Few institutions stamp the cultural identity of a nation, region, or city like museums.

Whether they are venerable sites such as the Art Institute of Chicago, whimsical venues like the Kazoo Museum in South Carolina, or contemplative places like the Civil Rights Museum in Atlanta, museums are sources of civic pride.

Museums celebrate mankind’s achievements, acknowledge shameful episodes like slavery and genocide, and look ahead to the future with exhibits on space exploration. A visit to a museum is among the earliest memories children have of family excursions — and among the most cherished. Many adults who bring their kids to iconic institutions such as the American Museum of Natural History in New York City that they frequented as children are revisiting fond memories of gazing on the various exhibits like prehistoric mammals and, of course, dinosaurs.

Many of the traditional museums on our list such as the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston are located in the Northeast. Going west, many of the institutions have forged their own identity by celebrating the local culture. Among these places are the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Iowa, Idaho Potato Museum, and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Wyoming.

To select the best museum in each state, 24/7 Wall St. sifted through rankings of these institutions by various sources, considered the top museums from a listing for each state, observed annual attendance figures, and weighed visitor comments. Admission cost is based on general admission. Many of these institutions are free.

Click here to see the best museum in each state.

1. Alabama: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
> Where: Huntsville
> Admission: $25 adults; $17 children 5-12; free for children under 4.
> Annual attendance: 786,820
> Known for: Saturn V rocket exhibit.

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2. Alaska: Anchorage Museum
> Where:Anchorage
> Admission: $18 adult; $15 Alaska resident; $12 senior, student, and military; $9 children 3-12; free for children 2 and under.
> Annual attendance: 200,000
> Known for: Native prehistoric and ethnographic artifacts illustrating Alaskan history.

3. Arizona: Musical Instrument Museum
> Where: Phoenix
> Admission: $20 general, $15 ages 13-19; $10 for ages 4-12; free for children 3 and under.
> Annual attendance: 250,000
> Known for: Biggest museum of its kind in world.

4. Arkansas: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
> Where: Bentonville
> Admission: Free to view permanent collections
> Annual attendance attendance: 633,000
> Known for: Works from Georgia O’Keeffe and Benjamin West.

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5. California: The Getty Center
> Where: Los Angeles
> Admission: Free
> Annual attendance attendance: More than 2 million
> Known for: Art from the Renaissance, Dutch masters, Spanish painters, and contemporary artists.

6. Colorado: Denver Museum of Nature & Science
> Where: Denver
> Admission: $19.95 for adults, $14.95 for ages 3-18, $16.95 for ages 65+
> Annual attendance: 1.7 million
> Known for: Fossils, Egyptian mummies, and science exhibits.

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7. Connecticut: Yale University Art Gallery
> Where: New Haven
> Admission: Free
> Annual attendance:  232,185
> Known for: Oldest U.S. college art museum; has paintings from John Trumbull.

8. Delaware: Delaware Air Mobility Museum
> Where: Dover
> Admission: Free
> Annual attendance: 154,000
> Known for: All things pertaining to aircraft.

9. Florida: Ernest Hemingway Museum
> Where: Key West
> Admission: $14 adults; $6 ages 6-12; Free 5 and under
> Annual attendance: 180,000
> Known for: The author’s residence during the 1930s.

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10. Georgia: The Center for Civil and Human Rights
> Where: Atlanta
> Admission: $19.99 adults; $17.99 students and seniors; $15.99 youth; free for children 6 and under.
> Annual attendance: More than 200,000
> Known for: Linking U.S. civil rights movement with human right movement.

11. Hawaii: USS Arizona Memorial
> Where: Honolulu
> Admission: Free
> Annual attendance: 1.8 million
> Known for: Site of ship sunk at Pearl Harbor.

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12. Idaho: Idaho Potato Museum
> Where: Blackfoot
> Admission: $6 adults, $5.50 seniors, AAA, military; $3 children 6-12; free for children 5 and under.
> Annual attendance: About 25,000
> Known for: History of the potato.

13. Illinois: The Art Institute of Chicago
> Where: Chicago
> Admission: $25 general, $19 for senior citizens, students, and teens; free for children under 14.
> Annual attendance: 1.62 million
> Known for: Rodin, Medieval and Renaissance art, architecture and design.

14. Indiana: The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
> Where: Indianapolis
> Admission: Varies.
> Annual attendance: 1.25 million
> Known for: Pop culture, science exhibits on dinosaurs and space travel.

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15. Iowa: The Union Pacific Railroad Museum
> Where: Council Bluffs
> Admission: Free
> Annual attendance: 28,000
> Known for: Artifacts from Abraham Lincoln’s railroad car.

