Thu. Nov 14th, 2024

The 15 Best Museums in the U.S. You Had No Idea Existed

By Jessica Sulima

Sometimes those big national galleries, with their white marble colonnades, can be overwhelming. The idea of tackling multiple floors of world-class art both is exhausting and seemingly impossible. The good news is, there’s always a more accessible, quirkier museum standing proudly off the beaten path—one you can successfully navigate in a few hours time, with some newfound, unconventional knowledge under your belt.

Case in point: the less-trodden International Spy Museum in the Smithsonian-dominated city of Washington, D.C., which holds the largest collection of espionage artifacts on public display. “There are 18 intelligence agencies in Washington, D.C. alone, but a lot of these collections are private—we’re not supposed to know about these stories ever existing,” says Kathryn Keane, Vice President of Exhibitions & Collections. “So to come to the Spy Museum and to be able to learn about the real history behind a lot of this work through the centuries is really special.”

Then there are those museums hiding in more unlikely corners of the U.S.—for example, the Totem Heritage Center in Ketchikan, Alaska, or the Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas—that are far more than roadside attractions. In fact, Keane, who has spent over 20 years traveling across the country to produce exhibitions, finds that small towns often contain some of the best historic sites or houses. “You don’t have to go to a big city to experience a great museum,” she explains. “The idea that there are over 30,000 museums in the United States is a real testament to the commitment we have as Americans to preserve our history.”

With the help of Keane and the staff of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), we put together a list of 15 underrated museums—in major cities and small towns alike—that most likely aren’t on your radar. They run the gamut from artifacts of funeral history to the most ornate displays of repurposed architecture you’ll ever see.

american visionary art museum baltimore most underrated museums us
This 15-foot pink poodle goes by the name Fifi. | American Visionary Art Museum

Baltimore, Maryland
The AAM shouts out the American Visionary Art Museum for producing the incredible kinetic sculpture races that zoom through Baltimore each year—that is, the procession of “human-powered, all-terrain, homemade contraptions that travel over land, water, sand and mud,” the website reads. But if you’re not in town to see such amphibious masterpieces, the museum itself is worth visiting for its impressive collection of art created by self-taught individuals, all motivated by some kind of intuitive genius. Think whimsical wooden puppets and larger-than-life sculptures of drag queens.

New York City
We know New York City to have been shaped by Rockefellers and Guggenheims, but we’re less likely to be familiar with the ways in which early immigrants contributed to the fabric of its past. This AAM recommendation features historically recreated homes of immigrants, migrants, and refugees who settled in the Lower East Side between the years of 1860 and 1980. Expect to discover all kinds of artifacts related to the buildings of 97 and 103 Orchard Street, from rent documents to food containers.

Washington, D.C.
Keane is a big fan of this D.C. institution, located just outside of the National Security Agency campus. Renovated in 2022, it’s essentially “further reading” for lovers of the Spy Museum. “It’s dedicated to the history of U.S. cryptology, which is essentially code-breaking, decryption, encryption, communications technologies and what we call ‘signals intelligence’ in our business,” she says. The museum houses various enigma machines and early computers from famous moments in our code-breaking history, including during the Manhattan Project and Civil War.

eastern state penitentiary philadelphia most underrated museums
The Eastern State Penitentiary held famous prisoners Al Capone and bank robber Willie Sutton. | Eastern State Penitentiary

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
This former prison, suggested by the AAM, was the most expensive public structure in the country when it was first erected in 1829. The spooky site, with its neo-Gothic architecture, was the world’s first true “penitentiary,” called as such to inspire penitence with its system of separate confinement, a revolutionary concept at the time. It held nearly 85,000 prisoners until it closed in 1971 (Al Capone and bank robber Willie Sutton among them). Take a tour during the day, or visit at night for a haunted experience during the month of October.

St. Petersburg, Florida
The famous surrealist painter didn’t exactly have a connection to St. Petersburg, nor did the Morses, who acquired the huge collection of Dalí paintings displayed here. But when the Ohio-based philanthropists decided to donate their collection in the 1970s, an article with the headline “U.S. Art World Dillydallies Over Dalí,” caught the attention of the St. Petersburg community, which rallied together to bring the collection to Florida. The building, surrealist in design with a geodesic glass bubble and helical staircase, boasts more Dalí works than any other museum in the world.

city museum st louis
The City Museum lays claim to some Guinness World Record winners, like the World’s Largest Pencil, Seesaw, and Tennis Racket. | City Museum, St Louis, MO

St. Louis, Missouri
It’s hard to categorize this St. Louis gem, housed in an old shoe factory. It’s part playground, part architectural junkyard. Oh, and there’s a ferris wheel, too. Founded by sculptors Bob and Gail Cassidy, the City Museum is a hodgepodge of structures that cities have left behind, from an abandoned school bus to a giant praying mantis sculpture. You’ll also find some Guinness World Record winners, like the World’s Largest Pencil, Seesaw, and Tennis Racket.

