The Smallest (But Coolest) Museums in the U.S.
August 31, 2016
Odds are, you’ve already explored your city’s blockbuster museums. But ginormous galleries aside, have you made it your mission to seek out your local, lesser-known cultural institutions?
Why not now? From galleries that celebrate gemstones to open-air exhibitions that showcase bonsai, these off-the-radar venues are making small museums the next big thing.
CITY RELIQUARY, BROOKLYN: Combine your grandparents' attic with a treasure chest—and pack the contents of both inside a hipster apartment—and you've just about got the vibe of
The City Reliquary. This tiny, off-kilter space in Williamsburg showcases "New York City artifacts," including everything from old-school seltzer bottles and portraits of Jackie Robinson to cheesy Statue of Liberty souvenirs.
Image courtesy of City Reliquary
NATIONAL LIBERTY MUSEUM, PHILADELPHIA: Done the Liberty Bell? Then head to the lesser-known
National Liberty Museum instead. While this small museum makes reference to liberty as a founding American value, it also focuses on conceptions of personal liberty. Demonstrations of that idea include everything from a massive Dale Chihuly glasswork to a sculpture of jellybean-encrusted kids, so, you know, the definition's pretty wide.
Image courtesy of J. Fusco for VISIT PHILADELPHIA®
LIZZADRO MUSEUM OF LAPIDARY ART, CHICAGO: When it comes to niche small museums, few do a deeper dive than the
Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art, which is located in the Chicago suburb of Elmhurst. "Lapidary," if you were wondering, refers to the art of cutting and polishing stones, and display objects here include everything from ancient Chinese carved jade vases and glittering gemstones to stone wildlife dioramas and an 18-karat gold castle. Rocks: not just for your fourth-grade science presentation.
Image courtesy of Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art
THE NEWSEUM, WASHINGTON, DC: Okay, the seven-story
Newseum might not be
small, as far as small museums go, but in a town where you're rubbing shoulders with the Smithsonian, we're still gonna count this one as under-the-radar. Dedicated to media and journalism, its interactive exhibitions appeal to visitors of all ages, and range from the somber (a memorial to slain journalists) to the quirky (an exhibition about presidential pets).
Image courtesy of Samm Kittner/The Newseum
MUSEUM OF BAD ART, BOSTON: Yup, we really are recommending you visit a museum dedicated to bad art. But not just bad art: so-bad-it's-
good art. Like a portrait of Shamu the Killer Whale enjoying a sushi dinner. Or a shakily painted image of a flower-filled vase, hovering in mid-air. At the
Museum of Bad Art, expect a steady stream of visual gags. (Even the descriptions are hilarious.) Best of all, these guys are aggressive collectors—plan another visit for a few months down the line to see even more of the
good bad stuff.
Image courtesy of Museum Of Bad Art
PACIFIC BONSAI MUSEUM, SEATTLE: Need to get your zen on? Few other museums will recalibrate your feng shui like the
Pacific Bonsai Museum. Just on the outskirts of Seattle, this petite institution features a collection of more than 100 bonsai specimens, across five different classic styles. Bonus: If you visit before October 2, 2016, you can take in the museum's temporary exhibition, Decked-Out, which marries bonsai imagery with skateboards. Just
plant your feet and roll.
Image courtesy of Pacific Bonsai Museum
MOTOWN MUSEUM, DETROIT: Housed in the very same building on West Grand Blvd where Berry Gordy Jr. founded Motown Records in 1959, the
Motown Museum is testament to Detroit's enduring place in modern music history. The biggest highlight here is arguably the famous Studio A, where legends like the Temptations, the Supremes, and Smokey Robinson all spent time in front of the mic.
Image courtesy of Motown Museum
AMERICAN VISIONARY ART MUSEUM, BALTIMORE: Though the joyfully quirky
American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore showcases art by "self-taught individuals, usually without formal training," don't mistake that for amateur (you have the Museum Of Bad Art for that). Instead, expect breathtaking artworks ranging from a giant whirligig sculpture to the museum's glittering mosaic walls. And if you needed further proof of this institution's awesomeness, plan a visit for early May. That's when the museum hosts its annual
Kinetic Sculpture Race, which sees human-powered artworks travel throughout the city.
