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Highest-rated specialty museums in Iowa by visitors

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Anton_Ivanov // Shutterstock
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In 1683, Elias Ashmole, an Oxford graduate and true polymath, founded the Ashmolean, the modern world's first public museum. Stocked with his private collection of artifacts, curios, and special scientific equipment, the goal of the museum was to create a center for practical research and the advancement of knowledge. This, Ashmole felt, was a goal "very necessary to humaine life, health [and] the conveniences thereof."

According to figures from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, there are more than 35,000 museums in the United States today. Their collections encompass everything from modern art, like at the MoMA in New York City, to mustard, like at the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin, and everything in between.

Museums are anchors of our communities. The American Alliance of Museums reports that museums support more than 725,000 jobs and contribute upwards of $50 billion to the U.S. economy each year. Three-quarters of Americans agree that museums are an important part of our civil society and have an important role in promoting knowledge and civic engagement.

Beyond their educational and economic significance, museums are just plain fun. Whether you have a developed interest in natural history or just want to learn a little bit more about funerary history (the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston), there's sure to be a museum that strikes your interest. There's simply nothing else quite like spending an afternoon learning about famous figures, arts and crafts, military history, or what else you fancy.

Here, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated specialty museums in Iowa on Tripadvisor as of Aug. 13, 2025. Keep reading to see what unique museums are in your home state. Then, make sure to plan a visit. With many museums facing funding cuts due to the current administration's efforts to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services, who's to say how much longer these treasure troves will be available to us?

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#30. The Mid America Museum of Aviation & Transportation

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#30. The Mid America Museum of Aviation & Transportation

- Rating: 4.4/5 (35 reviews)
- City: Sioux City
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#28. Star Trek Voyage Home Museum

Tripadvisor

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#28. Star Trek Voyage Home Museum

- Rating: 4.5/5 (37 reviews)
- City: Riverside
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#27. Maharishi Vedic Observatory

Tripadvisor

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#27. Maharishi Vedic Observatory

- Rating: 4.4/5 (26 reviews)
- City: Fairfield
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#25. Bily Clocks Museum & Antonin Dvorak Exhibit

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#25. Bily Clocks Museum & Antonin Dvorak Exhibit

- Rating: 4.8/5 (100 reviews)
- City: Spillville
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#24. Iowa Great Lakes Maritime Museum

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#24. Iowa Great Lakes Maritime Museum

- Rating: 4.6/5 (96 reviews)
- City: Okoboji
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#23. Antique Car Museum of Iowa

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#23. Antique Car Museum of Iowa

- Rating: 4.5/5 (60 reviews)
- City: Coralville
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#22. Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center

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#22. Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center

- Rating: 4.7/5 (48 reviews)
- City: Sioux City
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#20. Sioux City Railroad Museum

Tripadvisor

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#20. Sioux City Railroad Museum

- Rating: 4.5/5 (47 reviews)
- City: Sioux City
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#17. Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum

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#17. Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum

- Rating: 4.7/5 (106 reviews)
- City: Waterloo
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#15. Historic General Dodge House

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#15. Historic General Dodge House

- Rating: 4.6/5 (103 reviews)
- City: Council Bluffs
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#12. Sioux City Public Museum

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#12. Sioux City Public Museum

- Rating: 4.7/5 (160 reviews)
- City: Sioux City
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#10. Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum

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#10. Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum

- Rating: 4.7/5 (217 reviews)
- City: Decorah
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#7. World Food Prize Hall of Laureates

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#7. World Food Prize Hall of Laureates

- Rating: 4.8/5 (80 reviews)
- City: Des Moines
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#5. Union Pacific Railroad Museum

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#5. Union Pacific Railroad Museum

- Rating: 4.5/5 (314 reviews)
- City: Council Bluffs
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#4. John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum

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#4. John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum

- Rating: 4.7/5 (205 reviews)
- City: Waterloo
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#2. John Wayne Birthplace & Museum

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#2. John Wayne Birthplace & Museum

- Rating: 4.4/5 (512 reviews)
- City: Winterset
- Read more on Tripadvisor

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