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Highest-rated specialty museums in Pennsylvania by visitors

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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
Monkey Business Images // 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 Pennsylvania 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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#29. Independence Seaport Museum

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#29. Independence Seaport Museum

- Rating: 4.3/5 (328 reviews)
- City: Philadelphia
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#28. American Treasure Tour Museum

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#28. American Treasure Tour Museum

- Rating: 4.7/5 (81 reviews)
- City: Oaks Upper Providence Township
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#27. Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center

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#27. Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center

- Rating: 4.7/5 (640 reviews)
- City: Gettysburg
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#25. Biblical Tabernacle Experience

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#25. Biblical Tabernacle Experience

- Rating: 4.5/5 (200 reviews)
- City: Lancaster Lancaster County
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#23. Ephrata Cloister

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#23. Ephrata Cloister

- Rating: 4.6/5 (382 reviews)
- City: Ephrata Lancaster County
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#22. Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum

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#22. Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum

- Rating: 4.7/5 (322 reviews)
- City: Philadelphia
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#20. Choo Choo Barn

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#20. Choo Choo Barn

- Rating: 4.6/5 (514 reviews)
- City: Strasburg Lancaster County
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#19. Benjamin Franklin Museum

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#19. Benjamin Franklin Museum

- Rating: 4.4/5 (642 reviews)
- City: Philadelphia
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#18. Landis Valley Museum

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#18. Landis Valley Museum

- Rating: 4.4/5 (357 reviews)
- City: Lancaster Lancaster County
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#15. Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History

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#15. Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History

- Rating: 4.6/5 (1,142 reviews)
- City: Philadelphia
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#14. No. 9 Coal Mine and Museum

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#14. No. 9 Coal Mine and Museum

- Rating: 4.7/5 (325 reviews)
- City: Lansford Pocono Mountains Region
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#13. Brandywine Museum Of Art

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#13. Brandywine Museum Of Art

- Rating: 4.7/5 (833 reviews)
- City: Chadds Ford
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#10. Gettysburg Museum of History

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#10. Gettysburg Museum of History

- Rating: 4.8/5 (1,351 reviews)
- City: Gettysburg
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#9. National Constitution Center

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#9. National Constitution Center

- Rating: 4.4/5 (1,645 reviews)
- City: Philadelphia
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#8. Steamtown National Historic Site

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#8. Steamtown National Historic Site

- Rating: 4.6/5 (917 reviews)
- City: Scranton
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#7. Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania

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#7. Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania

- Rating: 4.7/5 (1,154 reviews)
- City: Strasburg Lancaster County
- Read more on Tripadvisor

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