Image courtesy of Jack Hoffberger
CITY RELIQUARY, BROOKLYN: Combine your grandparents' attic with a treasure chest—and pack the contents of both inside a hipster apartment—and you've just about got the vibe of
The City Reliquary. This tiny, off-kilter space in Williamsburg showcases "New York City artifacts," including everything from old-school seltzer bottles and portraits of Jackie Robinson to cheesy Statue of Liberty souvenirs.
Image courtesy of City Reliquary
NATIONAL LIBERTY MUSEUM, PHILADELPHIA: Done the Liberty Bell? Then head to the lesser-known
National Liberty Museum instead. While this small museum makes reference to liberty as a founding American value, it also focuses on conceptions of personal liberty. Demonstrations of that idea include everything from a massive Dale Chihuly glasswork to a sculpture of jellybean-encrusted kids, so, you know, the definition's pretty wide.
Image courtesy of J. Fusco for VISIT PHILADELPHIA®
LIZZADRO MUSEUM OF LAPIDARY ART, CHICAGO: When it comes to niche small museums, few do a deeper dive than the
Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art, which is located in the Chicago suburb of Elmhurst. "Lapidary," if you were wondering, refers to the art of cutting and polishing stones, and display objects here include everything from ancient Chinese carved jade vases and glittering gemstones to stone wildlife dioramas and an 18-karat gold castle. Rocks: not just for your fourth-grade science presentation.
Image courtesy of Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art
THE NEWSEUM, WASHINGTON, DC: Okay, the seven-story
Newseum might not be
small, as far as small museums go, but in a town where you're rubbing shoulders with the Smithsonian, we're still gonna count this one as under-the-radar. Dedicated to media and journalism, its interactive exhibitions appeal to visitors of all ages, and range from the somber (a memorial to slain journalists) to the quirky (an exhibition about presidential pets).
Image courtesy of Samm Kittner/The Newseum
MUSEUM OF BAD ART, BOSTON: Yup, we really are recommending you visit a museum dedicated to bad art. But not just bad art: so-bad-it's-
good art. Like a portrait of Shamu the Killer Whale enjoying a sushi dinner. Or a shakily painted image of a flower-filled vase, hovering in mid-air. At the
Museum of Bad Art, expect a steady stream of visual gags. (Even the descriptions are hilarious.) Best of all, these guys are aggressive collectors—plan another visit for a few months down the line to see even more of the
good bad stuff.
Image courtesy of Museum Of Bad Art
PACIFIC BONSAI MUSEUM, SEATTLE: Need to get your zen on? Few other museums will recalibrate your feng shui like the
Pacific Bonsai Museum. Just on the outskirts of Seattle, this petite institution features a collection of more than 100 bonsai specimens, across five different classic styles. Bonus: If you visit before October 2, 2016, you can take in the museum's temporary exhibition, Decked-Out, which marries bonsai imagery with skateboards. Just
plant your feet and roll.
Image courtesy of Pacific Bonsai Museum
MOTOWN MUSEUM, DETROIT: Housed in the very same building on West Grand Blvd where Berry Gordy Jr. founded Motown Records in 1959, the
Motown Museum is testament to Detroit's enduring place in modern music history. The biggest highlight here is arguably the famous Studio A, where legends like the Temptations, the Supremes, and Smokey Robinson all spent time in front of the mic.
Image courtesy of Motown Museum
AMERICAN VISIONARY ART MUSEUM, BALTIMORE: Though the joyfully quirky
American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore showcases art by "self-taught individuals, usually without formal training," don't mistake that for amateur (you have the Museum Of Bad Art for that). Instead, expect breathtaking artworks ranging from a giant whirligig sculpture to the museum's glittering mosaic walls. And if you needed further proof of this institution's awesomeness, plan a visit for early May. That's when the museum hosts its annual
Kinetic Sculpture Race, which sees human-powered artworks travel throughout the city.
Image courtesy of Jack Hoffberger
