The Best Museums for Celebrating Women's History Month

by Alex Temblador
Last updated:: 12:13 PM ET, Wed February 12, 2020

PHOTO: Women-only travel. (Photo via iStock / Getty Images E+ / martin-dm)

Women's Rights National Historical Park is located in Seneca Falls. (photo via Flickr / Ken Lund)

National Museum of Women in the Arts is dedicated to showcasing women's contributions to the arts. (photo via Flickr / NCinDC ) (Flickr / NCinDC)

The International Women's Air and Space Museum highlight women's contributions in the aviation and space industries. (photo via International Women's Air and Space Museum) (International Women's Air and Space Museum)

The U.S. Army Women's Museum highlights women's contributions in the army. (photo via U.S. Army Women's Museum) (U.S. Army Women's Museum)

Learn about the Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman at the Harriet Tubman National Historic Park. (photo via (Flickr / Ted Eytan)

A group of women smile at the camera. (photo via iStock / Getty Images Plus / Ridofranz)

An old photo of women on bicycles. (photo via (iStock / Getty Images Plus / ilbusca)

A team celebrates after a soccer match. (photo via E+ / skynesher)

Learn about this famous suffragette at the Susan B. Anthony Museum and House. (photo via Flickr / Daveynin)

The Ida B. Wells-Barnett Museum remembers the life of journalist and activist Ida B. Wells. (photo via Ida B. Wells Museum)

Young girl poses for a picture at the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park. (photo via Flickr / National Park Service)

Maryland Women's Heritage Center's exhibit on the women of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. (photo via Flickr / NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)

Dresses worn by First Ladies on display at the First Ladies National Historic Site. (photo via First Ladies National Historic Site)

The WWII WASP exhibit at the Ninety-Nines Museum of Women Pilots. (photo via Ninety-Nines Museum of Women Pilots)

Learn about the contributions of women in Colorado history at the Center for Colorado Women's History at the Byers-Evans House Museum. (photo via History Colorado)

The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum can be explored in Santa Fe, New Mexico. (photo via Flickr / Mark Stephenson)

Nancy Pelosi being inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. (photo via Flickr / rep.louiseslaughter)

A bus similar to the one where Rosa Parks made her stand against Jim Crow segregation laws. (photo via Flickr / sabudama)

The Eudora Welty House offers insight into the life of the famous writer. (photo via Flickr / J R Gordan)

The women of the West are celebrated at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. (National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame)

Learn About U.S. Women's History

1/21

In U.S. history we often refer to our "forefathers," but this country wouldn't be where it is without the women of America. They've built up industries, broken down barriers and have gone beyond the roles that society has placed on them time and time again. Learn about the most phenomenal women in U.S. history by visiting these fantastic women's history museums.

Women's Rights National Historical Park

2/21

Not all museums are confined to a single building. The Women's Rights National Historical Park is a must-visit in Seneca Falls, New York, home of the Seneca Falls Convention or the first women's rights convention. At the Women's Right's National Historic Park you can explore the women's rights movements through exhibits in the visitor center, the Wesleyan Chapel where the convention was held, and famous homes of suffragists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

National Museum of Women in the Arts

3/21

The National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington D.C. is the only museum in the world to highlight women's contributions to art, literature, music and the performing arts. Check out their collection of 5,000 objects, exhibits that bring women artists to life, and learn about the gender disparity that women have faced and still face in the arts.

International Women's Air and Space Museum

4/21

If Hidden Figures taught us anything, it's that many women have not received major recognition for the roles they had in making the aviation and space industries successful. Celebrate the women of aviation and space, from pilots to astronauts, WASP in the wars and women who soared high in hot air balloons at the International Women's Air and Space Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.

U.S. Army Women's Museum and Hall of Fame

5/21

Women have bravely fought in the U.S. army well before they were even allowed to. From the Revolutionary War to the present day, women have served in so many elements of the army, and you can learn all about it at the U.S. Army Women's Museum in Fort Lee, Virginia. Free admission and tours are available.

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center

6/21

There isn't a U.S. citizen who doesn't know about Harriet Tubman but did you know she had epilepsy or that she was the first woman in U.S. history to lead an armed raid? Discover more about Harriet Tubman and her leadership in the Underground Railroad and the Civil War at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center.

Museum of Women's Resistance

7/21

Brooklyn is home to the Museum of Women's Resistance, an intersectional museum that focuses on women of color, queer identities and the history of feminism. In addition to commissioned art, sculptures and textiles, visitors can experience video and sound stations that offer historical interviews, literary readings, prayers, folk tales, songs and oral stories.

