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16 gorgeous sculpture parks in the U.S.

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Places where art can be enjoyed en plein air

By Megan Barber Updated
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A red steel sculpture on grass at the Olympic Sculpture Park at the Seattle Art Museum. There is a skyline with tall buildings in the background.
Called The Eagle, this steel sculpture by Alexander Calder was first constructed for a Texas building in 1971, but now sits in the Olympic Sculpture Park at the Seattle Art Museum.
Shutterstock

Spring is here and we’re itching to enjoy some warmer weather, get outside, and see the blooming flowers. And while we’ll always adore architecturally stunning museums like New York’s iconic Guggenheim, now’s the time to emerge from winter hibernation and breath some fresh air.

Luckily, an array of open-air museums from coast to coast means we don’t have to choose between the outdoors and a bit of culture. Sculpture parks offer the best of both worlds, to say nothing of the gorgeous art.

Some sculpture parks are linked up with world-class art centers; others are smaller but feature no less impressive or unique collections. All of the parks on our list are an ideal spring activity.

Like theaters or libraries, sculpture parks invite visitors to think outside the box and explore a different world, if only for an afternoon. In celebration of their beauty, we’ve rounded up 16 stellar sculpture parks and outdoor museums that have both outstanding art and picturesque settings.

Storm King Art Center in New York

A large red metal sculpture on a grassy hill at Storm King Art Center in New York. There are two people sitting on a blanket on the grass next to the sculpture. In the distance are trees.
One of three large-scale sculptures by Alexander Liberman at Storm King Art Center in New York.
Shutterstock

Located one hour north of New York City in the lower Hudson Valley, the Storm King Art Center boasts 500 acres of fields, hills, and woodlands. This pristine setting hosts a permanent collection of 100 sculptures, with highlights including works by David Smith, Isamu Noguchi, Roy Lichtenstein, and many more.

The vast permanent collection is complemented by an array of special exhibitions held in both the outdoor galleries and inside in the Museum Building.

The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden in New Orleans

A bronze sculpture depicting a person at the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden in New Orleans. The sculpture is in the foreground and a lawn with trees is in the background.
A bronze sculpture by Henry Moore—the English artist known for his semi-abstract style—found in the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden.
Courtesy of the New Orleans Museum of Art

New Orleans’s picturesque City Park boasts a wealth of family-friendly activities, but one of our favorites is the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden at the New Orleans Museum of Art.

Founded in 2003 and set over five acres adjacent to the museum, the sculpture garden features 64 sculptures and makes for a pleasant walk (among a forest of pines, magnolias, oak trees, and reflecting pools). Don’t miss Robert Indiana’s “Love (Red Blue)” and Renoir’s “Venus Victorius.”

Tippet Rise Art Center in Fishtail, Montana

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Located north of Yellowstone National Park on a 10,260-acre working sheep and cattle ranch, the Tippet Rise Art Center features world-class outdoor sculptures with views of the Beartooth Mountains. Monumental sculptures by artists like Patrick Dougherty, Stephen Talasnik, and Mark di Suvero are nestled into valleys and atop knolls with special attention to how the environment and art interact.

Tours are available by bus, but you can also visit the sculptures by hiking or mountain biking seven miles of trails or 13 miles of gravel road. It’s the ultimate blend of adventure, the outdoors, and art.

The Neon Museum in Las Vegas

Large neon signs are on the ground at the Las Vegas Neon Museum.
A view of the signs on exhibit in Las Vegas at the Neon Museum.
Courtesy of the Neon Museum

The Neon Museum in Las Vegas might be a bit different than most of the other museums or sculpture parks on this list, but its uniqueness makes it worthy of inclusion.

Founded in 1996, the outdoor museum is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and exhibiting the iconic signs of Las Vegas. It’s a must-do when in Sin City, but plan ahead; the sign “boneyard” is only available to the public through an hour-long guided tour.

The Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis

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As one of the first and largest sculpture parks in the United States—it was founded in 1976—the Laumeier Sculpture Park presents 60 works of large-scale outdoor art on a 105-acre park. It’s also free and open daily, so there’s no reason not to visit.

Kentuck Knob in Chalk Hill, Pennsylvania

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Come for the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Usonian house, stay for the 30 top-notch sculptures at Kentuck Knob. Set on 80 acres in the mountains above Uniontown in Western Pennsylvania, this sculpture garden features works by modern artists such as Andy Goldsworthy, Sir Anthony Caro, Wendy Taylor and Phillip King. A pleasant stroll any time of year, start at the Visitor Center and get ready for a forested, artsy journey with plenty of photo opportunities.

Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle

A large red metal sculpture on grass at the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle. In the background is the Seattle skyline.
Called “The Eagle,” this steel sculpture by Alexander Calder was first constructed for a Texas building in 1971, but now sits in the Olympic Sculpture Park at the Seattle Art Museum.
Shutterstock

Open since 2007 and free to the public, the Olympic Sculpture Park is operated by the Seattle Art Museum.

