Best museums in Phoenix

Written by:
May 3, 2019
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Best museums in Phoenix

The United States is home to more than 35,000 museums, according to data from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. These cultural strongholds run the gamut of natural history, world wars, art, and even children's books.

While some fancy a trip to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. or the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, others like to cozy up in a corner and read the Very Hungry Caterpillar at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst, Mass. How does one define a museum?

Early museums housed private collections curated by individuals, while today's museums—many of them major tourist attractions—are filled with art, history, science, artifacts, fossils, historical documents, and some curious collections. Along with exhibitions of art, history, and science, Stacker unearthed museums filled with bananas, popcorn, and some very odd stuff.

All across the U.S., visitors can find museums to explore any subject that piques the imagination. A trip to Washington D.C. provides an opportunity to visit a number of iconic museums for free. A visit to Boston means getting to enjoy the Museum of Fine Arts or learn about the Boston Tea Party ships. In California, travelers can tour the International Museum of Bananas before popping by the Wyandot Popcorn Museum in Ohio or The Museum of Bad Art in Massachusetts.

Have you ever checked out the museums in your area? To determine the best museums in Phoenix, Stacker turned to data from Foursquare (data current as of April 19, 2019). All museums were ranked by Foursquare’s algorithm, which predicts the “best” museums based on combined factors of the number of check-ins, rating signals, category matches, tips, and photo trends. Click through this gallery to find out which are the best museums Phoenix has to offer.

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#10. Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park

- Address: 4619 E. Washington St. (btwn 44th St.& 202), Phoenix
- Foursquare rating: 7.2
- See more on Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park
 

#9. Musical Instrument Museum

- Address: 4725 E. Mayo Blvd (at N. Tatum Blvd), Phoenix
- Foursquare rating: 9.3
- See more on Musical Instrument Museum
 

#8. Wells Fargo History Museum

- Address: 145 W. Adams St. (@ North 1st Ave.), Phoenix
- Foursquare rating: 7.9
- See more on Wells Fargo History Museum
 

#7. Arizona Capitol Museum

- Address: 1700 W. Washington St., Phoenix
- Foursquare rating: 8.3
- See more on Arizona Capitol Museum
 

#6. Historic Heritage Square

- Address: 601 E. Monroe St. (at N. 6th St.), Phoenix
- Foursquare rating: 8.7
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#5. Hall of Flame Fire Museum and the National Firefighting Hall of Heroes

- Address: 6101 E. Van Buren St. (at N. Project Dr.), Phoenix
- Foursquare rating: 8.7
- See more on Hall of Flame Fire Museum and the National Firefighting Hall of Heroes
 

#4. Arizona Science Center

- Address: 600 E. Washington St., Phoenix
- Foursquare rating: 8.8
- See more on Arizona Science Center
 

#3. Children's Museum of Phoenix

- Address: 215 N. 7th St. (7th St. and Van Buren), Phoenix
- Foursquare rating: 8.9
- See more on Children's Museum of Phoenix
 

#2. Heard Museum

- Address: 2301 N. Central Ave., Phoenix
- Foursquare rating: 8.9
- See more on Heard Museum
 

#1. Phoenix Art Museum

- Address: 1625 N. Central Ave. (at E. McDowell Rd.), Phoenix
- Foursquare rating: 9.4
- See more on Phoenix Art Museum
 

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