Browse Museums

African American Museum of Iowa
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Culture, General, History, Library

Iowan history showcased via interactive exhibits and exciting educational programs. Because African American history is American history.

Bremer County Historical Society Museum
Waverly, Iowa

Culture, History, Historic House, Historical Society

Please note new phone #. We now have a land line at our museum. We are not there every day during off season, but we check for messages every week or two.

Cedar Rapids Museum of Art
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Art, Culture

The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art has a collection of more than 7,200 works of art spanning many eras—from Roman antiquity to the present. The collection is particularly strong in American art, especially from the first half of the 20th century. There are a number of artists the Museum holds in great depth—including the world's largest collection of works of art by Grant Wood. The Museum also possesses a strong collection of Roman portrait busts donated by Tom and Nan Riley, and an extensive print collection from the 15th century forward primarily donated by Peter O. Stamats.

German American Heritage Center
Davenport, Iowa

Art, Culture, General, History, Library

A growing ethnic museum focusing on the German-American in the Midwest. Located in an historic immigrant hotel, this museum explores German American immigration to the United States on the impact these individuals and their descendents had on regional development.

James & Meryl Hearst Center for the Arts
Cedar Falls, Iowa

Art, Culture, Library

Small regional arts center and sculpture garden featuring temporary exhibits and a permanent collection.

Luther College Fine Arts Collection
Decorah, Iowa

Art, Culture, Library, University

The Luther College Fine Arts Collection presents fine art works to students and the larger community. While many of the artists represented in the Collection originated from the upper midwest, exemplified by College Artist Orville Running, most notable works were created by artists outside that area. Collection concentrations include works by California potter Marguerite Wildenhain; German Expressionist Gerhard Marcks, and New York artist Frans Wildenhain. Norwegian-American art, principally represented by the artist Herbj?rn Gausta, pre-Columbian pottery; and Inuit sculptures are also prominent elements of the Fine Arts Collection.

North Lee County Historical Society
Fort Madison, Iowa

Culture, General, History, Historical Society, Military

The Historic Center housed at the Santa Fe Railway Depot Complex is proud to boast a number of important regional, local, and railroad artifacts. Outside the depot sits a circa 1954 caboose, completely restored including brakemen seats, Conductor's desk, and folding seat/beds, of course the traditional cast iron stove remains in the old caboose, allowing visitors to picture the caboose crew warming their hands, coffee and cooking supper in the traditional way. The caboose was donated to the Historic Society by the Santa Fe Railway, now the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad and was permanently placed on the depot property by volunteers. Also included on the site is a diesel utility car utilized by the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad.

The Danish Immigrant Museum
Elkhorn, Iowa

Art, Culture, General, History, Library, Park, Specialized

The Danish Immigrant Museum will tell the story of the Danish immigrants and the Danish-American experience and is organized to collect, preserve, study and interpret their material, culture and traditions.

The Restored Burlington Northern Depot & WWII Memorial Museum
RED OAK, Iowa

Culture, History, Historical Society, Library, Military, Specialized

The architecture of the Depot is the Richardson Romanesque Style which influenced the first Chicago School of architecture and architects such as Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright. That Style, named after Henry Hobson Richardson, generally follows Romanesque Revival Style, incorporating 11th century southern French and Spanish Romanesque characteristics, plus Richardson designs, which can be observed on the Depot.

Union Pacific Railroad Museum
Council Bluffs, Iowa

Culture, History, Specialized

The Union Pacific Railroad Museum's collection is one of the oldest corporate collections in the nation. The museum is housed in a historic Carnegie Library building in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where visitors discover an extensive collection of artifacts, photographs, documents and equipment from one of our nation's most ambitious endeavors: constructing the transcontinental railroad and settling the West.

Blanden Art Museum
Fort Dodge, Iowa

Art, Children's, Culture, Historic House

The neoclassical building, which is on the national Register of Historic Places, is located in the interesting Oak Hill District of Fort Dodge. Along with with beauty and historical significance of the museum, the Blanden maintains a high standard of exhibition quality and dynamic spirit of community outreach in the visual arts. The museum is dedicated to providing learning opportunities to engage the community and foster creativity.

Brunnier Art Museum
Ames, Iowa

Art, Culture, University

The Brunnier Art Museum is the state's only accredited museum emphasizing a decorative arts collection, and one of the nation's few museums located within a performing arts and conference complex (Iowa State Center). Founded in 1975, the museum is named after its benefactors, Iowa State alumnus Henry J. Brunnier and his wife Ann. The decorative arts collection they donated, the Brunnier Collection, is extensive, consisting of ceramics, glass, dolls, ivory, jade, and enameled metals.

