United States

15 Best Museums in United States

If museums are your reason to travel, this is United States sorted for you.

Order reflects review volume from real travelers in United States. Refreshed monthly.

  1. National September 11 Memorial & Museum

    Museum · New York City

    The National September 11 Memorial & Museum occupies the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan.

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  2. 9/11 Tribute Museum

    Museum · New York City

    The 9/11 Tribute Museum focuses on the firsthand accounts of survivors, first responders, and family members of victims.

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  3. Art Institute of Chicago

    Museum · Chicago

    The Art Institute of Chicago is a world-class museum housing over 300,000 artworks spanning centuries and continents.

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  4. Graceland

    Museum · Memphis

    Graceland is the Memphis mansion Elvis Presley bought in 1957 and called home until his death in 1977, now a museum and shrine that draws fans from around the world.

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  5. World of Coca-Cola

    Museum · Atlanta

    The World of Coca-Cola in downtown Atlanta tells the story of the world's most famous soft drink, born in the city in 1886.

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  6. Titanic Museum Attraction

    Museum · Pigeon Forge

    The Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge is an immersive, family-friendly museum housed in a half-scale replica of the ship's bow, complete with a model iceberg, you can't miss it from the road.

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  7. The Dali Museum

    Museum · St. Petersburg

    The Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida holds the largest collection of Salvador Dalí's work outside Europe, a comprehensive sweep across the surrealist master's career, including several of his monumental 'masterwork' canvases.

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  8. The Houston Museum of Natural Science

    Museum · HoustonFree entry

    The Houston Museum of Natural Science is one of the most-visited museums in the US, a sprawling institution in the Museum District whose standout is the Morian Hall of Paleontology, a dramatically…

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  9. Denver Museum Of Nature & Science

    Museum · Denver

    The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is one of the leading natural-history museums in the American West, a large, all-ages institution with standout dinosaur fossils, immersive wildlife dioramas, an…

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  10. California Science Center

    Museum · Los AngelesFree entry

    The California Science Center in Los Angeles is a large, free science museum whose star exhibit is genuinely once-in-a-lifetime: the Space Shuttle Endeavour, a real flown orbiter you can stand…

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  11. Chicago Cultural Center

    Museum · Chicago

    The Chicago Cultural Center is a magnificent public building that serves as a free cultural hub.

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  12. Petersen Automotive Museum

    Museum · Los Angeles

    The Petersen Automotive Museum is Los Angeles's temple to car culture, instantly recognisable for its dramatic exterior of swooping stainless-steel ribbons wrapped around a red building.

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  13. National Center for Civil and Human Rights

    Museum · Atlanta

    The National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta is a powerful, immersive museum connecting the American civil-rights movement with the broader global struggle for human rights.

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  14. The Morgan Library & Museum

    Museum · New York CityFree entry

    The Morgan Library & Museum is one of New York's most refined cultural gems, originally the private library of financier J.

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  15. US Army Museum of Hawaii

    Museum · HonoluluFree entry

    The U.S.

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Good to know

What is the best-known of the museums in United States?

National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City is the most reviewed, with 99,133 traveler reviews and a 4.7 rating. That makes it the safe choice if you are only fitting in one.

Which of United States's museums is worth going out of your way for?

National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta rates highest at 5.0 out of 5 across 2,207 reviews. Smaller crowds than the headline entry usually explain the gap.

Which city in United States has the most museums?

New York City, with 3 on this list, ahead of Chicago on 2. The list spans 10 cities in total, capped at three per city so one big city cannot crowd out the rest of the country.

Are any of these museums free to visit?

Yes, 4: The Houston Museum of Natural Science, California Science Center, The Morgan Library & Museum and others. That is based on each place's own visiting information, not an assumption about the category.

How is this list of museums ranked?

By how many travelers reviewed each place, filtered to those rated well enough to be worth your time, drawn from 4,059 tracked places in United States. No one pays to appear on it, and the order is refreshed monthly as new reviews land.

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