Women's Museum of California

8/21

The Women's Museum of California is not limited to the contributions of women in California but provides exhibits and events intent on educating people about women's experiences and contributions throughout history. Located in San Diego, consider booking a tour of the museum or attending one of their speaker events.

Women's Sports Museum

9/21

The Women's Sports Museum will be the first museum in the world to be entirely dedicated to showing the skill and strength of female athletes in history. While it isn't open yet, the Women's Sports Museum will be in Sarasota, Florida, and if you're dying to learn more about what they'll offer, the museum is set to open a preview center in Spring 2020.

Susan B. Anthony Museum & House

10/21

Susan B. Anthony did a lot to gain women the right to vote. Today, the Susan B. Anthony Museum is set within her own home in Rochester, New York. There is a fee but with docent-led tours, you're going to learn so much about this woman who fought for women's rights.

Ida B Wells-Barnett Museum

11/21

Make a stop in Holly Springs, Mississippi, to visit the Ida B. Well-Barnett Museum. While the museum collects and preserves artifacts as they relate to African American history, one of the top highlights is the exhibit about Ida B. Well-Barnett. She was a leading journalist who fought for equal rights and exposed lynchings in the U.S. despite being a target for lynching herself. Her exhibit contains personal memorabilia, awards and other items from her life.

Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front

12/21

The Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front is a national historical park in California showcasing the efforts of Americans on the home front during WWII. Women, of course, played a big role in the war, especially in working in the factories on the home front. In addition to films and exhibits, rangers offer free tours at this park. Check out the Rosie the Riveter Memorial and the Red Oak Victory Ship, and don't miss a chance to visit with a WWII Home Front worker on Rosie Fridays.

Maryland Women's Heritage Center

13/21

"Museum" may be a stretch for the Maryland Women's Heritage Center but in some ways, you'll find a similar experience. The Maryland Women's Heritage Center focuses on renowned women of Maryland who have been inducted in the Women's Hall of Fame. In addition to workshops and events focused on women and women's history, they also have exhibits that highlight women in diverse fields like "Women in STEM" and "Women in the Arts."

First Ladies National Historic Site

14/21

If you find yourself in Canton, Ohio, stop by the First Ladies National Historic Site to see how the role of the First Lady has changed over time. You'll learn about different First Ladies at the home of First Lady Ida Saxton-McKinley and have a chance to see an exhibit and a film at the visitor center. Tours are available.

Ninety-Nines Museum of Women Pilots

15/21

The Ninety-Nines Museum of Women Pilots celebrates the amazing feats of female pilots throughout aviation history. Located in Oklahoma City, this museum has exhibits about the famed Amelia Earhart, women pilots in WWII, women pilot racing in the sky and notable women who made it to space.

Center for Colorado Women's History at the Byers-Evans House Museum

16/21

Colorado women's history comes to life at the Byers-Evans House Museum. Book a guided tour to learn about notable Colorado women like Anne Evans who lived in the restored home that houses the museum. There is also an exhibit called "Women/Work/Justice," which examines women's human and civil rights in the workplace, society and at home under a historical Colorado lens.

Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

17/21

Georgia O'Keeffe was one of the world's most impressive and successful artists, and you can witness that at a museum dedicated to her work, the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. This Santa Fe-based museum has over 3,000 works by O'Keeffe ranging throughout her life from 1901 to 1984.

National Women's Hall of Fame

18/21

The new decade is an exciting time for the National Women's Hall of Fame, which is moving to a new location that will open in summer 2020. As the name suggests, the National Women's Hall of Fame inducts notable American women, but they also offer tours of exhibits that feature artifacts related to inductees. Keep an eye out for visiting lecturers and events.

Rosa Parks Museum

19/21

The Rosa Parks Museum can be found in Montgomery, Alabama, the same city in which Rosa Parks was arrested and set off a chain of events in the Civil Rights Movement. The museum is housed at Troy University and sends visitors back in time through an exhibit that includes the fingerprint arrest records of Rosa Parks, a 1950s-era Montgomery bus, and memorabilia about the people who led the bus boycott in Montgomery.

Eudora Welty House

20/21

Fans of literary genius Eudora Welty can learn more about her life and career as a successful author by visiting her home in Jackson, Mississippi, which has been turned into a museum. The Eudora Welty House offers tours, exhibits, and a film about this literary great.

National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame

21/21

The women of the West were as hardy as the men and those women are celebrated at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. The Fort Worth-based museum has 4,000 artifacts that highlight 750 remarkable women of the West which includes artists, sharpshooters, cowgirls, businesswomen, actresses, Supreme Court justices and guides.

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