Southwest USA Museums and Culture

From the first run in 1873 to the present. Learn about the inventor, technologies, builders, rapid expansion, near loss and the ongoing efforts to save and rebuild the cable cars of San Francisco. <br> Houses a collection of historic cable cars, photographs, mechanical displays and gift shop run by the Friends of the Cable Car Museum - a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of cable car history.

Walk through the third floor right now and find yourself surrounded by the actual garments that defined an era of music. Michael Jackson's most memorable stage pieces are on display here, from the legendary Thriller album suit to the jackets and accessories that became visual signatures of his performances. Video clips of his most electrifying GRAMMY moments play alongside the collection, letting you see these very outfits in action. During winter, the museum's climate-controlled galleries offer a perfect escape while you explore how clothing transformed a performer into an unforgettable presence on stage. The exhibit captures the meticulous attention to detail that made his image instantly recognizable—each piece tells a story about music history and the artistry behind the spectacle. Open at 11:30am for public viewing.

The Orange Empire Railway Museum's purpose is to preserve and display artifacts and documents of the rail transportation industry in order to educate the public on the technology, history and impact of the rail transportation industry in the West and more specifically Southern California.

The Museum of Photographic Arts officially opened its doors on May 1, 1983 as one of the few museum facilities in the United States designed exclusively to collect and present the world's finest examples of photographic art. The appointment of nationally renowned curator/photographer Arthur Ollman as Executive Director brought visionary leadership and instant credibility to the nascent museum. In 2006, Deborah Klochko became the second Executive Director in MoPA's 25 year history. Klochko is now guiding MoPA into the next phase of its evolution. <br> MoPA has displayed works from the entire history of the medium; from 19th century daguerreotypes to albumen prints, from Pictorialism to master works of 20th century and contemporary works and photojournalism by many of the best photographers working today.

The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is one of the largest museums in the Western world devoted exclusively to Asian art. Travel through 6,000 years of history, trek across seven major regions, and sample the cultures of numerous countries.

The mission of I.M.O.W. is to value the lives of women around the world. <br> I.M.O.W. is a groundbreaking social change museum that inspires global action, connects people across borders and transforms hearts and minds by amplifying the voices of women worldwide through global online exhibitions, history, the arts and cultural programs that educate, create dialogue and build community. With its unique focus on cultural change, I.M.O.W. advances the human right to gender equity worldwide.

The World Famous Museum of Death was founded in San Diego June 1, 1995. Originally located in San Diego's 1st mortuary's in a building once owned by Wyatt Earp. Evolving from the controversial art gallery the Rita Dean, founders James Healy and Cathee Shultz realized the void in the Death education in this country and decided to make Death their Life's work. <br> Recently reopened at it's NEW location the Museum of Death houses the worlds largest collection of Serial Murderer Artwork, Photos of the Charles Manson Crime Scenes, the Guillotined Severed Head of the Blue Beard of Paris, Henri Landru, Original Crime Scene and Morgue Photos from the Grisly BLACK DAHLIA MURDERS, a Body Bag and Coffin collection, replicas of Full Size Execution Devices, Mortician and Autopsy Instruments, Pet Death Taxidermy, and much much more!

Experience the world's most compelling stories from across the African Diaspora at this groundbreaking San Francisco institution. Through thoughtfully curated exhibitions drawn from global collections—partnering with renowned museums and cultural organizations worldwide—MoAD offers an intimate window into the rich histories, art, and voices that have shaped our world. Come discover how one museum is rewriting the narrative of African heritage.

Located in San Diego's beautiful Balboa Park, the Timken Museum of Art houses the world-class Putnam Foundation Collection of European old masters American art, and Russian icons. <br> Artworks in the collection range from 13th-century altarpieces through 18th-century portraits to 19th-century still lifes. Represented are the works of Dutch, Flemish, French, and Italian painters, including Rembrandt, Rubens, Petrus Christus, Fragonard, Jacques-Louis David, and Veronese, as well as American artists such as John Singleton Copley and Eastman Johnson. <br> Admission to the Timken Museum of Art is always free.

Pacific Asia Museum is one of only four institutions in the United States dedicated exclusively to the arts and culture of Asia and the Pacific Islands. The museum’s mission is to further cultural awareness and understanding through the arts.

