Best of Philly

Best Museum

2023 Best Reason to Visit Chester County

Brandywine Museum of Art

When we think about art museums, we tend to think only about the Barnes and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. But don’t sleep on Chesco’s 52-year-old museum along the Brandywine Creek. It’s sometimes referred to as the Wyeth museum because the collection includes so many works by that family — but the 1,500 pieces here represent many other American artists as well. Right now, featured exhibits focus on Andrew Wyeth and 20th-century futurist Joseph Stella. Read More »

1 Hoffmans Mill Road, Chadds Ford, PA Website

2022 Best Reason to Go to Doylestown

Michener Art Museum

American novelist James Michener gave away much of the money he earned during his lengthy career, including the funds used to establish this museum, which focuses on the art of our region. It just wrapped a retrospective of Reading native Keith Haring, but there’s still plenty to see, including furniture by renowned Bucks County woodworker George Nakashima (his tables can sell for more than $100,000) and the paintings of PAFA/UPenn grad Elizabeth Osborne. Read More »

138 South Pine Street, Doylestown, PA Website

2022 Best Niche History

Shoe Museum at Temple’s podiatry school

Yes, there are many, many famous museums in Philadelphia. And there’s also the Shoe Museum at Temple’s podiatry school. Mummer shoes. Baby shoes. A locker room with athletes’ shoes. You get the picture. Looking for other always-free museums? Try Fireman’s Hall Museum, the Science History Institute, and the Institute of Contemporary Art. Read More »

148 North 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA Website

2022 Best Museum You Need to Visit

Penn Museum

The joints on the Parkway get more play due to their central location, but for people who like old stuff, this repository, stuffed with its 10 millennia of artifacts, is a must-visit. For years, the museum was left to more or less rot, but it’s in the midst of a dramatic transformation thanks to Christopher Woods, its first director of color. Read More »

3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA Website

2022 Best Artsy Date

Wonderspaces

Head to Wonderspaces for a night full of interactive art that will spark discussion, imagination, and some unique Instagram snaps. Bonus: A stroll through the thousands of lights of Squidsoup’s Submergence puts candlelight to shame. Another bonus: There’s an on-site bar so you can tote cocktails on your gallery jaunt. Read More »

27 North 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA Website

2021 Best Museum You Didn't Know Existed

The Neon Museum of Philadelphia

Len Davidson has been finding and restoring neon signs since the 1970s, and his massive collection finally has a proper and permanent home. You’ll find original neon from places like Pat’s King of Steaks, the Horn & Hardart’s 30th Street Station shop (talk about a throwback!), McGillin’s Olde Ale House and Levis Hot Dogs. Read More »

1800 North American Street unit E, Philadelphia, PA Website

2021 Best Museum You Didn't Know Existed #2

Mini Museum

As its name might suggest, this roving pop-up museum features a collection of tiny art. (Nothing over five inches in any direction is even considered.) Find it on Instagram @Mini_Museum_Philly and in a variety of public spaces, like the exhibit running through December at Philadelphia International Airport. Read More »

Website

2020 Best Cultural Experience on Your Phone: Philly Virtual Museum Tours

The Barnes Foundation

Philly’s Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and modernist art museum has created a comprehensive digital experience. An active social media feed includes live performances and conversations with artists. A YouTube series features Barnes curators and educators meditating on their favorite pieces. Online classes provide instruction to art lovers of all ages. And the digital collection is searchable by light, color and space, in addition to culture, year, artist, and even gallery room. Read More »

2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA | 215-278-7000 | Website

2020 Best Cultural Experience on Your Phone: Philly Virtual Museum Tours

National Museum of American Jewish History

Drop by the virtual museum of this Smithsonian affiliate to browse 360-degree images of its exhibits or explore its newly added digital-only exhibitions. Zoom in on particular artifacts, such as Leonard Bernstein’s Steinway piano, a uniform worn by a Jewish nurse in WWII, and carvings from a Philadelphia synagogue’s Torah ark. Read More »

101 South Independence Mall East, Philadelphia, PA | 215-923-3811 | Website

2020 Best Cultural Experience on Your Phone: Philly Virtual Museum Tours

Brandywine River Museum of Art

“Visitors” can use Brandywine’s audio guide platform to pretend they’re actually standing inside the museum. Pins point to where in the repurposed Chadds Ford mill various galleries and artworks are located, and users can click through to see images and hear a guide discuss the Brandywine Conservancy’s American art collection. Read More »

1 Hoffman's Mill Road, Chadds Ford, PA | 610-388-2700 | Website