Often, cultural and educational attractions don't come cheap. Thankfully, though, the US is filled with fantastic museums, housing fascinating collections, that are free to visit. Our well-travelled editorial team have got their heads together and ranked this sprawling country's 23 best free museums, in the knowledge that this approach is extremely subjective and that you might disagree with the selections.
Scroll on to see how we've ranked these amazing American museums that won't cost you a cent...
Previously known as the Salt Lake Art Center for over 50 years until it was renamed in 2011, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art is home to a mixture of modern artwork from local, national and international artists. Across its five galleries, the museum features rotating exhibitions, alongside a typically extensive calendar of workshops, talks, films, performing arts and educational programmes.
The museum is technically free, but donations are suggested and welcomed. It's open Tuesday to Saturday.
North Dakota's official history museum is brimming with relics from bygone eras. It pays tribute to early settlers and boasts an interesting exhibition on local women's role in World War I.
Showcased items range from artworks to antique weaponry, all with the aim of preserving 'the fabric of life in North Dakota'. There's no entry fee for the Heritage Center and, what's more, it's open every day of the week.
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This Oklahoma museum is more than just a haven for train enthusiasts. Compact but absorbing, it houses an antique steam engine, model trains and a whole lot of locomotive history.
Although the museum itself is free to visit, donations are encouraged. For a few dollars, visitors can even take a 40-minute ride on a vintage train every first and third Saturday from April through to August. This is your chance to experience rail travel the way it used to be.
Known as Mississippi’s largest museum, this place has been a community supported institution for more than 100 years. With a focus on connecting Mississippians with the power of art, the museum showcases some of the state’s best ever artists.
Alongside a permanent collection of over 5,000 objects, the museum features a 1.2-acre park named The Art Garden that's free to enter and which is decorated with permanent art installations. Inside, the museum always has an exhibition free and open to the public. On the first Saturday of every month, the museum also offers free admission to exhibitions, drop-in artmaking and guided tours.
Located in Raleigh, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is famed for being one of the state's most visited attractions. Created in 1879, it’s the oldest established museum in North Carolina, home to a show-stopping collection of natural artefacts including dinosaur bones, asteroid pieces and glittering gemstones.
Highlights from the museum include its impressive T-Rex that towers over the third floor, and the huge globe-shaped three-storey theatre, known as the SECU Daily Planet, that juts out of the Nature Research Center. General admission is free, but donations are appreciated.
Established in 1909, The Walters Art Museum may be less well known than the nearby Baltimore Museum of Art, but with its mighty collection, it certainly packs a punch. Dating back thousands of years, the museum encompasses over 36,000 objects from all over the world, including 19th-century French paintings, Art Nouveau jewellery and even medieval suits of armour.
Its beautiful Palazzo building was modelled after a 17th-century Italian palace and is arguably just as spectacular as the artwork. Open Wednesday through to Sunday, it won't cost you a cent to get inside it and explore.
Focusing on contemporary and 20th-century works by American artists, the Bronx Museum of the Arts is one of the few New York City museums that offers free admission. It's famous for its annual The Artist in the Marketplace programme that aims to shine a light on emerging talent.
The museum is part of the Bronx's Grand Concourse Historic District – a collection of buildings along the Grand Concourse and its side streets. The Bronx Museum is free for everyone, and open Wednesday through to Sunday.
A mixed bag of artworks spanning early to mid-20th century, The Menil Collection houses around 17,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, photographs and rare books, including works by Pablo Picasso and an extensive collection of pop art from Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg.
It's the private collection of founders John de Menil and Dominique de Menil, and the museum also offers free parking. Open Wednesday through to Sunday, admission to the Menil Collection is always free.
This sizeable institution is the best history museum in the state. It covers a broad sweep of Tennessee's past, from its role in the Civil War to the influence of President Andrew Jackson, who hailed from Nashville.
Exhibits include archaic modes of transport, military uniforms and weaponry, as well as models of historic buildings. For more information on what exhibitions and displays are currently on, check out the museum's website. It's open Tuesday through to Sunday and is, you've guessed it, completely free.
Georgia's official art museum since 1982, The Georgia Museum of Art can be found on the University of Georgia campus in Athens. The museum features artworks primarily from the 19th and 20th century from artists all over the world, including works from Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso and Hokusai.
It's also popular with families, known for typically hosting a monthly 'Family Day' themed around the museum's current exhibitions. Open Tuesday to Sunday, general admission is free but they'll gladly accept donations.
This hulking Omaha museum has a huge variety of collections. Most notable is its store of European art (from Renaissance to Medieval works) and its large set of ancient antiquities, including Egyptian statues and Grecian urns.
Following a period of construction and renovation, the Joslyn Art Museum once again. With its vast collection, looking around this excellent attraction will take at least an afternoon. Free general admission is generously provided by the Holland Foundation.