The Randall Museum offers a unique haven where children and adults can explore the creative aspects of art and science and make discoveries about nature and the environment by direct participation in classes, workshops, special events, and clubs.

Location & Parking<br> The main buildings at LACMA (also known as LACMA East) are located in the Miracle Mile area between Fairfax Avenue and La Brea Avenue, on Wilshire Boulevard, just east of Ogden Drive. LACMA West is two blocks west, at the northeast corner of Fairfax Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard.

Discover the bold, innovative spirit of California art, architecture, and design at this essential cultural destination. Explore how the state's diverse cultures and stunning landscapes have fueled artistic freedom and experimentation across 170+ years. With rotating exhibitions and dynamic educational programs, PMCA reveals the uniquely Californian influences that continue to shape creative expression today.

Walking through these galleries during the quieter winter months, you'll find yourself stepping into stories that demand your attention and reflection. The Museum of Tolerance pulls you into conversations about humanity's past and present through hands-on installations, compelling artwork, and speaker series that cut straight to the point. Whether you're exploring solo on a crisp afternoon or bringing a group, the thoughtfully designed programs—tailored for everyone from students to seasoned learners—spark real conversations about the prejudices still woven into our communities. It's the kind of place that stays with you long after you leave, nudging visitors toward deeper understanding and action.

The Pacific Aviation Museum is located on Ford Island (a secured military base) in the middle of Pearl Harbor. To visit the museum, obtain a ticket online, from any of our partner Travel Desks in Waikiki, or at the Bowfin Submarine Memorial by the USS Arizona, where parking is also available. For security reasons no bags are allowed on the bus. There is a Bag Storage facility, $3 per bag, located at the Bowfin Submarine Park where you board the shuttle bus to Ford Island.

Step back into the 1800s at this restored homestead, where David and Sarah Lyman settled as missionaries in 1839. Their descendants opened the museum nearly a century later, transforming the property into a window onto 19th-century life. The original Mission House now sits on both State and National historic registers, accessible through guided tours that reveal period details and furnishings—particularly atmospheric on cooler winter days when the rooms feel lived-in and intimate. Next door, the museum building itself showcases an impressive array of Hawaiian artifacts, artwork, and specimens spanning natural history. You'll find rotating exhibitions, a research archive, and a thoughtfully curated shop alongside the permanent collections. Walking both buildings gives visitors an uncommonly layered perspective: how people actually inhabited these islands generations ago, what's unfolding in Hawaiian culture right now, and where the islands are headed. It's the kind of experience that stays with you long after you leave.

USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park's mission is to restore and preserve the World War II submarine USS Bowfin (SS-287), and submarine-related artifacts on our grounds and in the Museum. Bowfin Park's parent organization, the Pacific Fleet Submarine Memorial Association (PFSMA), is a non-profit group that receives no state or federal funding.

Helicopters, tanks, guns now silenced, and vacant bunkers welcome you to the U.S. Army Museum of Hawai'i. Once a bastion built to protect Hawai'i from invading forces, the structure now houses a Museum that tells the military story of Hawai'i, from ancient times to the Gulf War and the War in Iraq. Each of these hostilities is covered graphically in separate displays with photographs and sound effect creating a real "you were there" experience.

A small, community-run museum located on the beautiful Hamakua Heritage Coast of the Big Island of Hawai'i. Honoring the colorful history of the Hilo Railroad, which began in 1899 and lasted to 1946, when railroad tracks and facilities were irreparably damaged by a devastating tidal wave. The museum is located in an old railway company home, which is furnished as it would have been in the 1930s.

Located next to Hawaii's largest working sugar factory in the historic plantation town of Puunene, Maui, the award-winning Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum is a marvelous repository of information and exhibits about one of the most significant and influential periods in Maui's history. Dedicated to preserving and presenting the history and heritage of Maui's sugar industry, the 1,800-square-foot Museum not only charts the establishment and growth of the industry, but looks at sugar's influence on the development of Maui's water resources and rich multi-ethnic make-up, and features intriguing displays on the inner workings of a sugar mill.

