Best Museums in the USA
9 museums • Updated September 2026
The best museums in the USA for a family day out. We have rounded up 9 museums, from Field Museum to family favorites across Illinois, ranked by what actually matters with kids: age suitability, ticket value and how easy they are to get to. Compare the top five below, then browse every museum by state. Need a different angle? Try our other things to do in the USA.
Editorial oversight by James Morgan. AI-assisted, human-edited. Our editorial standards
All museums
9 museums across the USA
Museums
Field Museum
Chicago, Illinois
Stand beside SUE, one of the most complete T. rex skeletons ever found, at Chicago's landmark natural history museum.
Museums
The Ringling
Sarasota, Florida
Tour Old Masters, a Gilded Age mansion, and circus history across 66 bayfront acres.
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Houston Museum of Natural Science
Houston, Texas
Walk through a living rainforest of free-flying butterflies, then catch a planetarium show and giant-screen film all under one roof in Hermann Park.
Museums
Mayborn Museum Complex
Waco, Texas
Roam 143,000 square feet of natural history and a recreated 1890s Texas village.
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National Videogame Museum
Frisco, Texas
Play your way through gaming history, from vintage arcade cabinets to a recreated 1980s bedroom.
Museums
Burpee Museum of Natural History
Rockford, Illinois
Meet Jane the juvenile T. rex and watch real paleontologists at work in Rockford's natural history museum.
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Volo Museum
Volo, Illinois
Over 400 cars, roaring dinosaurs, and a Titanic exhibit under one Illinois roof.
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Illinois State Museum
Springfield, Illinois
One museum, four sites across Illinois, spanning ancient Dickson Mounds archaeology to fine art galleries and natural history.
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Peoria Riverfront Museum
Peoria, Illinois
Art, history, science, and a planetarium under one roof on the Peoria Riverfront.
More about museums in the USA
the USA has 9 museums we would happily take our own kids to. Burpee Museum of Natural History is the one most families start with. Meet Jane the juvenile T. Field Museum is the other name that comes up again and again. Stand beside SUE, one of the most complete T. Houston Museum of Natural Science rounds out the pick of the bunch. Walk through a living rainforest of free-flying butterflies, then catch a planetarium show and giant-screen film all under one roof in Hermann Park. Also worth your time: The Ringling, Mayborn Museum Complex, National Videogame Museum and Volo Museum.
Published prices run from $12 at Mayborn Museum Complex up to $25 at Houston Museum of Natural Science. 3 of the 9 listed here quote a starting price. The others vary by season or by what you add on, so check before you travel.
The museums on this page are spread across Illinois (5), Texas (3) and Florida (1), so it is easy to pair two into one trip.