Princeton NJ Museums and Galleries

Auto Museums

Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum
6825-31 Norwitch Drive Philadelphia PA 19153
215-365-7233

Vintage Automobile Museum of New Jersey
1800 Bay Ave, Building 13 Point Pleasant NJ 08742
732-899-0012

Museums

Old Barracks Museum
101 Barrack Street Trenton NJ 08608
609-396-1776
Visitors enjoy many exhibits and activities recalling military life before and during the Battle of Trenton.The Museum offers great services for families throughout the year. From military re-enactments and family workshops to concerts, lectures, and even Summer History Day Camp for the kids, the Old Barracks is an invaluable educational resource. Open daily 10-5pm.

American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West at 79th Street New York NY 10001
212-769-5000
This museum of natural history is the best of the best. An annual trip is a must and visits are a guaranteed cherished memory. From the famous dinosaur halls to the state-of-the-art Hayden Planetarium and the largest whale suspended from the ceiling this museum has it all with great permanent and temporary exhibits to feed small minds and larger ones as well.

Art @Bainbridge House
158 Nassau Street Princeton NJ 8542
609-258-3788

Brooklyn Children's Museum
145 Brooklyn Avenue Brooklyn NY 11201
718-735-4400
This museum focuses on exploring the world and all of its different cultures. Learn about music from around the world at the Music Mix exhibit and Together in the City is a great exhibit about urban life experiences. Children under 5 can play and learn in the Totally Tots exhibit where they will find fun and interesting spaces like the Play Pond, Kids’ Quarry and Baby Patch.

Bucks County Historical Society
84 South Pine Street Doylestown PA 18901
215-345-0210
The Bucks County Historical Society (BCHS), a private non-profit organization, located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, is a unique cultural and educational institution which operates The Mercer Museum, Spruance Library and Fonthill Museum. As the County Historical Society, it is charged with collecting, preserving and interpreting the rich history and culture of Bucks County and the Delaware Valley region. As the primary inheritor of the material and intellectual legacy of Henry Chapman Mercer, the BCHS is custodian of a regionally and nationally significant collection of tools and artifacts which illuminate the history of pre-industrial America to, c. 1850.

East Amwell Museum
1053 Old York Road Ringoes NJ 8551
609-644-2592

Ellarslie - The Trenton City Museum
Parkside Avenue & Bellevue Avenue Trenton NJ 08618
609-989-3632
The Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie Mansion houses a fine collection of art and artifacts related to Trenton's historical and cultural past and present.The first floor galleries are host to changing exhibitions of contemporary art in all media, where visitors enjoy a diverse and exciting visual experience throughout the year.The museum also boasts a fascinating collection of fine arts, decorative arts, industrial memorabilia and historical objects, displayed on a rotating basis in the remaining second-floor galleries.

Friends of the New Jersey State Museum
205 West State Street Trenton NJ
609-292-6464

Grounds for Sculpture
18 Fairgrounds Road Hamilton NJ
609-586-0616
Grounds For Sculpture, a 35-acre sculpture park and museum, has captivated visitors since 1992, and has only gained in popularity as more of the public discovers its tranquil setting and engaging sculpture.  Indoor Exhibitions of emerging and well-known artists are shown throughout the year in two expansive, glass-walled buildings that were once exhibit halls for the New Jersey State Fair.  Over 230 contemporary sculptures, from monumental to smaller scale, can be found on the beautifully landscaped grounds. Open Tues-Sun 10-6 Nov-March and Tues.-Sun. 10-8 April-Oct.

Hightstown East-Windsor Historical Society
164 North Main Street Hightstown NJ 08520

Hopewell Museum
28 East Broad Street Hopewell NJ 08525
609-466-0103
The goal of the Hopewell Museum is to preserve and display what is most typical and interesting of village life in America from early Colonial days to the present. In 1922, Hopewell resident Sarah D. Stout donated an important collection of antiques which became the nucleus of a continuously growing inventory of artifacts, furniture, crafts, silver and pewter, antique guns and swords and other items. The museum is housed in a beautiful 1877 Beaux Arts home. Open MWSat 2-5.

Hunterdon Art Museum
7 Lower Center Street Clinton NJ 08809
908-735-8415

Institute of Contemporary Art
University of Pennsylvania 118 South 36th Street Philadelphia PA 19019
215-898-7108
Founded in 1963, the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania is a leader in the presentation of contemporary art. Through exhibitions, commissions, educational programs, and publications, ICA invites the public to share in the experience, interpretation and understanding of the work of established and emerging artists. Hours: Wed -Fri 12-8pm. Sat - Sun 11-5pm.