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA) houses a diverse collection of everything from paintings and ceramics to sculptures and silk textiles, spanning 5,000 years and almost all continents. Here, visitors will find a vast collection of African art, Native American galleries featuring artefacts like a 3,000-year-old Olmec jade mask and a brilliant collection of European and American paintings, including works by Georgia O'Keeffe, Edgar Degas and Roy Lichtenstein.
Tickets are required for special events and exhibitions, but general admission to the museum is always free. It's open Tuesday through to Sunday.
This contemporary art museum opened in Wilmington in 2000. Seven galleries and more than 20 working artists' studios are here, and exhibitions are continually changing. Past displays have included those dedicated to outer space and modern politics, while free events typically pop up every month.
Admission is free although there is a suggested donation. The Delaware Contemporary is open Thursday through to Sunday, making it the ideal attraction for the city's weekend visitors.
This artistic treasure trove in Birmingham holds more than 29,000 items. It was founded in 1951, with pieces ranging from Native American works to those from all over Europe, Asia and Africa.
A highlight here is the Charles W. Ireland Sculpture Garden in the upper plaza, a permanent exhibition that spreads over 13,000 square feet (1,208sqm) – the focus is a towering water feature designed by renowned American sculptor Elyn Zimmerman. The museum, with its free general admission, is open Tuesday through to Sunday.
The Cincinnati Art Museum houses one of the most comprehensive art collections in the Midwest. Typically, the museum occasionally hosts ticketed special exhibitions, but its main focus lies firmly on expanding its permanent collection, which includes over 15,000 fashion and textiles objects and is free to explore.
General admission here is always free, with the attraction open every day except Mondays. The pricing for exhibition tickets varies slightly but children five years and under, you'll be glad to hear, don't have to pay.
Focusing on new talent and emerging artists, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami is dedicated to promoting contemporary art. Its permanent collection also features world-famous modern artists like Pablo Picasso and Roy Lichtenstein.
Equally important as the collection is the museum building itself. Finished in 2017, its geometrical exterior surrounds 20,000 square feet (1,858sqm) of gallery space and a sculpture garden at the back. Admission is free, with the museum recommending visitors get tickets in advance to guarantee entry. It's open Wednesday through to Sunday.
This popular museum has a vast store of international works. The institution is more than 100 years old and located in the well-heeled Charles Village District.
The best bits include a huge collection dedicated to French artist Henri Matisse (there are more than 1,200 pieces), as well as two sculpture gardens dotted with striking works from talents such as Joan Miró. General admission to the Baltimore Museum of Art is always free, with the must-visit attraction open Wednesday through to Sunday.
Founded in 1913, the Cleveland Museum of Art has a collection spanning more than 45,000 pieces dating back thousands of years. Its sprawling galleries most notably include an impressive range of Asian, medieval European and pre-Columbian artwork.
Kids and adults will be in awe of the huge range of galleries with works hailing from all over the world. General admission won't cost you a dime, but some ticketed exhibitions do require a payment to access.
Focused on the social, political and cultural history of the United States, the National Museum of American History's mission is to collect, care for and study objects that reflect the experience of the American people. The sprawling collection includes everything from Julia Child's kitchen and the red slippers worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, to the original Star Spangled Banner Flag and George Washington's uniform that he wore from 1789 until his death 10 years later.
The museum is open every day, except Christmas Day. It's free to get in and no tickets are required.
This shrine to American art has been in Bentonville since 2005. Big draws here include pieces by Georgia O'Keeffe and Andy Warhol, and a cavernous library filled with over 50,000 reference books about art and design.
The building's unique design, with bold concrete blocks and a sloping copper roof, was the brainchild of leading Canadian architect Moshe Safdie. General admission to the museum and surrounding trails is free, but some exhibitions do require an entry fee.
With an impressive collection of over 40,000 pieces of art from ancient vases to modern American paintings, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City is internationally recognised as one of the finest general art museums in the US.
The iconic shuttlecock sculptures scattered across the lawn are the museum’s biggest draw. Created by artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Brugge, at 19-feet-high (5.8m), they’re the largest shuttlecocks in the world. The Nelson-Atkins is free to enter, and open Thursday to Monday.
This missionary in San Antonio is famous as the site of the 1836 Battle of the Alamo. Here Texans clashed with invading Mexicans during the Texas Revolution, in a conflict that would last almost two weeks.
Today it's a preserved historic site-turned-museum with an education centre, bringing to life this pivotal battle. It remains one of the most-visited attractions in the state – admission is free but, for preservation reasons, reservations are required.
In 2016, exactly 100 years after the movement to create it began, this powerful museum finally opened its doors to the public. Transporting visitors through US history from an African-American perspective, the breadth and depth of its galleries have been striking a chord with visitors ever since.
Housed in a striking bronze building, this Smithsonian museum in Washington DC is free to enter but timed-entry passes are required to get in. From iron shackles to costumes worn by Black icons, a whole day is needed to absorb the exhibits in full. Best free museum in the US? You're looking at it.
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