Browse Museums

Art, History, Historic House, Specialized

Strike your own American Gothic pose in front of the house that inspired Iowa artist Grant Wood to begin his most famous painting. Costumes and pitch fork are provided by the American Gothic House Center!

Specialized

An operating historical railroad museum running on 11 miles of track across the Des Moines River Valley. Home to "The Iowan", the last commercially produced steam locomotive in the world

Park, Specialized

A unit of the National Park System established to preserve prehistoric Indian burial and ceremonial mounds and the environment where they are found.

Iowa Gold Star Museum

Johnston, Iowa

History, Specialized

The museum interprets the history of Iowans in the military from 1846 to the present.

History, Specialized

Photos, documents, artifacts all pertaining to coal mining, labor history and John L. Lewis who was a labor leader born 1 mile from Lucas, Iowa.

Mississippi River Museum

Dubuque, Iowa

History, Specialized

Mississippi and national river history, local history, National Rivers Hall of Fame, archives

National Farm Toy Museum

Dyersville, Iowa

Specialized

Established in 1986, this museum offers an array of farm toys, trucks and banks manufactured world-wide. Farm scenes illustrate the importance of agriculture throughout history. Enjoy our large pedal tractor display and 10 minute movie in a 45-seat theatre.

Specialized

World's only museum dedicated solely to preserving the history of the sport of sprint car racing.

Art, Culture, General, History, Library, Park, Specialized

The Danish Immigrant Museum will tell the story of the Danish immigrants and the Danish-American experience and is organized to collect, preserve, study and interpret their material, culture and traditions.

Culture, History, Historical Society, Library, Military, Specialized

The architecture of the Depot is the Richardson Romanesque Style which influenced the first Chicago School of architecture and architects such as Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright. That Style, named after Henry Hobson Richardson, generally follows Romanesque Revival Style, incorporating 11th century southern French and Spanish Romanesque characteristics, plus Richardson designs, which can be observed on the Depot.

Specialized

An unexpected wonder located in the scenic backroad country of northeast Iowa - not to be missed!

Historic House, Historical Society, Specialized

Built in 1896, the depot was the first one built in Wright County and operated as a working depot until 1980. Passengers rode the trains to nearby towns and many commercial products were shipped by rail such as poultry, farm products, and coal. The Dows Historical Society raised enough money to purchase and restore the depot in 1988, and today it is known as The Dows Depot Welcome Center. It has been placed on the National Register of Historical Places.

History, Historic House, Park, Specialized

Built in 1927 at Dubuque, Iowa by the U. S. Government, the S.S. Thorpe inaugurated barge service on the upper Mississippi . The first of four steamboats built for the revival of river transportation, it was the first to move barges from St. Louis north to St. Paul. It remained in service there until 1940, when it was sold to Armco Steel Corp. and put in service on the Ohio River. Armco renamed it the George M. Verity after their founder.

History, Specialized

Displays the unique nautical history of Lake Okoboji and the Iowa Great Lakes through a collection of wooden boats and memorabilia.

Medical Museum

Iowa City, Iowa

Specialized

Through exhibits of photographs, artifacts and interactive displays, the story of health care in Iowa is used to illustrate the history of medicine in general.

History, Library, Science, Specialized

Come and surround yourself in history and the "Beginning of the Space Age" with Ballooning from 1783 to the present. Learn about many of the Pioneers of Ballooning from our Hall of Fame and Women in Ballooning displays. The Children' Learning Area will entertain and teach them about ballooning through simulated video games, videos , balloon pictures and books.Our collection covers gas,smoke and hot air balloons as well as airships, blimps and Zeppelins and their memoribilia.

Specialized

As the motorcycle industry continues to change with technology, it is critical that the transformation be captured and preserved.
When you walk through the doors you will be transported back in time as you marvel at the extensive collection, dating back to 1903. Cruise in and experience over 170 vintage motorcycles, from Ariels to Zundapps, thousands of photographs, posters, postcards, and pieces of motorcycle memorabilis, plus a fabulous collection of antique motorcycle toys, and more!

Specialized

Dry-docked 1932 Army Corps of Engineers work boat with exhibitions related to Siouxland maritime history; also serves as an official Iowa and Nebraska State Welcome Center

The Higgins Museum

Okoboji, Iowa

Specialized

Devoted to national banking in the US. National bank notes and memorabilia from Iowa and adjoining states. Research facilities.