Designed by lead architects Weiss/Manfredi, the Z-shaped park comprises nine waterfront acres—formerly an industrial site—that display both permanent and temporary installations. In addition to providing a stunning backdrop for art, the Olympic Sculpture Park connects downtown to the water and provides picturesque views.

The Kenny Hill Sculpture Garden in Louisiana

A concrete sculpture of a person at the Kenny Hill Sculpture Garden in Louisiana.
A female figure at the Kenny Hill Sculpture Garden in Louisiana.
joevare/Flickr

Like the Neon Museum in Las Vegas, the Kenny Hill Sculpture Garden in Chauvin, Louisiana, is not your typical museum. A bricklayer by trade, the reclusive Kenny Hill created more than 100 primarily religious concrete sculptures on his bayou property. Hill abandoned his art in early 2000, but a stroll through this unique sculpture garden offers insight into one man’s life.

The Sculpture Garden of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

A sculpture of a pyramid in a sculpture garden at the National Gallery of Art.
Sol LeWitt’s “Four-Sided Pyramid,” constructed in 1999 and displayed at the National Gallery of Art.
Shutterstock

Located on Washington, D.C.’s National Mall, the National Gallery Sculpture Garden features works from the Gallery’s permanent collection and loans for special exhibitions.

The garden itself is lovely—full of flowering trees, ground covers, and perennials—and the art is second to none. Check out Marc Chagall’s “Orphée,” Joan Miró’s

“Personnage Gothique,” and Sol LeWitt’s “Four-Sided Pyramid,” pictured above.

deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Massachusetts

It’s hard to choose a favorite work of art at this sprawling, 30-acre sculpture park about one hour from Boston. Approximately 60 sculptures—like Jim Dine’s “Two Big Black Hearts” or “Campfire Girls” (pictured above) by David Strohmeyer—are carefully situated amongst landscaped lawns, forests, fields, and gardens.

Whether you’re admiring site-specific projects or the park’s permanent collection, deCordova is not to miss for art lovers.

The Fran and Ray Stark Sculpture Garden in Los Angeles

An aerial view of the Fran and Ray Stark Sculpture Garden in Los Angeles. There are trees on the outer perimeter and a labyrinth maze garden in the interior.
The Getty Center garden designed by Robert Irwin.
Courtesy of the Getty Center

It might be hard to tear yourself away from the stunning art inside the Getty Center, but make some time for the modern and contemporary sculptures in the museum’s sculpture garden and terraces.

Donated by the late film producer Ray Stark and his wife, Fran, the garden contains 28 pieces integrated into the landscape and architecture. We’re partial to Elisabeth Frink’s “Horse” and Joan Miró's “Figure.”

The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis

A large sculpture of a spoon and a cherry at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden at the Walker Art Center. In the background is a lawn and a row of city buildings.
The iconic “Spoonbridge and Cherry” sculpture at the Walker Art Center.
Shutterstock

The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden reopened in June 2017 after a renovation, and its iconic sculptures make it worthy of this list.

The 11-acre site is one of the prettiest places in the city, and visitors can check out more than 40 works of art from the Walker Art Center’s collection. At the top of the list: the iconic “Spoonbridge and Cherry,” by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen.

The Sculpture Collection at Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina

A path at the Sculpture Collection at Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina. There is a sculpture of a figurine on a brick stand in the foreground.
One of the many figurine sculptures in Brookgreen Gardens near Myrtle Beach in South Carolina.
Shutterstock

Brookgreen Gardens in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, offers visitors a lush setting and even a zoo, but it also has one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of American figurative sculpture in the country.

You can check out over 1,400 works by 350 different artists, and the sculpture storage facility is also on display.

di Rosa Art Museum in Napa Valley

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It’s hard to get much prettier than the rolling hills of vineyards, but the di Rosa museum in Napa Valley ups the ante with a vast collection of art. With a focus on Bay Area artists, di Rosa lets visitors wander on a 1/3-mile trail past dozens of outdoor sculptures.

The Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park in Chicago

A large yellow metal sculpture of beams intersecting on a lawn at the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park in Chicago. There are trees in the background.
“Illinois Landscape No. 5” by American artist John Henry.
Don Harder/Flickr

Located on the campus of Governors State University, the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park features 29 sculptures on 100 acres. The collection has everything from landscape-based sculptures—like the one pictured above—to pieces by internationally renowned artists like Mexican sculptor Yvonne Domenge.

Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park in Kansas City

A giant sculpture of a shuttlecock on grass at the Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park in Kansas City. There are trees in the background.
Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen Shuttlecocks Collection at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Aron in Kansas City, Missouri.
Shutterstock

This 22-acre sculpture park in the heart of Midtown Kansas City boasts 36 sculptures at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The park is open from dawn until dusk, 365 days a year and includes four iconic Shuttlecocks, recent additions by Roxy Paine and Robert Morris, and a picturesque setting.

Know of another outstanding sculpture park that we missed? Tell us in the comments.

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