A photograph of United States

Country guide

Museums in United States — page 4

At 9,833,520 km² the United States has the fourth-largest land area in the world, and its 50 states and federal district span enough longitude that the ordinary...

Photograph · Tuxyso · CC BY-SA 3.0

43,277 Places
10Cities

Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

At 9,833,520 km² the United States has the fourth-largest land area in the world, and its 50 states and federal district span enough longitude that the ordinary clock runs from UTC−4 to UTC−10, with the territories reaching −12, +10 and +11. The 2025 population estimate is 341,784,857. Washington, D.C. is the capital and New York the largest city, but neither stands in for the rest of it. Distance is the planning problem here, not choice: a trip works far better as one region covered properly than as anything resembling a national tour.

Checked 2026-08-25

Cities

Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.

Practical information

Language spoken
English is the principal language; no federal official language
National practical orientation; regional and minority languages may also be used
Dialling code
+1
International calling code; local area and mobile prefixes still apply
Currency
United States dollar (USD)
Use the official local currency; card acceptance varies by place
Emergency number
911
Use only for an emergency; tourist assistance may use a separate number
Plug type
Type A and B · 120 V
Check that chargers support the recorded voltage before using an adapter
Tap water
Not recorded
Water quality is regulated locally; check the current notice for the destination

Top things to see

Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.

  1. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
    57 1 hr 30 min

    San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

    The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a major museum of modern and contemporary art in the South of Market district.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • San Francisco
  2. Bishop Museum Bishop Museum
    58 1 hr 30 min

    Bishop Museum

    Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum

    Bishop Museum is the principal museum for Hawaiʻi and Pacific natural and cultural history. Founded in 1889, it holds the world's largest collection of Polynesian cultural artifacts and natural history specimens.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Honolulu
  3. Merchant's House Museum Merchant's House Museum
    59 1 hr 30 min

    Merchant's House Museum

    Merchant's House Museum preserves a four-storey New York City home built in 1832. The house is an unusually complete example of nineteenth-century domestic life, with original architecture, furnishings and family possessions still presented in their historic setting.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • New York
  4. Neue Galerie Neue Galerie
    60 1 hr 30 min

    Neue Galerie

    Neue Galerie New York

    Neue Galerie New York is a museum devoted to early twentieth-century German and Austrian art and design. It occupies a historic mansion on Manhattan's Museum Mile.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • New York
  5. New Museum New Museum
    61 1 hr 30 min

    New Museum

    The New Museum is a contemporary art museum located on the Bowery in Manhattan's Lower East Side. Founded in 1977, it was conceived as a venue dedicated to new art and new ideas.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • New York
  6. Petersen Automotive Museum Petersen Automotive Museum
    62 1 hr 30 min

    Petersen Automotive Museum

    The Petersen Automotive Museum is a specialist vehicle museum located in Los Angeles, California. It houses a notable automotive collection that spans automotive history and culture.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Los Angeles
  7. National Museum of American History National Museum of American History
    63 1 hr 30 min

    National Museum of American History

    The National Museum of American History is a Smithsonian Institution museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It serves as the Smithsonian's central collection for United States social, political, and material history.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Washington
  8. Smithsonian American Art Museum Smithsonian American Art Museum
    64 1 hr 30 min

    Smithsonian American Art Museum

    The Smithsonian American Art Museum is a major national art museum in Washington, D.C. It occupies the historic Patent Office Building, a Greek Revival landmark constructed between 1836 and 1867.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Washington
  9. Hammer Museum Hammer Museum
    65 1 hr 30 min

    Hammer Museum

    The Hammer Museum is a UCLA-affiliated art museum located in Los Angeles, California. Founded by industrialist Armand Hammer, it opened in 1990 and became part of the University of California, Los Angeles in 1994.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Los Angeles
  10. National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery
    66 1 hr 30 min

    National Portrait Gallery

    The National Portrait Gallery is a Smithsonian Institution museum in Washington, D.C., dedicated to portraiture. It shares the historic Patent Office Building with the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Washington
  11. Asian Art Museum of San Francisco Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
    67 1 hr 30 min

    Asian Art Museum of San Francisco

    The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is a major art institution located in the Civic Center area. It houses one of the country's principal collections of Asian art, spanning diverse cultures and historical periods.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • San Francisco
  12. Washington Place Washington Place
    68 1 hr 30 min

    Washington Place

    Washington Place is a historic residence in Honolulu, Hawaii. Built in the 1840s, it served as the home of Queen Liliuokalani, the last reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii, and later became the official residence for territorial governors.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Honolulu
  13. Dumbarton Oaks Dumbarton Oaks
    69 1 hr 30 min