Culture, History, Specialized

Built and maintained by the Midwest old Settlers and Threshers Association, Inc., the Museum of Repertoire Americana officially opened September 1, 1973, reflecting the long-time dream of repertoire theatre company owners and actors Neil and Caroline Schaffner. The museum is dedicated to the preservation of memorabilia and artifacts of early repertoire theatre. The collection includes numerous painted curtains and scenic pieces; costumes and equipment used by individual performers and technicians; playbills, show cards, advertising sheets, etc.; and an extensive research library of rare scripts, correspondence, tour schedules, production photos and other original source materials.

MUSEUM CONFERENCES

April 27 - April 29, 2025

Oregon Museum Association 2025 Conference

TBA

Independence, Oregon

Beginning in 2025, the OMA annual conference will be held in Spring rather than Fall

The conference this year is all about trying new things. We are hoping to organize the conference into the following four tracks: Collections Care, Leadership, Emergency Preparedness, and Tourism

Check our website for more details in early 2025

The OMA newsletter is emailed every month with updates on OMA events, museum news, other events, trainings, jobs, grants and more for the museum community in Oregon.

For more information, please email connect@oregonmuseums.org.

October 1 - October 4, 2025

Western Museums Association’s (WMA) 2025 Annual Meeting

TBA

Reno, Nevada

Save the Date for WMA 202

As we celebrate our 90th anniversary, join us to build relationships and soar higher than ever before. With the theme of ELEVATE, WMA 2025 will explore ways to lift up the experiences of cultural professionals and the communities they serve.

In Reno, Nevada, 4,400 feet above sea level, we will forward the progress of museums by looking to the future.

May 6 - May 9, 2025

2025 American Alliance of Museums (AAM) ANNUAL MEETING & MUSEUMEXPO

Los Angeles Convention Center

Los Angeles, California

AAM 2025 will focus on the theme, Museums & Trust.

Museums have long inspired high levels of public trust, surpassing news outlets, government organizations, researchers and scientists, corporations, and social media platforms. This consistent finding underscores our institutions’ unique position in society as stewards of knowledge, culture, science, and history—areas where credibility and reliability are paramount

In an era marked by mistrust and misinformation, museums have a rare ability to counterbalance the proliferation of false narratives and polarized perspectives. Using our trusted position, we can cultivate a more healthy, empathetic, and informed society.

But to do so, we must maintain our credibility proactively, embracing thoughtful, transparent, and collaborative practices that will defend against influences like bias, resource challenges, abuse of power, and social injustice

An Incredible MuseumExpo

AAM is again partnering this year with the Museum Store Association to host an incredible combined expo hall. Find the most innovative services, products, and solutions in the museum field. With 350 exhibitors, you are bound to find the right partner for your museum’s current challenges and opportunities.

May 5 - May 9, 2025

Museum Store Association FORWARD 2025 in LA

The Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Join MSA in LA

We’re excited about our next MSA FORWARD Conference & Expo in “The City of Angels” – Los Angeles, California in conjunction with the American Alliance of Museums

Join the Museum Store Association (MSA) and hundreds of nonprofit retail professionals for the 70th Annual MSA FORWARD Retail Conference & Expo, taking place May 5-9, 2025 at The Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California

Once again, MSA FORWARD will be held in conjunction with the 2025 American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Annual Meeting & Expo

Learn best practices and new ideas for store merchandising, operations, marketing, and sale

Participate in dedicated networking events and create connections that will inspire new ideas

Meet with over 200 MSA vendors about your product needs

Hear from knowledgeable industry experts during session breakouts and keynote presentations

Network with AAM attendees and exhibitor

September 10 - September 13, 2025

2025 Am Assoc for State and Local History Annual Conference

TBD

Cincinnati, Ohio

The 2025 AASLH Annual Conference, in partnership with Ohio Local History Alliance, will take place as the history field makes the final preparations to kickoff off the 250th commemoration of the founding of the United States.

The 2025 conference theme, inspired by AASLH’s Making History at 250: The Field Guide for Semiquincentennial, is an opportunity to broadly explore one of the guide’s themes, The American Experiment. For many in the American colonies in 1776, independence from Britain represented a “leap into the dark” into an unknown future

We are excited for you to join us in Cincinnati as we encourage discussion about our democracy and civic institutions and how they can help strengthen understanding, inspire action, and reveal ways that all of us can participate in and shape the ongoing American experiment.

For more information, please call 615-320-3203 or email info@aaslh.org.

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