Want to enjoy art while in the United States? Fall is the time of the year to do so! You will see how the trees are packed with color and how refreshing the air is. There is just something magical about seeing sculptures outdoors. Witness how these works come to life while seeing how light and shadows emerge with the natural elements. The United States has several outdoor sculpture parks that feature everything from famous masterpieces to works by talented artists.
Here are some of the best places to see outdoor sculpture across the United States this fall:
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
If you love art and nature or are simply looking for a peaceful escape, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is the place to be. Explore a variety of beautifully landscaped gardens and world-class sculptures. These also have interactive experiences that can be enjoyed with your family and friends. And the best thing? You can relax and unwind in the serene surroundings of the park after enjoying what this park offers.
Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park recently welcomed its 15 millionth visitor, a significant milestone ahead of the botanic and sculpture venue’s 30th anniversary celebration in 2025. The 158-acre campus features Michigan’s largest tropical conservatory; one of the country’s largest interactive children’s gardens; Victorian gardens with bronze sculptures by Edgar Degas and Auguste Rodin; a carnivorous plant house; outdoor gardens, including a replica 1930s-era farm garden; an 8-acre Japanese garden featuring contemporary sculpture; and a 1,900-seat outdoor amphitheater garden, which hosts world-renowned musicians each summer.
Make sure to check out the events that the park has this upcoming year. On September 23, Meijer Gardens will present a major exhibition of works by David Smith, featuring the artist’s sculptures in dialogue with nature. ‘David Smith: The Nature of Sculpture’ will be on view until March 2, 2025. The permanent collection highlights hundreds of sculptures from internationally acclaimed artists El Anatsui, Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Mark di Suvero, Henry Moore, Beverly Pepper, Richard Serra and Ai Weiwei, among others.
Details: 1000 East Beltline Avenue NE Grand Rapids, Michigan | Official Website
Glenstone Museum
If you are an art lover who seeks a world-class collection, a serene setting, unique architecture, outdoor experiences, and educational programs that offer memorable experiences, then Glenstone Museum is a must-visit destination.
Glenstone Museum in Potomac, Maryland seamlessly integrates art, architecture, and nature into a serene and contemplative experience for visitors. Modern and contemporary artworks are presented in a series of refined indoor and outdoor spaces, including 300-acres of rolling meadows and woodlands featuring large-scale sculptures by Janet Cardiff, Jeff Koons, Ellsworth Kelly, Simone Leigh, Felix Gonzalez Torres, and Charles Ray. Programming includes live musical performances, architectural walks to explore the Charles Gwathmey-designed Gallery and Patio buildings, and the ‘annual planting’ of Jeff Koons’s Split-Rocker sculpture composed of live, flowering plants.
Address: 12100 Glen Rd, Potomac, Maryland | Official Website
Storm King Art Center
Located amidst the rolling hills of New Windsor, New York, Storm King Art Center is a sprawling outdoor museum and home to a vast collection of large-scale sculptures by renowned artists worldwide.
Storm King Art Center is an incredibly popular destination for New York day-trippers and art-lovers alike, a stunning 500-acre outdoor museum located in New York’s Hudson Valley. Since 1960, Storm King has presented monumental large-scale sculpture and site-specific commissions throughout its rolling, pristine grounds, including works by world-renowned artists like Lynda Benglis, Alexander Calder, Barbara Hepworth, Rashid Johnson, Maya Lin, Alicja Kwade, Martin Puryear, David Smith, and Mark di Suvero.
Storm King, led by Artistic Director and Chief Curator Nora Lawrence, supports artists in creating some of their most ambitious works, including the current exhibition ‘Arlene Shechet: Girl Group’ featuring the artist’s first large-scale sculptures. Changing exhibitions, programming, and seasons offer discoveries with every visit.
Details: 1 Museum Rd New Windsor, New York | Official Website
The Ann and Jim Goodnight Park at the North Carolina Museum of Art
Escape the busy pace of city life and relax in Ann and Jim Goodnight Park at the North Carolina Museum of Art! This park has a sculpture garden, an amphitheater, interactive displays, and a picnic area, providing a great experience with your loved ones.
The North Carolina Museum of Art’s 164-acre Museum Park features site-specific works of environmental art, 4.7 miles of recreational trails, and an All-Access Eco Trail that presents accessible walking tours of the expansive grounds, artworks, and local fauna and wildlife.
The Museum Park art program facilitates collaborations between artists, designers, and environmental scientists to create works of art inspired by the natural world. Artists are commissioned to create temporary and permanent works that directly engage the landscape and present new perspectives on nature, exploring our relationship to the environment and the role of nature in contemporary society.
Highlights of the museum include special commissions by Jeppe Hein, Hugh Hayden, Martha Jackson-Jarvis, Yinka Shonibare, and Thomas Sayre. The museum’s permanent collection spans more than 5,000 years, from antiquity to the present, making the institution one of the premier art museums in the American South.
Details: 2110 Blue Ridge Rd., Raleigh, North Carolina | Official Website
The Stuart Collection
If you visit the UC San Diego campus, you can stroll through the Stuart Collection at your own pace. You’ll enjoy the art and natural beauty of the surroundings, including gorgeous ocean views and greenery.
The Stuart Collection, located throughout UC San Diego’s striking 1,200-acre campus along the Southern California coastline, is a unique assemblage of site-specific artworks by leading global artists such as Michael Asher, John Baldessari, Mark Bradford, Jackie Ferrara, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Ann Hamilton, Jenny Holzer, Robert Irwin, Barbara Kruger, Bruce Nauman, Nam June Paik, Niki de Saint Phalle, Kiki Smith, and Do Ho Suh.
The Stuart Collection recently announced its Emerging Artists Program, featuring new commissions by artist collective RojoNegro, composed of Noé MartÃnez and MarÃa Sosa; sculptor Max Hooper Schneider; and poet, artist and chef Precious Okoyomon. The Stuart Collection aims to question conventional understandings of public art in playful and insightful ways, presenting experimental art to the public and UCSD’s community of more than 85,000 students and educators.
Details: University of California, San Diego at 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, California | Official Website
Mary Jo Manzanares is a founder and the editor-in-chief of The Traveler’s Way, an online travel magazine proving informational and inspirational travel recommendations for curious Baby Boomer travelers. She has been a speaker at various industry events and has a personal travel blog at Traveling with MJ. When she’s not traveling, Mary Jo likes lingering over a cup of coffee, wandering in a museum, sipping wine at a cafe, and sharing it all with friends and readers. Mary Jo’s top travel destinations are Italy, Portugal, and the Caribbean.
