National parks with museum exhibits
Bright dots offer museum exhibits. Tap any park to tick it off your checklist.
Quietest picks for museum exhibits
- 1Kobuk Valley National Park7,786 visits
- 2Isle Royale National Park29,091 visits
- 3National Park of American Samoa43,258 visits
By 2025 recreation visits (NPS).
Most parks for museum exhibits
- California 6
- Utah 3
- Alaska 2
- Arizona 2
- Colorado 2
- Florida 2
- Nevada 2
- Washington 2
35 parks
Where to go for museum exhibits
Photo: NPS photoBiscayne National Park
Florida
486,567 visits in 2025Quietest: OctoberFree entry
Photo: NPS Photo / Peter DensmoreBryce Canyon National Park
Utah
1,967,367 visits in 2025Quietest: January$35 / vehicle
Photo: NPS PhotoCapitol Reef National Park
Utah
1,388,476 visits in 2025Quietest: January$20 / vehicle
Photo: NPS/Brett SeymourChannel Islands National Park
California
227,186 visits in 2025Quietest: JanuaryFree entry
Photo: NPSCongaree National Park
South Carolina
287,833 visits in 2025Quietest: AugustFree entry
Photo: NPS PhotoCrater Lake National Park
Oregon
632,242 visits in 2025Quietest: January$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPSDeath Valley National Park
California, Nevada
1,320,134 visits in 2025Quietest: September$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPS Photo by Miguel SalasEverglades National Park
Florida
778,198 visits in 2025Quietest: October$35 / vehicle
Photo: NPS Photo/Sue FordGateway Arch National Park
Missouri
2,209,028 visits in 2025Quietest: JanuaryFree entry
Photo: NPS/M. QuinnGrand Canyon National Park
Arizona
4,430,653 visits in 2025Quietest: January$35 / vehicle
Photo: NPS PhotoGreat Basin National Park
Nevada
161,210 visits in 2025Quietest: DecemberFree entry
Photo: NPS/Patrick MyersGreat Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
Colorado
432,498 visits in 2025Quietest: January$25 / vehicle
Photo: NPS / Bob CarrGreat Smoky Mountains National Park
North Carolina, Tennessee
11,527,939 visits in 2025Quietest: JanuaryFree entry
Photo: NPS/BieriGuadalupe Mountains National Park
Texas
206,423 visits in 2025Quietest: August$10 / person
Photo: NPS PhotoHawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Hawaii
1,877,854 visits in 2025Quietest: April$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPS photoHot Springs National Park
Arkansas
2,494,611 visits in 2025Quietest: SeptemberFree entry
Photo: NPS Photo / Paul BrownIsle Royale National Park
Michigan
29,091 visits in 2025Quietest: January$7 / person
Photo: NPS / Emily HassellJoshua Tree National Park
California
2,932,644 visits in 2025Quietest: July$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPS PhotoKobuk Valley National Park
Alaska
7,786 visits in 2025Quietest: FebruaryFree entry
Photo: NPS Photo / Scott ArnazLassen Volcanic National Park
California
504,777 visits in 2025Quietest: December$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPS PhotoMesa Verde National Park
Colorado
463,130 visits in 2025Quietest: January$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPS Photo / E. BrouwerMount Rainier National Park
Washington
1,635,342 visits in 2025Quietest: February$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPS Photo / Michael LarsonNational Park of American Samoa
American Samoa
43,258 visits in 2025Quietest: JuneFree entry
Photo: NPS photo/Louise McLaughlinNew River Gorge National Park & Preserve
West Virginia
1,958,440 visits in 2025Quietest: JanuaryFree entry
Photo: NPS Photo/Jon PrestonOlympic National Park
Washington
3,584,187 visits in 2025Quietest: January$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPS PhotoPetrified Forest National Park
Arizona
315,951 visits in 2025Quietest: February$25 / vehicle
Photo: NPS/Rick CainSequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
California
2,158,128 visits in 2025Quietest: February$35 / vehicle
Photo: NPS Photo / Neal LewisShenandoah National Park
Virginia
1,682,152 visits in 2025Quietest: January$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPS Photo / Mark MeyersTheodore Roosevelt National Park
North Dakota
729,893 visits in 2025Quietest: December$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPS Photo / Daniel DendlerVoyageurs National Park
Minnesota
206,326 visits in 2025Quietest: AprilFree entry
Photo: NPS PhotoWind Cave National Park
South Dakota
606,258 visits in 2025Quietest: FebruaryFree entry
Photo: NPS Photo/ Neal HerbertWrangell–St. Elias National Park & Preserve
Alaska
108,840 visits in 2025Quietest: JanuaryFree entry
Photo: NPS / Jacob W. FrankYellowstone National Park
Idaho, Montana, Wyoming
4,762,988 visits in 2025Quietest: November$35 / vehicle
Photo: NPS PhotoYosemite National Park
California
4,278,413 visits in 2025Quietest: January$35 / vehicle
Photo: NPS Photo / Shane CarteZion National Park
Utah
4,984,525 visits in 2025Quietest: January$35 / vehicle
Ideas from the National Park Service
Museum Exhibits ideas, park by park
- Visit the Furnace Creek Visitor Center15-120 Minutes
Stop by the visitor center to speak with park rangers and pay park fees and purchase national park passes. View the exhibits about Death Valley's history and natural wonders. Watch the park film, which is 20 minutes in…
Fee
The Museum at the Gateway Arch covers 200 years of history about the westward expansion of the United States with an emphasis on St. Louis’ important role during that era.
