As you look forward to Thanksgiving this week, you may also be worrying about what to do with relatives who are sticking around for the long weekend. An art-focused activity may be the perfect remedy for the post-turkey doldrums if you desperately need to leave the house but you’re dreading the droves of shoppers Black Friday brings.
If you’re interested in maximizing family time but also getting some breathing room this weekend, check out this list of attractions in Plaza Art cities. If you happen to live in Washington, DC or Richmond, Virginia you can actually visit an art Museum on Thanksgiving Day!
We’ve kept budget and crowd-pleasing in mind—these are mostly free activities that can appeal to large groups, including relatives who roll their eyes when they hear someone say “art museum.” We’ve only included the hours for the long holiday weekend for your convenience—please visit the museums’ websites for weekday information.
Washington, DC Metropolitan Area
The National Gallery of Art
6th Street and Constitution Avenue NW Washington, DC
www.nga.gov
FREE
OPEN Thanksgiving Day, 10am – 5pm
OPEN Friday, Nov. 27, 10am – 5pm
Saturday 10am – 5pm and Sunday 11am – 6pm
The National Gallery of Art is a an amazing experience and it is always free. Go on a self-guided tour, enjoy a docent-led tour, or just wander around. Check out the museum’s website for current exhibitions and programs. The NGA also has a pretty awesome cafeteria as far as museums go, and you can find activity guides for children for many exhibits. Please note: the East Building Galleries are currently closed for renovations, but you can still walk around inside and enjoy I.M Pei’s modern architecture. And don’t forget to take the moving walkway in the basement between the two buildings so you can experience Leo Villareal’s “Multiverse” permanent light installation.
The National Arboretum
3501 New York Ave NE, Washington, DC
www.usna.usda.gov/Information
FREE
OPEN Thanksgiving Day, 8am – 5pm; grounds only. Visitor center and Bonsai exhibit are closed.
OPEN Friday, Nov. 27, 8am – 5pm
And every day from 8am – 5pm
If you are looking to paint or draw studies in texture, The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum inside the Arboretum is truly inspirational! The bark and branches of these ancient trees are worth examining no matter what medium you like to work in. During the winter months, the bonsai are sheltered in a greenhouse to protect them from harsh weather. This specific section of the arboretum is open from 10:00am to 4:00pm, November through February. Visit this collection first if you plan to visit later in the day, because of the more limited hours! Though not in bloom, Arboretum is also full of great walking and hiking during the winter months and contains a conifer section that is green year-round.
Artomatic
8100 Corporate Drive, Hyattsville, MD (New Carrolton Metro Stop)
www.artomatic.org/artomatic-2015
FREE
CLOSED Thanksgiving Day
OPEN Friday and Saturday, 11am – Midnight
And Sunday, 11am – 8pm
Artomatic is one of the largest non-juried, non-profit art events in the United States. It happens every couple of years or so in the DC area, and it is truly mind-blowing in both scale and ambition. You will see some of the best artwork you’ve ever seen, and possibly some of the worst. If you go here with a large group, you will definitely have something to talk about during and after the visit. A real crowd-pleaser that you have to see to believe—read more about it in our previous blog post. Closes December 12, 2015.
Nashville, Tennessee
The Frist Center for the Visual Arts
919 Broadway, Nashville, TN
fristcenter.org
FREE for Ages 18 and Under
$12 for Adult General Admission; $9 Students, Seniors and Military
CLOSED Thanksgiving Day
OPEN Friday, Nov. 27, 10am – 9pm
Saturday 10am – 5:30pm and Sunday 1pm – 5:30pm
The Frist is a world-class, non-collecting art museum and free admission for youth makes it an outstanding choice for a family outing. You can see wide-ranging and well-curated exhibits all year round. The Frist doesn’t have a permanent collection—instead, the museum’s focus is to show newly curated exhibits and traveling exhibits from all over the country and the world.
The Parthenon
2500 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN
www.nashville.gov/Parks-and-Recreation/Parthenon
$4 General Admission for the museum, FREE to walk around the grounds
CLOSED Thanksgiving
Open Tuesday – Saturday 9am – 4:30pm, and Sunday 12:30pm – 4:30pm
The Parthenon was built in 1897 and sits at the center of Nashville’s Centennial Park. It is an exact replica of the original Parthenon in Athens, Greece. It contains a collection of 63 painting by 19th and 20th century American artists, as well as temporary exhibits of contemporary artists. A great place to take a walk, have a picnic, and see a full-scale replica of the ancient gold-guilded statue of Athena.
