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American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore, MD

Photo: Fritz Geller-Grimm, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

MuseumsQuirky FunLocal GemRainy-Day Pick

American Visionary Art Museum

800 Key Hwy · Baltimore, MD

Why you should go…

Opened in 1995 on Key Highway in Federal Hill, this museum is devoted to self-taught, intuitive art and is recognized by Congress as the national museum for visionary art. Its 1.1 acre campus holds the Main Building, the Jim Rouse Visionary Center, a Tall Sculpture Barn and a Wildflower Garden, plus a collection of whirligigs by farmer-artist Vollis Simpson. Themed exhibitions by guest curators change regularly, and the museum hosts the Kinetic Sculpture Race of human-powered contraptions.

  • #art museum
  • #outsider art
  • #folk art
  • #federal hill

Good to know

General museums guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Check the special exhibition separately

    Touring shows usually carry their own ticket and their own opening hours, listed apart from general admission.

  • Look for the free window

    Many museums run community days, member evenings, or discounted late openings. It is worth a look before you pay full price.

  • Travel light through the door

    Large bags and backpacks often have to go to a coat check, and lines for it move slowly at opening.

  • Weekday mornings beat weekend afternoons

    School groups clear out by early afternoon midweek, while weekends stay busy from late morning on.

What's around here?

The closest stops to American Visionary Art Museum, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Inner Harbor

    Free

    Stroll a waterfront promenade lined with museums, historic ships, seafood restaurants and boat tours in downtown Baltimore.

    0.3 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums
    Family Favorite

    Maryland Science Center

    $25–$50

    Explore three floors of hands-on science exhibits, dinosaur skeletons, a planetarium and an IMAX theater on the Inner Harbor.

    0.3 mi awayMore like this

  • Attractions
    Iconic

    National Aquarium

    $25–$50

    See sharks, dolphins, jellies and a tropical rain forest at a large aquarium on Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

    0.3 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Baltimore, Maryland

    Free

    Maryland's largest city, known for its historic Inner Harbor, rowhouse neighborhoods, and blue-crab dining scene.

    0.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums
    Free

    The Walters Art Museum

    Free

    Wander free galleries of art spanning Egyptian mummies, medieval ivories, armor and Old Master paintings in Mount Vernon.

    1.2 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    History Buff

    National Museum of Railroad History & Innovation

    Under $25

    Walk among historic locomotives and rail cars inside an 1884 roundhouse on the birthplace of American railroading.

    1.4 mi awayMore like this