The goal of the Pacific Tsunami Museum is to promote public tsunami education for the people of Hawaii and the Pacific Region. The museum will also preserve the social and cultural history of Hawaii and promote economic development on the island of Hawaii as well as statewide. The museum will serve as a living memorial to those who lost their lives in past tsunami events.

The Mission Houses Museum, a National Historic Landmark, is the primary program of the Hawaiian Mission Children's Society, a non-profit educational institution and genealogical society. The Museum interprets the "missionary period" of Hawaiian history, 1820-1863, which is fundamental to an understanding of contemporary Hawaii.

The only museum in the state of Hawaii devoted exclusively to contemporary art. TCM provides an accessible forum for provocative, dynamic forms of visual art, offering interaction with art and artists in a unique Island environment. TCM presents its innovative exhibition and educational programs at two venues: in residential Honolulu at the historic Cooke-Spalding house, and downtown at First Hawaiian Center.

Pima Air & Space Museum, where history takes flight, is one of the largest air and space museums in the world, and the largest non-government funded aviation museum. You'll see more than 275 aircraft and spacecraft including many of the most historically significant and technically advanced craft ever produced, both from the United States and throughout the world.

The T Rex Museum Gift & Activity Center has fossils, replicas, science, art, astronomy, and hands on exhibits that take you through 13.7 billion years of history including 570 Million years of interesting prehistoric life in only 10 minutes with a real paleontologist guide. Bring all your questions for a real professional answer! And one of the largest selection of dinosaur related gifts, books, and such in America. <br> Every child has the chance to dig up real fossils, gems, minerals, semi-precious stones, arrowheads, and even real gold in our Dig Pit or Fossil Sluice. And they get to keep what they find! <br> During a visit to the T Rex Museum Activity Center kids get an education in science, history, and art while having so much fun they don’t even realize they are learning.

Walk through galleries where contemporary pieces sit alongside centuries-old works, each one inviting you to slow down and think differently about what you're seeing. The museum's approach weaves art directly into everyday life, creating spaces that spark conversation and new ways of understanding our shared culture. Winter visitors find a particularly welcoming atmosphere here—the cool season draws a steady crowd without the summer heat, making it comfortable to linger over installations and explore the historic block's architectural character at a leisurely pace.

A world-renowned zoo, natural history museum and botanical garden, all in one place! Exhibits re-create the natural landscape of the Sonoran Desert Region so realistically you find yourself eye-to-eye with mountain lions, prairie dogs, Gila monsters, and more. Within the Museum grounds, you will see more than 300 animal species and 1,200 kinds of plants. There are almost 2 miles of paths traversing 21 acres of beautiful desert.

At Arizona State Museum you experience the vibrant indigenous cultures of Arizona and northern Mexico through exhibitions, educational programs, a research library, and a museum store. The museum’s scholars and extensive collections are among the most significant resources in the world for the study of Southwest peoples.

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the Rocky Mountain region’s leading resource for informal science education.<br /> A variety of exhibitions, programs, and activities help Museum visitors experience the natural wonders of Colorado, Earth, and the universe.

The Children's Museum of Denver is all about children and their grownups learning through play. Everything is hands-on, educational and made especially for kids. With 11 interactive exhibits, year-round events, and daily programming, there is always something fun and exciting to do.

The mission of the Denver Firefighters Museum is to preserve the history of the Denver Fire Department and firefighting through the collection and preservation of artifacts, documents and photographs. The purpose of the Museum is to educate the public about fire safety and the history of firefighting in Denver from its inception to the present. This is accomplished through interpretive exhibits, educational programming and scholarly research.

Howdy! Welcome to the Black American West Museum! Founded in 1971 by Paul W. Stewart, the Museum is dedicated to collecting, preserving and disseminating the contributions of Blacks in the Old West. <br> While famous for telling the story of Black cowboys, we are broader than this with interests in the stories of all those early Blacks who came west and performed as miners, soldiers, homesteaders, ranchers, blacksmiths, schoolteachers, lawmen, and every other profession needed to build up the West. In fact, the Museum itself is in the home of Dr. Justina Ford, Colorado's first Black woman doctor!