James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown
138 South Pine Street Doylestown PA 18901
215-340-9800
The Michener Art Museum is a non-profit cultural institution dedicated to interpreting, preserving and exhibiting the art and cultural heritage of Bucks County. Thanks to a generous gift, the museum is now home to a world class collection of Pennsylvania Impressionist paintings. Call 215-340-9800 for hours.

Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum
71 Hamilton Street New Brunswick NJ 08901
(732) 932-7237
The Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, one of the largest and most distinguished university-based museums in the nation, is located on the New Brunswick campus of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. The Zimmerli Art Museum houses more than 60,000 works, including Russian and Soviet Nonconformist Art from the acclaimed Dodge Collection, American art from the 18th-century to the present, and six centuries of European art with a particular focus on 19th-century French art. The Zimmerli is also noted for its strong holdings of works on paper, including prints, rare books, drawings, photographs, and original illustrations for children's books.

Liberty Science Center
Liberty State Park 222 Jersey City Boulevard Jersey City NJ 7305
201-200-1000

Mercer Museum
84 South Pine Street Doylestown PA 18901
215-345-0210
Inspired by the vision and creativity of Henry C. Mercer (1856-1930), it is the mission of the Bucks County Historical Society to cultivate among its many audiences a broad appreciation and awareness of the past, helping people find stories and meanings that both sustain them in the present and aid them in approaching the future.

Morven Museum & Garden
55 Stockton Street Princeton NJ 08540
(609) 924-8144
A National Historic Landmark, Morven Museum & Garden is situated on five pristine acres in the heart of Princeton, New Jersey. The home of Richard Stockton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and former New Jersey Governor's Mansion, Morven showcases the rich cultural heritage of the Garden State through regular exhibitions, educational programs, and special events.

Our Belief is that history is an anchor to the past and a beacon to the future. Preserving and examining the past is vital for educating good citizens who will build a greater society. Our Vision is that one day all citizens will know and understand America's history and pursue civic duty actively and responsibly. Our Mission is to preserve and celebrate Morven's legacy by sharing its authentic stories.

Museums in Motion
453 Walnut Lane Princeton NJ 8540
205-382-3097
Museums in Motion is a traveling African American 3-D history museum. It was founded in 2016 by Mrs. Kayren Carter-Mjumbe, a native of Birmingham, Alabama. Our organization offers prolific and engaging exhibits on legendary and unknown African Americans. Museums in Motion rotate our exhibits to school districts, libraries, cultural events and more within the United States and abroad. We pride ourselves on creativity, accuracy and providing a truly unique educational experience. Our exhibits give new meaning to the term “spectacular”.

National Museum of African American History & Culture
1400 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20560
844-750-3012
The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. It was established by Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. To date, the Museum has collected more than 36,000 artifacts and nearly 100,000 individuals have become members. The Museum opened to the public on September 24, 2016, as the 19th and newest museum of the Smithsonian Institution.

National Museum of American Jewish History
210 N. 21st Street Philadelphia PA 19019
215963-0667
Established in 1976, and situated on Philadelphia's Independence Mall, the National Museum of American Jewish History is the only Museum in the nation dedicated exclusively to collecting, preserving and interpreting artifacts pertaining to the American Jewish experience. The Museum serves as an important resource for information about Jewish life and culture, exposing visitors to American Jewish history through its changing exhibitions and complementary programming. The Museum's collection, numbering only 40 objects in its first year, has grown to more than 10,000 artifacts which resonate with the history of more than 300 years of American Jewish life.

Natural History Museum at Princeton University
Guyot Hall Princeton University Princeton NJ 08540
609-258-4102
The museum possesses several hundred thousand geological, biological, and archaeological specimens. The mineralogical collections contain a sample of almost every available mineral and gem in the world. Fossil vertebrates brought back by Princeton scientific expeditions to the Far West, Patagonia, and elsewhere are internationally famous. There is also an excellent collection of fossil fishes, recovered in 1946 from rocks exposed by the excavation for Firestone Library. Museum specimens of special interest include skeletons of the sabre-toothed tiger, mastodon, three-toed horse, and giant pig, and the fossil of an Eocene perch preserved in the act of trying to swallow a herring.

New Jersey Museum of Agriculture
103 College Farm Road P.O. Box 7788 North Brunswick NJ 08902
732-249-2077
The Museum’s modern 30,000 square feet building is surrounded by the College’s research farm. It contains permanent and changing exhibitions about the evolution of agriculture from New Jersey’s first farmers - - the Lenape Indians - - to the present and future. The Museum maintains an extensive collection of historic agricultural artifacts second in importance and scope only to that of the Smithsonian Institution.