16. Kansas: Museum of World Treasures
> Where: Wichita
> Admission: $9.95 adults; $8.95 seniors (65+); $7.95 children 4-12; free for children 3 and under.
> Annual attendance: 45,000
> Known for: Part of Berlin Wall, fossils, Civil War artifacts, presidential documents.

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17. Kentucky: Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory
> Where: Louisville
> Admission: $15 adults; $14 seniors (60+); children (6-12) $8; free for children under 5.
> Annual attendance: 326,595
> Known for: Story about the famous baseball bat and its impact on the game.

18. Louisiana: National World War II Museum
> Where: New Orleans
> Admission: $28 for adults; $24 for seniors over age 65; $18 for students K-12 and college with ID and active military with ID; and museum members, World War II veterans and children under 5 admitted free.
> Annual attendance: 754,465
> Known for: In-depth exploration of America’s role in World War II.

19. Maine: Maine Maritime Museum
> Where: Bath
> Admission: $17.50 adults; $16 seniors; $10.50 children 6-12; free for child under 6.
> Annual attendance: 56,000
> Known for: Shipwreck restoration, Maine maritime history.

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20. Maryland: The American Visionary Art Museum
> Where: Baltimore
> Admission: $15.95 adults; $13.95 seniors (60+); student/child $9.95; children 6 and under free.
> Annual attendance: More than 100,000
> Known for: Great Mystery Show explores mystery behind art and science.

21. Massachusetts: Museum of Fine Arts
> Where: Boston
> Admission: $25 adults‎; $23 seniors (65+)‎: ‎$23 students (18+); free for children 6 and under and for youth 7-17 weekdays after 3 p.m., otherwise $10.
> Annual attendance: 1.23 million
> Known for: Collections of Klimt, Rothko, and Escher.

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22. Michigan: The Henry Ford
> Where: Dearborn
> Admission: $24 general admission; $22 seniors (62+); $18 (5-11).
> Annual attendance: 1.8 million
> Known for: American innovation, bus ridden by civil rights figure Rosa Parks

23. Minnesota: Minneapolis Institute of Art
> Where: Minneapolis
> Admission: Free
> Annual attendance: 760,000
> Known for: Chinese and African art, paintings from Monet and Matisse.

24. Mississippi: Mississippi Museum of Art
> Where: Jackson
> Admission: Many exhibits free to public, admission prices for others. Free admission for students on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
> Annual attendance: 50,000
> Known for: Mississippi artists, Robert Henri, Georgia O’Keeffe, Andy Warhol, and Radcliffe Bailey.

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25. Missouri: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
> Where: Kansas City
> Admission: Free
> Annual attendance: 550,000
> Known for: Ancient, Asian and Islamic art.

26. Montana: Museum of the Rockies
> Where: Bozeman
> Admission: $14.50 adults, $13.50 seniors (65+), $9.50 children (5-17), free children 4 and under.
> Annual attendance: 196,201
> Known for: Dinosaur exhibits and planetarium.

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27. Nebraska: Omaha Children’s Museum
> Where: Omaha
> Admission: $13 adults and children (2-15); $12 seniors (60+); free for children under 2.
> Annual attendance: 324,078
> Known for: Interactive exhibits on science and art.

28. Nevada: The Mob Museum
> Where: Las Vegas
> Admission: $23.95 non-local adults (18 and over); $20.95 Nevada residents, military, seniors (65+), children (11-17); free for children under 10
> Annual attendance: 370,000
> Known for: History of organized crime in U.S.

29. New Hampshire: Mount Washington Weather Discovery Center
> Where: North Conway
> Admission: $2 adults; $1 children (7-17); free for children ages 6 and under.
> Annual attendance: 50,000
> Known for: Educating visitors about the weather.

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30. New Jersey: Ellis Island Immigration Museum
> Where: Ellis Island
> Admission: Cost of ferry to island: $25.50 adults 13 and up; $21 seniors (62+); $16.00 children (4-12); free children under 4.
> Annual attendance: 3 million
> Known for: The American immigration experience.

31. New Mexico: Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
> Where: Santa Fe
> Admission: $13 general admission, $11 students (18+), free for children under 18
> Annual attendance: 621,000
> Known for: Oil paintings and drawings from Georgia O’Keeffe.

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32. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art
> Where: New York City
> Admission: $25 adults; $17 seniors, $12 for students, free for children under 12.
> Annual attendance: 7 million
> Known for: Art and artifacts from every epoch.

33. North Carolina: North Carolina Museum of Art
> Where: Raleigh
> Admission: Free
> Annual attendance: 450,000
> Known for: Classical, Egyptian, European, Judaic, contemporary.

