What are the best museums across the United States?

Readers have voted to decide the winners

By 10Best Editors
FEBRUARY 23, 2024

There are more than 35,000 museums in the United States, according to a figure released by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. That means there’s more than twice as many museums in the country as there are McDonald’s restaurants — a staggering figure.

To narrow that enormous number down to the best museums across eight categories, from history museums to science museums, we tasked an expert panel with nominating their top picks. Then, readers voted for their favorites to decide the winners.

Best Free Museum

Best Free Museum

Best Science Museum

Best Science Museum

Best Science Museum

Best History Museum