The Tucker Theater mural at Gateway Arch National Park honors those who made the Arch possible. Created by artist Jay Tschetter, it features a 13-foot steel Arch model, construction scenes, and national landmarks. Made…
- Visit the Old CourthouseAll year
One of Gateway Arch National Park's visitor centers
Pets OK
- History Exhibit - The Amazing Kolb Brothers10-45 Minutes · Winter, Spring, Summer
See the Amazing Kolb Brothers; A Grand Life at Grand Canyon Exhibit - at Kolb Studio, house-turned-museum perched perilously on the precipice in Historic Grand Canyon Village. Examine their antique cameras, study…
- See the Exhibits at the Great Basin Visitor Center5-30 Minutes · Summer, Fall
Great Basin Visitor Center exhibits
- See the Exhibits at the Lehman Caves Visitor Center5-30 Minutes · All year
Lehman Caves exhibits
- Visit the historic Frijole Ranch10-60 Minutes · All year
Frijole Ranch is a delightful oasis on the edge of the dry, lower slopes of the Guadalupe escarpment which truly captures the rugged sprit of the American West. Today the Frijole Ranch History Museum occupies the old…
Fee
- Visit the Foothills Visitor Center5-75 Minutes · All year
This visitor center is one mile past the Ash Mountain entrance station along the Generals Highway. Stop here for information, maps, books, gifts, and restrooms. Browse exhibits about the ecology and human history of the…
- Visit the Kings Canyon Visitor Center5-75 Minutes · All year
At the Kings Canyon Visitor Center, learn about three regions in Kings Canyon National Park: giant sequoia groves, Kings Canyon, and the High Sierra. Watch a 15-minute movie (English/Spanish). A park store sells books,…
- Visit the Lodgepole Visitor Center5-120 Minutes · All year
With brand new museum exhibits, a Park Store, and a wilderness information counter, the Lodgepole Visitor Center is the place to be.
- Visit the Northwest Arctic Heritage Center30-120 Minutes · All year
Trying to figure out where to go and what to do in Northwest Alaska? The Northwest Arctic Heritage Center is a great place to meet rangers and acquire information on Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Kobuk Valley…
- Visit the Valor Memorial at Longmire5-10 Minutes · All year
Visit the Valor Memorial at Longmire to honor the Mount Rainier National Park Rangers who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Pets OK - Visit the 10th Mountain Division Memorial30-60 Minutes · Spring, Summer, Fall
Take a short walk up the Skyline Trail to visit the 10th Mountain Division Memorial which honors the U.S. Army Troops who trained at Paradise during World War II.
- Explore at the Paleo Exhibits at Rainbow Forest Museum30-60 Minutes · All year
Explore the paleontology exhibits at Rainbow Forest Museum.
- Peek into the Paleo LabAll year
Visit the Museum Demonstration Lab at the Painted Desert Visitor Center Complex where you can ask questions and watch them work on fossils from the park.
Pets OK
- Visit Theodore Roosevelt's Maltese Cross Cabin5-20 Minutes · All year
The Maltese Cross Cabin was Theodore Roosevelt's first home in Dakota territory. Step inside and learn about how he lived during his time in the badlands where the romance of his life began.
- Visit the Yosemite Cemetery10-60 Minutes · All year
The Yosemite Cemetery is full of stories, told and untold. Some of those laid to rest here are well-known figures in the history of the park. Some spent their entire lives in Yosemite and are now almost forgotten.
- Visit the Yosemite Museum30 Minutes · All year
Open year-round, the Yosemite Museum has displays that interpret the cultural history of Yosemite's native Miwok and Paiute people from 1850 to the present, demonstrations of stone tool making, basket-weaving, beadwork,…
The Yosemite Exploration Center features interactive displays and exhibits highlighting Yosemite's many stories and resources. Bring the family and learn more about Yosemite's history, the people who originally called…
From the NPS Data API's things-to-do records, checked 2026-10-01.
FAQ
Museum Exhibits, quickly
- Which national parks offer museum exhibits?
- 36 of the 63 national parks list museum exhibits as an activity, according to the National Park Service: Biscayne, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Channel Islands, Congaree, Crater Lake, Death Valley, Everglades, Gateway Arch, Grand Canyon, Great Basin, Great Sand Dunes, Great Smoky Mountains, Guadalupe Mountains, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes, Hot Springs, Isle Royale, Joshua Tree, Kobuk Valley, Lassen Volcanic, Mesa Verde, Mount Rainier, American Samoa, New River Gorge, Olympic, Petrified Forest, Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Shenandoah, Theodore Roosevelt, Voyageurs, Wind Cave, Wrangell–St. Elias, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Zion.
- What's the least crowded national park for museum exhibits?
- By 2025 recreation visits, Kobuk Valley National Park (7,786 visits), then Isle Royale (29,091). The busiest park on this list is Great Smoky Mountains, with 11,527,939.
- Which state has the most national parks for museum exhibits?
- California, with 6, followed by Utah (3).
Sources · 2
- 1.NPS Data API — /parks (all park units) · National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior)
- 2.NPS Visitor Use Statistics — monthly recreation visits, 2021–2025 (IRMA stats REST service) · National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior) — Visitor Use Statistics Program
Activities are the ones each park lists in the NPS Data API. Check the park's own nps.gov page for current trail, water and permit conditions.
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