Museums
National Air and Space Museum
National Air and Space Museum guide: free timed-entry passes, the Wright Flyer, Apollo 11’s Columbia, the renewed galleries on the National Mall, the Udvar-Hazy Center and tips for your visit.
Museums
Dinosaurs, moon rockets, Old Masters and the stories of war and peace: the American museums worth planning a whole day around, with tickets, passes and tips.
Museums
Museums
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art guide: tickets and pay-what-you-wish rules, the Temple of Dendur, the European paintings, arms and armor, the roof garden, the Met Cloisters and how to plan your visit.
Museums
American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History guide: the dinosaur halls, the blue whale, the Hayden Planetarium, the Gilder Center, tickets and tips for families.
Museums
The National WWII Museum
National WWII Museum guide: the Road to Berlin and Road to Tokyo galleries, the Boeing Center aircraft, the 4D film Beyond All Boundaries, tickets and how much time to plan.
Museums
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
Kennedy Space Center guide: the Saturn V at the Apollo/Saturn V Center, Space Shuttle Atlantis, the bus tour, the Rocket Garden, Gateway, watching a launch, tickets and how much time to plan.
Museums
Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago guide: tickets and residency rates, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, Nighthawks, American Gothic, the Thorne Miniature Rooms, the Modern Wing and tips.
Museums
Getty Center
Getty Center guide: free timed tickets, the tram, Van Gogh’s Irises, the Central Garden, Richard Meier’s architecture, parking and the Getty Villa.
Museums
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Smithsonian Natural History Museum guide: the Hope Diamond, the Hall of Fossils, the African elephant in the rotunda, the Ocean Hall, the butterfly pavilion, free entry and tips.
Museums
National Gallery of Art
Guide to the national art museum in Washington: the West and East Buildings, Leonardo’s Ginevra de’ Benci, the highlights of the collection, the Sculpture Garden and its ice rink, free entry and tips.
Museums
Field Museum
Field Museum guide: SUE the T. rex, Máximo the titanosaur, Inside Ancient Egypt, the man-eating lions of Tsavo, the Museum Campus, tickets and tips.
Museums
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
MoMA guide: The Starry Night and other masterpieces, the floors and the sculpture garden, tickets and free entry for children, the best time to visit and tips.
Museums
Philadelphia Art Museum & the Rocky Steps
Philadelphia Art Museum guide: the Rocky Steps and the statue, Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, Duchamp, the medieval cloister and Japanese teahouse, the Rodin Museum, tickets and tips.
Museums
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Monterey Bay Aquarium guide: the Kelp Forest, the sea otters, the Open Sea gallery, the jellies, feeding times, Cannery Row, tickets and tips.
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How to plan a day of art and history
The largest American museums are too big for one visit, so the trick is to choose. Pick two or three galleries before you go, arrive at opening time and take a long break in the middle of the day. Most big museums sell timed tickets online, which saves standing in line at the door.
Free in Washington, DC
The Smithsonian museums on the National Mall are free, including the National Air and Space Museum, which asks every visitor to book a free timed pass. Combine it with the nearby museums of natural history and American history on the same day.
Art and science in New York City
On opposite sides of Central Park, the Met and the American Museum of Natural History can each fill a whole day. Their pay-what-you-wish admission is only for residents of the region; visitors from elsewhere pay a fixed price, so check before you buy.
History you can feel
In New Orleans, the National WWII Museum tells the story of the war through oral histories, aircraft and immersive galleries, and most visitors stay five hours or more. Pair it with a walk through the French Quarter.
Tips for your visit
Bags larger than a small backpack usually have to be checked, and food is not allowed in the galleries. Special exhibitions, planetarium shows and films cost extra almost everywhere, so add them when you book. Many museums stay open late one evening a week, and those hours are often the quietest. Check each museum’s page in this guide for current ticket rules before you go.
Free days and passes
Bank of America’s Museums on Us program gives its cardholders free general admission at participating museums on the first full weekend of every month. City passes in New York, Chicago and other cities include several big collections, and many art institutions offer free evenings once a week.
Children often enter free or at a reduced price, and students and seniors usually get discounts with ID. Special exhibitions are rarely included in free entry, so check before you go.