Chicago, Illinois
Housed in a beautiful, lakeside mansion, the International Museum of Surgical Science boasts hundreds of artifacts related to the history of surgery, such as, per its website, “an Austrian amputation saw with reversible blade (c. 1500); original X-rays taken by radiology pioneer Emil Grubbé (c. 1910); the Lindbergh perfusion pump, which enabled doctors to keep organs functioning outside the body, invented by the renowned aviator Charles Lindbergh and Nobel Prize-winning surgeon Alexis Carrel (1935); and a unique collection of trephined skulls from ancient Peru.” If you’re especially squeamish, maybe avoid the third floor dedicated to obstetrics and gynecology, which features some pretty bloody, albeit beautiful paintings related to childbirth.

metal museum memphis tennessee
The Metal Museum hosts free demonstrations on weekends. | Metal Museum

Memphis, Tennessee
The staff at AAM call attention to the Metal Museum in Memphis, the only institution in the U.S. devoted exclusively to metalwork, showcasing everything from contemporary jewelry to architectural ironwork. The first thing you’ll notice upon arrival is the impressive sculpture garden, featuring both historic and modern metalworks created by blacksmiths around the world. It’s quite interactive here, too, with free demonstrations on weekends and classes you can sign up for, covering skills like enameling or welding. And as you can imagine, the museum shop is pretty top-tier.

Tulsa, Oklahoma
Keane recalls a recent, moving experience at Greenwood Rising, located in Tulsa’s Historic Greenwood District, a neighborhood that experienced one of the largest race massacres in U.S. history in 1921. The museum opened in 2021, during the 100th anniversary of the devastating event. “It’s extremely experiential and emotional, and it’s an important museum to the people of that community, but it’s also a new museum that uses what I would describe as the best examples of immersive storytelling and new technology to tell a really complex and difficult story,” Keane says.

crystal bridges museum of american art bentonville arkansas
The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art was designed by Mosh Safdie. | Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

Bentonville, Arkansas
The Crystal Bridges Museum isn’t exactly niche in scope—its walls are decorated with noteworthy names like Norman Rockwell, Georgia O’Keefe, and Jackson Pollack—but there’s something to be said about the fact that it’s tucked away in the humble city of Bentonville, otherwise known as the birthplace of Walmart. The supermarket’s heiress, Alice Walton, founded the museum, and the pavilions, which blend seamlessly with the surrounding Ozark forest, were designed by Mosh Safdie (uncle of the Safdie film bros). Make sure you check out the Frank Lloyd Wright house situated on the property, too. Bonus: Admission is free.

Houston, Texas
If you have a particular interest in vintage hearses from around the world, then the National Museum of Funeral History is the place for you. It educates visitors on funerary customs in the U.S. and beyond—from the ancient embalming rituals of Egypt to the sacred traditions of Pope burials. There’s a lot related to the deaths of presidents as well, including George Washington’s $99.25 funeral bill.

Ketchikan, Alaska
This AAM pick, which is part of the Ketchikan Museums, features one of the world’s largest collections of unrestored, 19th-century totem poles, retrieved in the 1970s from the Tlingit villages on Tongass Island and Village Island and from the Haida village of Old Kasaan on Prince of Wales Island. With the help of Native elders, the Alaska State Museum and the Alaska Native Brotherhood brought these works of art over to Ketchikan, where they continue to tell the stories of Northwest Coast Native peoples.

iolani palace honolulu
Iolani Palace is the only royal palace on U.S. soil. | Photo courtesy of the Friends of ʻIolani Palace

Honolulu, Hawaii
The AAM recommends the Iolani Palace in Honolulu, the home of the last reigning monarchs of Hawaii, King Kalākaua and his sister, Queen Liliʻuokalani. In fact, it’s the only royal palace on U.S. soil. Many of the opulent furnishings, which were once sold at auction, have been recovered from 36 states and 4 foreign countries. It’s still a work in progress, though, as The Friends of the Iolani Palace continue their search for “most-wanted” items. On the second Sunday of every month—Kamaʻāina Sundays—residents can roam the palace, taste Hawaiian food, enjoy live entertainment, and more.

Las Vegas, Nevada
Come to the Neon Museum to learn about the unique history of advertising in Vegas. What began as a dumping ground for retired neon signs is now an actual museum, with over 200 signs scattered throughout the Neon Boneyard. Make sure you stop and stare at the shell-shaped architecture of the Visitor’s Center, which was once the entrance of La Concha Motel, a celebrity hotspot that was designed by trailblazing architect Paul Revere Williams. A tip that might seem obvious, but is worth mentioning anyway: It’s much better to visit after the sun goes down.

Los Angeles, California
Skip the Broad and go ogle at some flashy vehicles instead. Keane got to know the Petersen Automotive Museum a bit better after collaborating with them for the Spy Museum’s latest exhibit, Bond in Motion. “There are a lot of museums in L.A. and this one would probably not be on your top five list, but it’s definitely worth the visit,” she says. “And just last year, they opened a new experience that they call the ‘Vault,’ where you go down to the basement and there’s like 250 of the most spectacular cars dating all the way back to the early 20th century. They’ve got Porsches and Corvettes and Ferraris from the ‘40s and just an amazing selection of unique automobiles.”

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