North Carolina Museum of Art

The North Carolina Museum of Art sits on Blue Ridge Road in west Raleigh, on a campus that pairs galleries with a large outdoor park that anyone can walk through. More than 1.1 million people come through in a year.

The museum describes itself as being about art, nature and people together, and the calendar bears that out. On a given weekend you might find a guided walk outdoors, a dance fitness class on the lawn, an evening event or a children’s author reading, alongside the galleries themselves.

What to know

• The collection covers more than 5,000 years of art and culture.
• Docent-led tours include a two-hour tour in American Sign Language with no English spoken.
• Park tours focus on the healing power of being outdoors.
• The NCMA Café serves visitors on the campus.
• The museum supports arts programming in all 100 North Carolina counties.