34. North Dakota: National Buffalo Museum
> Where: Jamestown
> Admission: $8 adults; $6 seniors, children 5-14 and active military; free for children under 5.
> Annual attendance: 8,713
> Known for: Fostering awareness of North American bison.

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35. Ohio: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
> Where: Cleveland
> Admission: $26 general admission; $24 seniors (65+); $16 youth (6-12); free for children 5 and under.
> Annual attendance: 568,000
> Known for: Institution recognizes achievements of music genre’s most influential artists, producers, and engineers.

36. Oklahoma: American Banjo Museum
> Where: Oklahoma City
> Admission: $8 adults; $7 seniors (55+) and students; $6 youth (5-17); $5 military; free for children 5 and under
> Annual attendance: 10,000+
> Known for: Celebrating history of “America’s instrument.”

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37. Oregon: Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
> Where: Portland
> Admission: $14.50 adults; $11.25 seniors (63+); $9.75 youth (3-13).
> Annual attendance: 1.1 million
> Known for: Science education and U.S. submarine tour.

38. Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Museum of Art
> Where: Philadelphia
> Admission: $20 adults; $18 seniors (65+); $14 students and youth (13-18); free for children 12 and under.
> Annual attendance: 792,000
> Known for: Auguste Rodin and Constantin Brancusi sculptures, works from Impressionists, “Rocky” statue.

39. Rhode Island: National Museum of American Illustration
> Where: Newport
> Admission: $20 adults; $18 seniors and military; $17 groups of six or more; $14 students; $10 children 5-12
> Annual attendance: 5,000
> Known for: Works from American artists such as Norman Rockwell, Frank Schoonover, N.C. Wyeth, and Charles Dana Gibson.

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40. South Carolina: Gibbes Museum of Art
> Where: Charleston
> Admission: $15 adults; $13 seniors (62+) and military; $10 college students; $6 youth (4-17); free for children 3 and under.
> Annual attendance: 66,000
> Known for: South Carolina history experienced through art.

41. South Dakota: Mammoth Site & Museum
> Where: Hot Springs
> Admission: $10.14 for those 13-59; $8.29 for those 60+; $7.37 children 4-12 and military; free for children 3 and under.
> Annual attendance: 100,000
> Known for: Largest concentration of mammoth remains in world.

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42. Tennessee: Tennessee State Museum
> Where: Nashville
> Admission: Free
> Annual attendance: 115,000
> Known for: Artifacts pertaining to frontier years, antebellum South, and Civil War.

43. Texas: Space Center Houston
> Where:Houston
> Admission: $29.95 adult; $27.95 senior (65+); $24.95 child (4-11); free for children 3 and under.
> Annual attendance: 1 million
> Known for: Largest collection of moon rocks.

44. Utah: Natural History Museum of Utah
> Where: Salt Lake City
> Admission: $14.95 adults; $12.95 seniors (65+) and young adults (13-24); $9.95 children (3-12); free for children 2 and under.
> Annual attendance: 250,000
> Known for: Native American art and Utah natural history.

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45. Vermont: Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home
> Where: Manchester
> Admission: $23 adults; $6 youth; free for children 6 and under.
> Annual attendance: 45,000
> Known for: Home of Abraham Lincoln’s son Robert contains artifacts belonging to Robert and his parents.

46. Virginia: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
> Where: Richmond
> Admission: Free
> Annual attendance: 600,000+
> Known for:Faberge jeweled objects, Impressionist works, and artmobile traveling museum.

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47. Washington: Museum of Pop Culture
> Where: Seattle
> Admission: $28 adults; $25 seniors (65+) and students; $22 military; $19 youth (5-17); free (4 and under).
> Annual attendance: 743,000
> Known for: Founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Houses pop culture artifacts.

48. West Virginia: Huntington Museum of Art
> Where: Huntington
> Admission: $5; free on Tuesdays
> Annual attendance: 25,000
> Known for: Largest art museum in West Virginia; houses Appalachian folk art and plant conservatory.

49. Wisconsin: Milwaukee Art Museum
> Where: Milwaukee
> Admission: $19 adults; $17 students and seniors (65+); free for children 12 and under.
> Annual attendance: 400,000
> Known for: American decorative arts, German Expressionist prints, and Haitian art.

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50. Wyoming: Buffalo Bill Center of the West
> Where: Cody
> Admission: $19.50 adults; $18.50 seniors (65+); $18 students (18+); $13 youth (6-17); free for children 5 and under.
> Annual attendance: 140,000+
> Known for: Art and artifacts of American West.

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