What are the best museums in the U.S. and Canada? Vote now

Note from 10Best: Someday, we’ll all be ready to pack our suitcases again and head out on our next adventures. In the meantime, we’ll keep supporting the places that inspire us. Contact individual museums for the latest updates.

There are more than 33,000 museums in the United States, according to a figure released by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. That means there’s twice as many museums in the country as there are Starbucks – a staggering figure. So, we want to narrow down the field to the best museums in Canada and the U.S. across six categories.

You can vote once per category, per day until voting ends on Monday, May 10 at noon ET. The winners will be announced on Friday, May 21. Click on each category below to vote:

Best Children’s Museum

These museums win big with families — Photo courtesy of iStock / Alex Potemkin

Keeping the kids entertained while traveling can be a challenge, especially on days when the weather doesn’t cooperate. Luckily, these 20 museums, chosen as the best for families in North America, offer engaging, interactive experiences for kids and adults alike.

Vote: Best Children’s Museum »

Best Free Museum

Some of the nation’s best museums are free — Photo courtesy of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

Some of the nation’s most captivating, enriching and enlightening museums have something in common: admission is free.

Vote: Best Free Museum »

Best History Museum

Dig into history at these 20 museums — Photo courtesy of G. Widman for GPTMC © 2009 George Widman Photography

Whether you’re interested in millennia of human history or centuries of American history, you can learn a lot about the past with a visit to one of these excellent history museums. Some have broad, encyclopedic collections, while others narrow in on a certain chapter or facet of history.

Vote: Best History Museum »

Best New Museum

These top museums celebrate music, movies and the people who make them — Photo courtesy of National Museum of African American Music

Each year brings a slew of new collections (or new facilities for old collections) for museum lovers. These museums, ranging from avant-garde art galleries to colorful children’s museums, represent the best openings of the past two years since the beginning of 2019.

Vote: Best New Museum »

Best Pop Culture Museum

These museums opened in the past two years — Photo courtesy of Jenny Wheat / Visit KC

The United States has long been a hotbed of pop culture – the birthplace of numerous musical genres and some of the world’s most famous singers, songwriters, directors and film stars. These museums celebrate American musical, movie and TV history, through the lens of a specific artist or genre, or with a big picture approach.

Vote: Best Pop Culture Museum »

Best Science Museum

Celebrate all things STEM at these 20 science museums — Photo courtesy of iStock / gettyimages1

From dinosaurs to nanotechnology, science and natural history come alive at these museums across the continent.

Vote: Best Science Museum »

Remember, you can vote once per day in each category. The 10 nominees with the most votes in each category will be announced on 10Best.com on Friday, May 21.