Museum, Griffith Observatory, Autry Museum of the American West, Japanese American National Museum, The GRAMMY Museum, The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, California African American Museum, Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, Nethercutt Collection, USS Midway Museum, San Diego Natural History Museum, Museum of Us, The San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego Air & Space Museum, Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego Model Railroad Museum, Norton Simon Museum, Gamble House, Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Legion of Honor Museum, Walt Disney Family Museum, Exploratorium, Crocker Art Museum, California Automobile Museum, California State Railroad Museum |
| New York City | Metropolitan Museum of Art – MET, Museum of Modern Art, NYC, Intrepid, Sea, Air & Space Museum, Neue Galerie New York, The Cloisters, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, American Museum of Natural History, Museum of the City of New York, New-York Historical Society, Frick Collection, Met Breuer, Rubin Museum of Art, Jewish Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, National Museum of the American Indian, Brooklyn Museum, New York Transit Museum, Brooklyn Historical Society, Albright–Knox Art Gallery |
| Washington, D.C. | National Gallery of Art, National Museum of American History, National Air and Space Museum, National Museum of African American History and Culture, National Museum of Natural History, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Phillips Collection, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, International Spy Museum, National Museum of Women in the Arts, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Freer Gallery of Art, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, National Museum of the United States Navy, National Postal Museum, National Museum of African Art, National Building Museum, Smithsonian National Zoological Park, National Law Enforcement Museum, White House |
| Texas | National Museum of the Pacific War, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston Museum of Natural Science, Space Center Houston, Lone Star Flight Museum, Dallas Museum of Art, Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, Kimbell Art Museum, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, The Alamo, San Antonio Museum of Art, Texas Transportation Museum, Mission Concepcion, Mission San José |
| Massachusetts | Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts, Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, Massachusetts, Norman Rockwell Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Harvest Art Museums, Freedom Trail, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, USS Constitution, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard |
| Ohio | Toledo Museum of Art, National Museum of the United States Air Force, Cleveland Museum of Art, USS COD, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Great Lakes Science Center, Columbus Museum of Art, Center of Science and Industry, COSI, National Veterans Memorial and Museum – NVMM, Cincinnati Art Museum, Taft Museum of Art, American Sign Museum, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center |
| Pennsylvania | AACA Museum, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Penn Museum, The Barnes Foundation, Museum of the American Revolution, Rodin Museum, National Constitution Center, Pittsburgh Museums, Andy Warhol Museum, Carnegie Science Center, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Carnegie Museum of Art |
| Illinois | Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago History Museum, Field Museum of Natural History, Museum of Science and Industry, Driehaus Museum |
| Arizona | Phoenix Art Museum, Heard Museum, Musical Instrument Museum, Arizona Science Center, Desert Botanical Garden, Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park |
| New Jersey | Princeton University Art Museum, Battleship New Jersey, The Newark Museum of Art, Montclair Art Museum, New Jersey State Museum |
| Delaware | Delaware Art Museum, Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library, Nemours Mansion and Gardens, Rockwood Museum and Park, Delaware Museum of Natural History |
| Hawaii | Honolulu Museum of Art, USS Arizona Memorial, `Iolani Palace, Bishop Museum |
| Connecticut | New Haven Museums, Yale University Art Gallery, Peabody Museum of Natural History, New Haven Museum and Historical Society, Yale Center for British Art, Hartford, Connecticut Museums, Wadsworth Atheneum, The Mark Twain House & Museum |
| Maryland | National Cryptologic Museum, Walters Art Museum, Baltimore Museum of Art, American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore Museum of Industry, National Museum of Dentistry |
| Michigan | Detroit Institute of Arts, Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Greenfield Village, Detroit Historical Museum, Hitsville U.S.A. – Motown Museum, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Arab American National Museum, Automotive Hall of Fame, Dossin Great Lakes Museum |
| Missouri | St. Louis Museums, Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri History Museum, City Museum, Kansas City, Missouri Museums, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, National World War I Museum and Memorial |
| Indiana | Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indiana State Museum |
| Colorado | National Mining Hall of Fame, Denver Art Museum, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Molly Brown House Museum, History Colorado Center |
| Wisconsin | National Railroad Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Museums, Milwaukee Art Museum, Harley-Davidson Museum, Grohmann Museum |
| Virginia | CIA Museum, National Museum of the United States Army, National Zoological Park (Virginia Campus) – Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Richmond, Virginia Museums, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, National Museum of the Marine Corps |
| Florida | National Naval Aviation Museum, National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum, Tampa Bay Automobile Museum, Miami, Florida Museums, Lowe Art Museum, Pérez Art Museum Miami, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, The Wolfsonian-Florida International University, Frost Art Museum – Florida International University (FIU), Coral Castle |
| Washington State | Seattle Art Museum, Museum of Flight, Frye Art Museum, Museum of History & Industry MOHAI, National Nordic Museum, LeMarch – America’s Car Museum |
| Louisiana | The National WWII Museum, New Orleans Museum of Art |
| Nevada | National Atomic Testing Museum |
| New Mexico | National Museum of Nuclear Science & History |
| Wyoming | National Museum of Wildlife Art |
| Georgia | High Museum of Art, Atlanta History Center, National Center for Civil and Human Rights |
| Alabama | U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, National Memorial for Peace and Justice, The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration, Birmingham Museum of Art, Barber Vintage Motorsport Museum |
| North Carolina | Carolinas Aviation Museum, Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, NASCAR Hall of Fame, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, North Carolina Museum of Art, Historic Yates Mill County Park, Ackland Art Museum |
| Alaska | Anchorage Museum, University of Alaska Museum of the North, Alaska State Museum |
| Tennessee | Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum, Tennessee State Museum, Parthenon in Nashville |
| Minnesota | Minneapolis Institute of Art, Walker Art Center, Weisman Art Museum, Mill City Museum |
| South Carolina | Gibbes Museum of Art, Nathaniel Russell House, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, Fort Sumter |
| Kentucky | Frazier History Museum, Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, Speed Art Museum, Muhammad Ali Center |
TOP 10 POPULAR MUSEUMS IN THE UNITED STATES
From the above full list of museums in the United States, here are the top ten that really stands out in the country:
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
- National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
- Getty Museum, Los Angeles
- Legion of Honor Museum, San Francisco
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- The Philadelphia Museum of Art
- National Air and Space Museum, New York City
- American Museum of Natural History, New York City
CONCLUSION
The United States of America is renowned for having numerous museums that showcase global culture, art, science, and history. The state of California contains the most museums in the nation, while some of the most popular museums are found in New York City and Washington, D.C. However, there are wonderful gems in many other cities that are just waiting to be found and enjoyed. With so many museums to choose from, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. That’s why we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide to all the museums in the United States. Visit any of these locations to discover the top museums, art galleries, and historical sites in America.