Step inside this former aircraft hangar where the golden age of flight lives on. Whether you're a lifelong aviation enthusiast or bringing curious kids along, the exhibits pull you through decades of aerospace history and innovation. Winter visits bring a particular charm—the crisp air outside makes the indoor exploration of historic cockpits and spacecraft feel especially immersive. You'll walk through stories of where aviation has been and where it's headed next, all while discovering what captures imaginations across every generation.

The Forney Transportation Museum is a one-of-a-kind collection of over 500 exhibits relating to historical transportation. It began with antique cars, but soon expanded to include vehicles of all kinds. Some of these are familiar, while others spark the imagination.

As more and more historic properties were demolished in the 1960s, a group of preservation-minded Denver citizens joined efforts in 1970 to rescue the home of Titanic survivor Margaret Tobin Brown. The group incorporated as Historic Denver, Inc. and began major restoration efforts in order to return the home’s interior and exterior to its early 20th century grandeur. Since opening the Museum, Historic Denver has worked to save countless other Denver landmarks and increase public awareness of Denver’s unique historic structures.

The University of Colorado Museum of Natural History is an academic unit of the Graduate School at the University of Colorado at Boulder with a mission to contribute to knowledge of the natural world and the humanities through research, teaching, and public education. The Museum's collections number more than four million objects in anthropology/archaeology, botany, entomology, paleontology, and zoology. <br> The University of Colorado Museum offers a wide variety of K-12 and adult educational programs and activities throughout the year, including lectures, family days, and guided tours. The exhibition galleries are open to the public seven days a week, free of charge. The Museum and Field Studies Graduate Program offers students an opportunity to earn a Master of Science degree or a certificate in Museum Studies.

The Museum is located just east of Golden, Colorado, at a point where Clear Creek flows between North and South Table Mountains. Display tracks, complete with rare three-way stub switches and century-old switch stands, hold many historic narrow and standard gauge locomotives and cars. The Museum building, based in exterior design on standard station construction of the 1880s, houses the largest known collection of historic records, mementos, artifacts, and pictures of Colorado railroads.

Kirkland Museum has a nationally important display of 20th-century decorative arts, with more than 3,300 works on view of Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau, Glasgow Style, Wiener Werkstätte, De Stijl, Bauhaus, Art Deco, Modern and Pop Art.

The mission of the Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls and Toys is to provide educational and cultural services to the greater Rocky Mountain region through the preservation, exhibition, collection and interpretation of the visual arts using miniatures, dolls and toys.

A trip to the Sparks Heritage Museum is a fun filled learning adventure, focused on the culture and history of Sparks and the Truckee Meadows. Designed with the entire family in mind, several interactive and lifelike displays compliment the collections. The diverse artifacts range from arrowheads, quilts, and antique furniture to agricultural implements, mining tools, railroad items, and casino paraphernalia. Over 3,000 vintage photographs are currently digitized. Photographic copies are available for purchase. The research library contains collections of family memoirs, oral histories and local area reference materials.

The mission of the National Automotive Museum is to collect and preserve the automobile for future generations, with an emphasis on items collected by William "Bill" Fisk Harrah, to tell the story of the impact of the automobile on American society, and to perpetuate the legacy of Mr. Hannah as a renowned collector.

As northern Nevada continues to grow, the region's cultural and educational offerings must also expand in order to keep young minds thriving. The Nevada Discovery Museum is designed not just to meet this need, but to raise the bar for fun, family-based learning throughout our community. The museum also aims to provoke new aspirations and collaborations among children, parents and educators. The Nevada Discovery Museum is a place of open eyes, open minds and open horizons. A place where tomorrow's dreams win their wings. <br> Located in the former Reno City Hall, the Nevada Discovery Museum will be one of the centerpieces of Reno’s downtown renaissance.

The long-term goal of the MSB Division of Fishes is to maintain, in perpetuity, the collection of fishes and supporting documents by using sound curatorial techniques and archiving the collections in optimal storage conditions. We strive to ensure that these collections will be available to future generations of ichthyologists and members of the scientific community.

The mission of the museum is to educate the people of New Mexico and visitors from around the world in the history, science, and technology of space. The museum stresses the significant role that the state of New Mexico has played in the development of the U.S. Space Program through collecting, preserving, and interpreting significant artifacts relevant to the history of space.