Like to Learn? 3 Upstate NY Museums Among Top 10 in the Nation

Three museums in Upstate New York were named among the top 10 best in the nation, and they’re all found in one city.

USA Today released their 10Best list for museums, as chosen by its readers in separate polls. The Strong National Museum of Play, the George Eastman Museum, and The Rochester Museum & Science Center — all located in Rochester — were ranked in the top 10 for science, art and children’s museums.

Here’s the skinny on these three nationally ranked museums:

The Strong Museum was ranked one of the top 10 children’s museums in the country. It was founded in 1968 by Margaret Woodbury Strong, an only child in a wealthy family and an avid collector of toys. The museum’s original incarnation was the “Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum of Fascination.” It has since undergone several expansions and is now home to 100,000 square feet of exhibitions and roughly 500,000 artifacts. It’s also home of the National Toy Hall of Fame and the World Video Game Hall of Fame. 

The George Eastman Museum ranked among the top 10 best art museums in the United States. It’s located inside the historic mansion and former home of George Eastman, founder of the Eastman Kodak Company, whose groundbreaking work in photography has inspired countless technological advances in capturing still and moving images. Guests can tour the beautifully-maintained grounds or watch a movie at the 500-seat Dryden Theatre.

The Rochester Museum & Science Center ranked among the 10 best science museums, alongside other nationally renown science centers like the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. and the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. It dates back to 1912 and offers a little something for everyone. It’s also home of the Strasenburgh Planetarium. Oh, and it has dinosaurs, which automatically makes any museum great.

For the complete list of best museums ranked by USA Today, visit 10best.com.