Best Sculpture Park (2022)

The sculpture garden at the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) includes more than 90 works displayed on 11 acres of City Park. Visitors can enjoy these works of art amid a landscape of mature pines, magnolias, live oaks and two lagoons.
Photo courtesy of Richard Sexton

This sculpture park at Governors State University in Chicago’s Southland features a collection of 30 large-scale sculptures displayed across 100 acres of prairie landscape. The free outdoor museum also hosts programs to help connect visitors with art and nature in a more meaningful way.
Photo courtesy of Guy Rhodes

Founded in 1931, the 300-acre Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet is part sculpture garden, part wildlife sanctuary occupying the site of four former rice plantations. The National Historic Landmark houses one of the best figurative sculpture collections in the world. 
Photo courtesy of Lydia Schrandt

Laumeier Sculpture Park was founded in 1976 as one of the first dedicated sculpture parks in the US. The St. Louis sculpture park features more than 70 large-scale works of outdoor sculpture, scattered amid the 105-acre area. Entrance to the park is free.
Photo courtesy of Mike Venso/Laumeier Sculpture Park

This 30-acre wooded preserve in northern Michigan features a collection of more than fifty sculptures, as well as rotating exhibits. The park hosts drop-in programs for both adults and kids to encourage connection with art, nature and history.
Photo courtesy of Michigan Legacy Art Park

The National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden opened in 1999 as a place to share fine works of art with the public. The space, centered around a fountain, features nearly two dozen pieces by some of the world’s top sculptors (including Joan Miró). In the winter, the fountain gets converted into an outdoor skating rink.
Photo courtesy of National Gallery of Art

The spectacular Beartooth Mountains of Montana create a backdrop for the sculptures on display at the Tippet Rise Art Center near the town of Fishtail. This 12,000-acre working sheep and cattle ranch hosts large-scale outdoor sculptures that visitors can see by exploring 10 miles of hiking and biking trails.
Photo courtesy of James Florio

This free sculpture garden at the Walker Art Center exhibits modern and contemporary works from the museum’s collection. Visitors can see more than 40 pieces displayed within the 11 landscaped acres, including the iconic Spoonbridge and Cherry.
Photo courtesy of Mike Krivit / Meet Minneapolis

The free Olympic Sculpture Park at the Seattle Art Museum features nine monumental works along the downtown waterfront. The nine-acre green space – the largest in downtown – offers not only art, but stellar views of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound.
Photo courtesy of Benjamin Benschneider / Seattle Art Museum

One of the world's best sculpture parks, the Storm King Art Center occupies 500 acres of rolling hills in the lower Hudson Valley – a scenic setting for its collection of more than 100 sculptures by some of the world's top artists.
Photo courtesy of Gary Stoller, USA TODAY