Richmond, Virginia
Virginia Museum of the Fine Arts200 N. Boulevard, Richmond, Virginia USA
http://vmfa.museum
FREE
OPEN Thanksgiving Day, 10am – 5pm
OPEN Friday, Nov. 27, 10am – 9pm
And Saturday – Sunday, 10am – 5pm
The Virginia Museum of the Fine Arts is one of the most spectacular art museums in the United States and its open 365 days a year. If you live in Richmond and you’ve never been there, do yourself a favor and visit immediately. The VMFA’s exhibitions of contemporary artists are engaging, current and thoughtfully curated, and the museum’s permanent collection is diverse and immense. The building and grounds are also well-designed and soothing to walk around.
Cincinnati, Ohio
The Cincinnati Art Museum
953 Eden Park Drive, Cincinnati, OH
www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org
FREE
CLOSED Thanksgiving Day
OPEN Friday, Nov. 27, 11am – 5pm
And Saturday – Sunday, 11am-5pm
The Cincinnati Art Museum is among the oldest museums in the United States and it is always free to the public. It holds a permanent collection of paintings by old European Masters, works by Picasso, Monet and Renoir, as well as a large collection of paintings by Franck Duveneck.
The American Sign Museum
1330 Monmouth Street, Cincinnati, OH
www.americansignmuseum.org
FREE for Ages 12 and Under
$12 Adult Admission; $10 Students, Seniors and Military
CLOSED Thanksgiving Day
OPEN Friday, Nov. 17, 10am – 4pm
Saturday 10am – 4pm, Sunday 12pm – 4pm
Are you crazy about lettering and nostalgic for old American roadside signage? The American Sign Museum is dedicated to preserving signs of all kinds. It features over 19,000 square feet of exhibit space and rooms glowing with antique signage. On weekdays, you can watch sign-makers craft neon signs in Neonworks, the onsite workshop. Examine archives of documents regarding the history and art of sign making.
Baltimore, Maryland
The Walters Art Museum
600 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD
thewalters.org
FREE
CLOSED Thanksgiving Day
OPEN Friday, Nov. 27, 10am – 5pm
And Saturday – Sunday 10am – 5pm
If you can’t get to the Metropolitan Museum in New York City, visit the Walters—it’s free and just as awe-inspiring, with millions of dollars’ worth of artworks from ancient civilizations all over the world. View works from ancient Egypt and ancient Greece, Roman sarcophagi, Art Deco Jewelry, illuminated manuscripts, and works from the European Masters and the Impressionists. There are sculptures and pottery from Mesopotamia, Mesoamerica and all over Asia. There are also amazing collections of medieval art and 19th century American and French paintings.
Baltimore Museum of Art
10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore, MD
artbma.org
FREE
CLOSED Thanksgiving Day
OPEN Friday, Nov. 27, 10am – 5pm
And Saturday – Sunday 11am – 6pm
The Baltimore Museum of Art is located near Johns Hopkins University and contains works by Matisse, Manet, Degas, Picasso, Cezanne, Renoir and van Gogh in the Cone collection, as well as an excellent sculpture garden. The BMA rivals the National Gallery of Art in its wide-ranging permanent collection, with art from every continent. The museum has undergone extensive renovations it the past 10 years and its Contemporary Wing is excellent as well.
American Visionary Art Museum
800 Key Highway, Baltimore, MD
www.avam.org
$9.95 Ages 7-Student, $15.95 Adult Admission
CLOSED Thanksgiving Day
OPEN Friday, Nov. 27, 10am – 6pm
And Saturday – Sunday, 10am – 6pm
The American Visionary Art Museum is one of the most off-beat museums in the country. The museum is deeply involved in the local community and highlights the work of nontraditional artists, featuring outsider art or “art brut.” There are many funky creations from self-taught artists and the museum only uses guest curators for its exhibitions. This is an art museum for both people who dislike art museums, and for those who love them!
