The 10 Museums Every Traveler Should Visit in the U.S.

Besides its impressive displays, which range from astronaut artifacts to the Saturn V rocket, this museum also offers meet-and-greets with astronauts and a tour with a former NASA launch director that gives you a first-hand look at everything from the control room used during launches to the massive crawler that would carry rockets to their take-off points.

MoMA’s collection is made up of close to 200,000 modern and contemporary artworks that range from outdoor sculptures and hand drawings to playful interactive exhibits. The museum also regularly hosts film screenings.

If you’re a lover of animals, head to the American Museum of Natural History, where you’ll be treated to an array of halls and exhibitions digging into the history of ocean life and dinosaurs, while large-scale displays of animals like bison and elk will leave you in awe. Plus, the museum also has boozy slumber parties that adults can enjoy at night.

You’ll feel like you’ve stepped into a modern new world at the Getty Center, where glass-and-stone buildings make up the façade. Perched on a hilltop in the Santa Monica Mountains, the space is home to breathtaking gardens you can admire after perusing through its art collections that include works from the likes of Leonardo da Vinci, Claude Monet, and more.

Those interested in intergalactic affairs will find themselves in paradise here, where displays include the 1903 Wright Flyer, the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia, and even a lunar rock you’re invited to touch. The museum, which is free to enter, is also home to popular attractions like the Albert Einstein Planetarium and a public observatory where you can gaze at the sky through telescopes.

Located onboard one of the country’s longest serving aircraft carriers, this museum invites you to get lost at sea with more than 60 exhibits that take you through 29 restored aircraft, while narrations by Midway sailors help to transport you back in time.

Honoring the thousands of lives that were lost during the September 11 attacks, this museum takes guests through the events before, during, and after that tragic day with archival photographs, videos, and artifacts from Ground Zero. Outside, a set of reflecting pools stand in the fallen towers’ footprints as a solemn memorial.  

The Art Institute of Chicago is home to roughly 300,000 works of art, from ancient to contemporary. Made up of eight buildings and covering nearly 1 million square feet, the museum is a work of art in and of itself, displaying elements of historic Beaux Arts architecture while simultaneously showcasing Greek and Roman influences with its Corinthian columns and friezes.

Now the top rated-tourist attraction in the city, according to TripAdvisor, this museum takes you on a historic journey through its collection of artifacts and first-person oral histories that delve into the story of the war. In addition to its display of boats, tanks, and planes of the past, the space also has a wartime-themed canteen for when it’s time to unwind.

At the Met, visitors will be greeted with more than 2 million pieces they can admire in just the museum’s permanent collection alone. The sprawling space, which spans four city blocks, also regularly brings in fascinating collections that range from the works of famed traditional painters to eclectic clothing displays and historic photographs.