New Jersey State Museum
205 West State Street Trenton NJ 08601
609-292-6464
From fossils to fine art, from Native American tools to the finest silver, from quilts to comets, from prehistory to the future, the New Jersey State Museum is four museums in one and offers a galaxy of experiences for every member of the family.Treasures, collected since the early 1800's, are housed in a modern main building overlooking the Delaware River in Trenton that is presently undergoing renovation. Additional programs are offered in an adjoining 150-seat planetarium, also undergoing renovation, and a remodeled 400-seat auditorium. General admission is free. Open M-Sat. 9-4pm.

New Jersey State Police Museum
1040 River Road West Trenton NJ
609-882-2000
The main museum space is airy, exhibits artfully designed and lit -- slicker than most crime and punishment efforts.There's a display of confiscated weapons: several dozen handguns and rifles, lovingly arranged, including a tripod-mounted 20mm antitank gun. Lots of Lindbergh kidnapping paraphanlia. Open Mon-Fri 10am-4pm. Tours by appointment.

Penn Museum - The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
3260 South Street Philadelphia PA 19104
215-898-4000
The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, through its research, collections, exhibitions, and educational programming, advances understanding of the world's cultural heritage. Founded in 1887, Penn Museum has conducted more than 400 archaeological and anthropological expeditions around the world. Three gallery floors feature materials from Egypt, Mesopotamia, Canaan and Israel, Mesoamerica, Asia and the ancient Mediterranean World, as well as artifacts from native peoples of the Americas and Africa. With an active exhibition schedule, a membership program, and educational programming for children and adults, Penn Museum offers the public an opportunity to share in the ongoing discovery of humankind's collective heritage.

Philadelphia Museum of Art
Benjamin Franklin Parkway Philadelphia PA 19019
215-923-3811
Overlooking one of the nation's most culturally vibrant cities, the Philadelphia Museum of Art welcomes about a million visitors each year and entices them to embark upon a walk through time that extends across two millennia and six continents. The Museum contains over 225,000 works of art, and in its sweep of 200 captivating galleries visitors find many surprises and changing exhibitions. There are striking Renaissance master paintings, elaborately carved stone altarpieces, and entire period rooms and architectural settings from around the world—including a Medieval cloister from southwestern France, a thatched, ceremonial Japanese Teahouse in its garden refuge, and an evocative sixteenth-century Indian Temple Hall dedicated to a Hindu god.

Please Touch Museum
210 North 21st Street Philadelphia PA 19019
215-963-0667
Please Touch Museum is a hands-on museum for children ages one to seven. The perfect place for little hands to touch everything. There are seven exhibits ranging from Barnyard Babies, designed for children 3 and under, to Kids Construct, where your child can turn the creativity on. There are also theater performances and programs as well as a kid’s store. Please check the calendar of events to see what activity is scheduled the day you plan to visit.

Princeton Online - Entertainment

Princeton University Art Museum
Princeton University Princeton NJ 08544
609-258-3788
Founded in 1882, the Princeton University Art Museum is one of the leading university art museums in the country. From a founding gift of a collection of porcelain and pottery, the collections have grown to over 60,000 works of art that range from ancient to contemporary art and concentrate geographically on the Mediterranean regions, Western Europe, China, the United States, and Latin America. Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, NJ 08544-1018 (609) 258-3788. Hours: Tuesday – Saturday: 10-5pm., Thursday 10-9pm., Sunday: 12-5pm.

Rockingham
P.O. Box 496 Kingston NJ 08528
609-683-7132
Rockingham is believed to be the second oldest house in the Millstone River Valley, dating from about 1710 and owned by the Berrien family for most of the 18th century. From late August to early November 1783, while Congress was in residence in Princeton, the house served as George Washington’s final Revolutionary War headquarters, and it was from here that he issued his Farewell Orders to the Armies in late October. On October 31, 1783, Washington and Congress received the long awaited news—the final version of the Treaty of Paris had been signed and the thirteen colonies were independent of Great Britain. Physically relocated three times since 1896, Rockingham Historic Site maintains a fine collection of 18th-century furnishings and Washington military reproductions, and includes a Colonial kitchen garden and Dutch barn. Hours: guided tours only, Wed.-Sat. at 10 & 11 am, 1, 2 & 3 pm and.Sun. at 1, 2 & 3 pm.

Rodin Museum
22nd Street & Ben Franklin Parkway Philadelphia PA 19019
215-763-8100
The Rodin Museum was the gift of movie theater magnate Jules Mastbaum (American, 1872–1926) to the city of Philadelphia. Mastbaum began collecting works by Rodin in 1923 with the intent of founding a museum to enrich the lives of his fellow citizens. Just three years later, he had assembled the largest collection of Rodin's works outside Paris, including bronze castings, plaster studies, drawings, prints, letters, and books. Hours: Tues - Sun. 10-5pm.

