10 Boutique Museums with Must-Visit Collections

Whether you're an art lover or just someone who loves admiring works of art in a museum, a visit to a boutique museum could be the perfect activity for you.

These unique art spaces focus on specific fields, ideas, tastes and collections of art by recognized individuals. Plus, the buildings are works of art themselves. Boutique museums take art to a different level, so get ready to learn about some of the best art displays the country has to offer. In no particular order, because we think they are all impressive, here are 10 boutique museums located across the U.S. – all with outstanding collections you should experience when you find yourself nearby.

21c Museum Hotel Louisville

Contemporary art collectors and preservationists Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson opened the 21c Museum Hotel Louisville. This establishment claims to be the first museum hotel and features rotating exhibitions of both local and global artists. In addition to contemporary art, hotel guests can enjoy local produce at the in-house restaurant. The Louisville location is now the flagship of a group of seven 21c Museum Hotels and counting.

Crocker Art Museum

This boutique museum in Sacramento, California, is the oldest continuously operating museum west of the Mississippi and houses works amassed by Margaret Crocker. The wealthy heiress gifted her family's art to the city for Sacramento's residents to enjoy. The colorful, eclectic and captivating museum houses an outstanding collection of both historical and contemporary works.
 

The Dalí Museum

Located in St. Petersburg, Florida, this boutique museum hosts the biggest collection of Salvador Dalí's artwork outside the region of Spain. It's comprised of art donated by A. Reynolds and Eleanor Morse. The museum holds over 2,000 pieces of Dalí’s work in a striking building complete with a free-form glass bubble called “The Enigma” jutting from its exterior.

McNay Art Museum

Housed in a Spanish-Colonial Revival building that was once the home of heiress Marion Koogler McNay, this San Antonio boutique museum opened after McNay willed her 700-piece art collection to establish Texas’s first modern art museum. Now, this tranquil setting hosts more than 22,000 pieces including European and American Modern art, Medieval and Renaissance art and thousands of theater arts objects, such as scene and costume designs.
 

The Huntington Library

This California boutique museum feels like home to plant, book and art lovers alike. Four distinct galleries feature British, French and American art collections. Guests can enjoy over a dozen gardens, and scholars from around the globe come to The Huntington to study its rare manuscripts.
 

Corning Museum of Glass

Located between Niagara Falls and New York City, this museum in Corning, New York, showcases over 35 centuries of glass art from across the globe. In 1951, on the centennial of Corning Glass’s founding, the manufacturer gifted the museum to the nation. Among the colorful, carefully curated collections, visitors will find dazzling Venetian, Early Northern European, Asian, American, Roman and modern glass, as well as fine crystal and paperweights.
 

The Morgan Library & Museum

This New York City-based gem represents the stunning collection owned by J.P. Morgan that his son, J.P. Morgan, Jr., provided to the city. Today, the Morgan houses a compilation of art objects of every kind, as well as rare books, prints, drawings, manuscripts, and ancient artifacts donated by the banking fortune heir. Don’t just stop here when in New York though, couple your visit to the Morgan Library with our 10 must-see NYC attractions.

The Rubin Museum of Art

Rubin is a cultural icon in New York City's vibrant Chelsea neighborhood, welcoming around 200,000 visitors each year. Through exhibitions, films, concerts and on-stage conversations, the Rubin helps guests connect contemporary art and life to Himalayan culture and that of neighboring India.

Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art

Founded by lapidary hobbyist Joseph F. Lizzadro, Sr, this museum in Elmhurst, Illinois, spotlights gem treasures and the art of cutting stones. Displays in the permanent collection present gemstones, jade objects, such as precious Ming Dynasty pieces, cameos, Florentine and Roman mosaics, and pieces carved from organic gems such as ivory, coral, pearl and amber.
 

Shelburne Museum

A boutique museum with an artisan spirit in Shelburne, Vermont, this spot is a combination of 39 distinct structures, most of them moved from across New England by founder Electra Havemeyer Webb. The objects filling the spaces include duck decoys, dolls, pottery, and quilts, immersing visitors into its Americana vibe. Can’t get to the museum in person? No problem, head online to take a look at the online exhibition.

Looking for more off-the-beaten-path experiences? Follow us on Facebook, and discover your next exciting destination.