Communal Agriculture Museum
Amana, Iowa

Culture

Price includes admission to all other Heritage Society sites. Implements, tools and equipment illustrate the role of agriculture in communal Amana; housed in 1960s barn

Granger House Victorian Museum
Marion, Iowa

Culture, General, History, Historic House

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Granger House Museum is the only fully-restored, middle-class family home in southeastern Iowa. Occupied by a single family for nearly 100 years, the house contains many of its original furnishings and is arranged to reflect the lifestyle of a successful, late 19th-century middle-class family. Behind the home is an 1879 brick carriage house which contains a variety of artifacts revealing the occupant's involvement with Morgan horses, dairying, and farming.

Luther College Ethnographic and Archaeological Collections
Decorah, Iowa

Anthropology, Archaeology, Culture, History, Library, University

Luther College is the home of five distinct collections which provide students and faculty with access to original materials for instructional and research purposes. Together, the Luther College Archives, Anthropology Collections, Fine Arts Collection, Geology Collection, and the Hoslett Museum of Natural History contain well over a million items, ranging from rare eggs to fine art, ancient fossils to arrowheads, and insects to college memorabilia. The collections' supervisors work closely with the college's Museum Studies Program to provide on-site study, work, and research experiences.

Mills County Historical Museum
Glenwood, Iowa

Archaeology, Culture, History, Historic House, Military

There are Five buildings to visit. The Main Museum which contains local historical artifacts. A Burlington Caboose. A machinery hall filled with tractors, cars, replicas of kitchens, a reproduction of an 1880 bathroom. A one room schoolhouse. A historic red barn of yesterday.

Old Bradford Pioneer Village
Nashua, Iowa

Children's, Culture, General, History, Historic House, Historical Society, Military, Park

The Old Bradford Pioneer Village Museum has 13 buildings on its walking tour, including an original Great Western Depot and a Chicago Northwestern caboose. Dr. Pitts' medical office, two authentic log homes, General Store, Laundry, Blacksmith Shop, Agriculture Bldg, Heritage Bldg, Cottage, Jail, one room schoolhouse and toy shop. The Cottage is the only original building to the grounds. It was the home of the caretaker of the Little Brown Church, which sits adjacent to the museum property. All of the buildings are bursting with the tools and utensils of the 1800s and early 1900s.

The Fluxus Indian Museum
Coon Rapids, Iowa

Anthropology, Archaeology, Culture, History, Library, Natural History, Park

The museum represents 12 years of research and work by FLUXUS Midwest. The museum's current collection comprises more than 150 objects, relics and documents. This digital version of the FLUXUS INDIAN MUSEUM is part of the continuing effort to promote knowledge about the Fluxus Indians.

The Theatre Museum of Repertoire Americana
Mount Pleasant, Iowa

Culture, History, Specialized

Built and maintained by the Midwest old Settlers and Threshers Association, Inc., the Museum of Repertoire Americana officially opened September 1, 1973, reflecting the long-time dream of repertoire theatre company owners and actors Neil and Caroline Schaffner. The museum is dedicated to the preservation of memorabilia and artifacts of early repertoire theatre. The collection includes numerous painted curtains and scenic pieces; costumes and equipment used by individual performers and technicians; playbills, show cards, advertising sheets, etc.; and an extensive research library of rare scripts, correspondence, tour schedules, production photos and other original source materials.

University of Iowa Museum of Art
Iowa City, Iowa

Art, Culture

The University of Iowa Museum of Art, established in 1969, has one of the top university art collections in the country. Approximately 12,400 objects constitute diverse collections that include paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, photographs, ceramics, textiles, jade, and silver.

MUSEUM CONFERENCES

2024 Colorado-Wyoming ANNUAL MEETING

May 1 - 4, 2024

Worland, Wyoming

West Virginia Association of Museums 2024 Conference

June 6 - 8, 2024

Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Ohio Museums Association 2024 Conference with AMM

July 24 - August 3, 2024

Columbus, Ohio

South Carolina Federation of Museums 2024 Conference

September 16 - 18, 2024

Laurens, South Carolina

Florida Association of Museums 2024 Annual Conference & Exposition

October 13 - 16, 2024

Daytona Beach, Florida

RECENT UPDATES

Museums

04/22 The Muir Experience Museum

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Museum Vendors

10/30 Museum Fabrication Group, LLC

Denton, Texas

03/07 ConservArt Inc.

Boca Raton, Florida

Museum Associations

03/07 Association of Midwest Museums

Saint Louis, Missouri

03/07 Ohio Museums Association

Columbus, Ohio

03/07 American Association for State and Local History

Nashville, Tennessee