The United States is home to some of the most exquisite museums, grand theatres, music, and art centers of the world. The continent has the most exciting surprises to offer when it comes to experiencing the blend of tradition and modernity. There is no end to the list of exploration as the US offers the best of opportunities and promotes preservation and conservation as well.
When it comes to exploring the art scenario of the land, one must keep the Museums at the top of the list. Ranked as one of the top museums of the world, the Art Institute of Chicago in Illinois boasts of some of the finest collection of art and artifacts from 5000 BC to the contemporary times. Edward Hopper’s ‘Nighthawks’, Georgia O’Keeffe “Sky above Clouds” are some of the most notable American artworks among the collection of 300,000 works of art. The Museum also has the most envious exhibition of impressionist collection next to Paris, including the creations by Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet and Georges Seurat.
The Field Museum in Chicago is also a great place to discover the wonders of the natural world. Multisensory displays and interactive exhibits act as visual storytellers, leading you on a journey from ancient earth to modern times. One can explore a treasure trove of fossils, mummies, precious gemstones and extinct animals, including “Sue,” the largest Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton ever found.
To dive deep into the Old West cultural phenomenon, there’s no better place than the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Founded in 1955, this museum in Oklahoma City collects, preserves, and exhibits an internationally renowned collection of Western art and artifacts while sponsoring dynamic educational programs to stimulate interest in the enduring legacy of the American West.
However, the US alters the conventional experience of Museums too and Jazz Museums from across the continent are a unique addition to the list. Known for its connection with the legends Louise Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Charlie Parker, the American Jazz Museum of Kansas City, Missouri, hosts live shows four nights a week.
Kansas City’s Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts houses an independent venue that offers amazing acoustics. The Muriel Kauffman Theatre hosts the Kansas City Ballet and Lyric Opera of Kansas City, as well as Broadway productions, musical shows and comedy acts. The adjacent Helzberg Hall presents international talent and the Kansas City Symphony.
The Musical Instrument Museum – Phoenix, Arizona Housing hosts an exhibition of 7,000 instruments, with a collection from all corners of the world across different periods as well as personal items from famous performers such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Steve Vai, Alice Cooper and John Lennon.
In Portland, you’ll find plenty of art at the Portland Art Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Craft, as well as iconic music venues such as the Aladdin Theater and the Crystal Ballroom.
You can listen to live shows in the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee – the temple for country music lovers and experience the moments that made country music history.
The National Blues Museum explores blues music that originated in the south-eastern region of the USA, from the late 19th century to the present. The museum is located at 10 minutes away from the Gateway Arch and the scenic Mississippi River Greenway.
In Eunice, Louisiana, explore how the Acadian settlers, who populated southwestern Louisiana during the late 18th century, spread the roots of Cajun music and affected Zydeco music of the African American sharecroppers, slaves and farmers of the area during the mid-19th century. While both these distinct flavours of music tradition use quite a few similar instruments, Cajun music has closer connection to French and other European folk music, while zydeco is closer to blues, Afro-Caribbean music, and R&B.
With more than 42,000 events each year from 200 of the world’s greatest arts and cultural organizations, the palm beach area is known as “Florida’s Cultural Capital.” Apart from The Flagler Museum, The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, visitors throng to the Ann Norton Sculpture Garden in West Palm Beach. The Society of the Four Arts, a non-profit cultural organization established to encourage the community’s cultural growth, includes a library, children’s library and sculpture and botanical gardens. Visitors can also attend art exhibitions, engage in the speeches by notable guest speakers, attend informational seminars and enjoy top-grade concerts.
Another option is to browse the art, listen to open-air concerts and enjoy tasty treats at the Street Painting Festival in downtown Lake Worth, while not missing out on ArtPalmBeach, a large show of contemporary art; the Palm Beach Jewellery, Art and Antique Show, the largest of its kind in the nation; and FOTOfusion, a huge convention of photography instructors from around the country.
The Miami City Ballet company performs more shows at the world-class Kravis Center in Palm Beach than anywhere else.
Among the live theatrical venues around the Palm Beaches, the Lake Worth Playhouse has a “never-be-dark” policy, which means you’ll enjoy performances year ‘round at this restored 1920’s playhouse. The Delray Beach Playhouse offers everything from Broadway shows to children’s theater performances in a community playhouse setting. Meanwhile, at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, you can catch a Broadway performance in a beautiful, multi-million-dollar facility.