Roebling Museum
1495 Hornberger Aveue Roebling NJ 08554
609-499-7200

Sterling Hill Mining Museum
30 Plant Street Ogdensburg NJ 07439
973-209-7212
Our mission is to tell the story of the Sterling Hill Mine and to inspire lifelong learning about earth sciences, engineering, and the responsible use of the Earth’s nonrenewable resources.

Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum (SSAAM)
189 Hollow Road Skillman NJ 8558
609 309-5155
The mission of the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum is to tell the story of the unique culture, experiences, and contributions of the African American community of the Sourland Mountain Region.

The Academy of Natural Sciences
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway Philadelphia PA 19019
215-299-1000
If your children are wild about nature then this is the museum to visit. Visit Dinosaur Hall, where kids can dig for buried fossils, and Outside-In where kids can touch live animal. This museum of natural history is bound to provide a fun, educational experience. There are over 10 permanent exhibits and a handful of traveling exhibits to entertain and excite any child.

The Barnes Foundation
2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway Philadelphia PA 19130
215.278.7000
Philadelphia art collector Albert C. Barnes (1872–1951) chartered the Barnes Foundation in 1922 to teach people from all walks of life how to look at art. Over three decades, he collected some of the world’s most important impressionist, post-impressionist, and modern paintings, including works by Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse, and Picasso. He displayed them alongside African masks, native American jewelry, Greek antiquities, and decorative metalwork. Dr. Barnes believed passionately that art—like people—should not be segregated.

The Children’s Museum of Manhattan
212 W. 83rd Street New York NY 10001
212-721-1234
This jewel of a museum on the Upper West Side offers five floors of exciting entertainment. There are permanent exhibits that will stimulate imaginations and there are also daily drop-in programs like Story Time, Circle Time and Draw Me a Picture. Be sure to check-in and sign up at the Information Desk if you are interested in participating. Ages: All

The Cranbury Museum
4 Park Place East Cranbury NJ 08512
609-655-2611
The Museum (c. 1834) is a restoration by the Cranbury Historical & Preservation Society to represent a typical 19th century Cranbury home. With a few exceptions, its furnishings are gifts from Cranbury families. Its basement area houses permanent memorabilia of early businesses and activities, Lenape Indian artifacts, and artifacts recovered during the 1977 archaeological dig at Main Street and Park Place West. The Museum is open Sundays, from 1:00 until 4:00 p.m., or by appointment. Group tours are available.

The Crayola Factory
30 Centre Square Easton PA 18040
610-515-8000
The Crayola Factory is a 20,000 square foot facility and activity center for children of all ages. The Factory is not in operation and does not make crayons, but there are live demonstrations on how crayons are made as well as over dozen other hands-on activities for your sweet little artists.

The Franklin Institute
222 North 20th Street Philadelphia PA 19019
215-448-1200
The Giant Heart, The Space Command, and The Sports Challenge are just 3 of the 9 permanent exhibits that the FI has to offer. Children can walk through a heart, check out equipment used by real astronauts and feel what it would be like to be a star athlete – not to mention The Fels Planetarium and The Tuttleman IMAX® Theater to provide an out-of-this world experience. The Franklin Institute is also widely known for their excellent temporary exhibits which travel around the world.

The Michener in New Hope
Union Square on Bridge Street New Hope PA 18938
215-862-7633
More than three years in the planning, the 5,000-square foot satellite facility will extend and continue the Michener Art Museum's tradition of collecting, preserving, and interpreting the art of the Bucks County region. Less than 12 miles from the original Museum site in Doylestown, the new location is at Union Square, in the heart of the historic arts colony of New Hope, Pennsylvania. Call for hours. 215-862-7633

The Moravian Pottery & Tile Works
130 Swamp Road Doylestown PA 18901
215-345-6722
The Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, a National Historic Landmark, is maintained as a "working history" museum by Pennsylvania's County of Bucks, Department of Parks and Recreation. Handmade tiles are still produced in a manner similar to that developed by the pottery's founder and builder, Henry Chapman Mercer (1856-1930).Tours, offered every half-hour, consist of a 17-minute video and a self-guided walk through the facility.Open Daily 10 -4:45 daily.

The New Jersey Association of Museums

The Noyes Museum of Art
733 Lily Lake Road Oceanville NJ 08231
609-652-8848

The Planetarium at Raritan Valley Community College
118 Lamington Road Branchburg NJ 08876
908-231-8805

William Trent House
15 Market Street Trenton NJ 08611
609-989-3027
History comes alive at Trenton's oldest homestead---the William Trent House. Built between 1716 - 1719, this National Historic Landmark was the country seat of William Trent, a Philadelphia merchant and his family.When you visit the William Trent House, you are literally stepping back in time. You will gain amazing insight into the many layers of colonial life during the early 18th century. You will see how, later in the century, the William Trent House played a role in the Battles of Trenton, the "turning point of the American Revolution." Hours: 12:30-4pm daily.