    Dumbarton Oaks

    Dumbarton Oaks is a research institute, museum, historic estate, and garden in Georgetown. Its public collections focus on Byzantine and pre-Columbian art, while the institution also supports research in art history, archaeology, and garden studies.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Washington
  14. New York Transit Museum New York Transit Museum
    70 1 hr 30 min

    New York Transit Museum

    The New York Transit Museum occupies a decommissioned 1936 subway station in Downtown Brooklyn. It serves as the largest museum in the United States devoted to urban public transportation history.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • New York
  15. Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures
    71 1 hr 30 min

    Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures

    Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures Museum

    The Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures is a museum operated by the University of Chicago. It houses major archaeological collections from West Asia and North Africa.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Chicago
  16. USS Cassin Young USS Cassin Young
    72 1 hr 30 min

    USS Cassin Young

    USS Cassin Young is a preserved Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy, now a museum ship at Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston, Massachusetts. The vessel saw service in World War II and the Korean War.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Boston
  17. Museum of the Bible Museum of the Bible
    73 1 hr 30 min

    Museum of the Bible

    The Museum of the Bible is a large museum in Washington, D.C. dedicated to examining the Bible's history, narrative, and cultural influence. It opened in 2017 near the National Mall.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Washington
  18. National Postal Museum National Postal Museum
    74 1 hr 30 min

    National Postal Museum

    The National Postal Museum is a Smithsonian Institution museum dedicated to the history of the United States Postal Service and philately. Located adjacent to Union Station in Washington, D.C., it occupies the historic City Post Office building constructed in 1914.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Washington
  19. Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
    75 1 hr 30 min

    Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

    National Museum of Asian Art

    The National Museum of Asian Art is the Smithsonian Institution's national museum devoted to Asian art. It brings together the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Washington
  20. Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
    76 1 hr 30 min

    Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

    The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is a major film museum in Los Angeles tied to the Academy Awards institution. It opened to the public as a dedicated institution for celebrating and exploring the art and science of cinema.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Los Angeles
  21. Pérez Art Museum Miami Pérez Art Museum Miami
    77 1 hr 30 min

    Pérez Art Museum Miami

    Pérez Art Museum Miami is a waterfront museum in Maurice A. Ferré Park, where architecture, terraces and views across Biscayne Bay frame a collection devoted to modern and contemporary art.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Miami
  22. The Broad The Broad
    78 1 hr 30 min

    The Broad

    The Broad Museum

    The museum opened in 2015 to house the collection assembled by Eli and Edythe Broad. The Broad collection is particularly associated with artists working in the second half of the twentieth century and after.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Los Angeles
  23. Adams National Historical Park Adams National Historical Park
    79 1 hr 30 min

    Adams National Historical Park

    Adams National Historical Park is a National Park Service unit preserving the homes and grounds associated with the Adams family in Quincy, Massachusetts, within the Boston visitor-metro area.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Boston
  24. Eames House Eames House
    80 1 hr 30 min

    Eames House

    The Eames House, also known as Case Study House No. 8, is a landmark modernist residence in Los Angeles, California.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Los Angeles
  25. Louis Armstrong House Louis Armstrong House
    81 1 hr 30 min

    Louis Armstrong House

    Louis Armstrong House Museum

    The Louis Armstrong House Museum preserves the Corona, Queens home where Louis Armstrong and his wife, Lucille, lived from 1943 until Armstrong’s death in 1971.

    • High
    • Museum
    • New York

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·

Common questions

How long should a first trip to United States be?

Ten to fourteen days should focus on one US region: New York, Washington, and Boston work together by rail, while San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas form a different trip. Miami, Orlando, and Honolulu each require separate travel time and should not be appended casually.

What entry documents are needed for United States?

US admission depends on passport, visa status, and eligibility for the Visa Waiver Program and ESTA. Confirm both the Department of State visa guidance and Customs and Border Protection requirements for the actual route.

What is the best way to travel around United States?

Domestic flights are often necessary between US regions, while Amtrak is strongest on the Northeast Corridor. A car is unnecessary in New York or Washington but can be useful in Los Angeles and beyond compact city centres.

When is a practical time to visit United States?

April to May and September to October are broad shoulder-season references, not a national weather forecast. Florida heat, western wildfire conditions, hurricane exposure, and Hawaii's trans-Pacific logistics require destination-specific checks.

What money and payment basics apply in United States?

The United States uses the US dollar (USD). Card use is widespread, but taxes, deposits, and gratuities can make the final amount differ from the displayed base price; keep a second payment method for holds or terminal failures.

What practical safety details should I save for United States?

Dial 911 for police, fire, or medical emergencies in the United States. Type A and B sockets use 120 V; national tap-water safety is not recorded here, so consult the local utility or accommodation.