Though it’s now one of Philadelphia’s essential museums, the Barnes Foundation hasn’t actually been in Philadelphia all that long. Housed for decades at a historic arboretum building in suburban Merion, the museum grew out of the personal collection of Dr. Albert C. Barnes, who, despite his career in medicine, was an impassioned art lover. Barnes had prescient taste, and the museum’s collection features a roster of heavy-hitters from Picasso and Van Gogh to Matisse, Renoir, and Modigliani.
Its expansive new Philadelphia home makes the Barnes Foundation that much easier to visit. Tickets can be booked online in advance of your visit and are eligible for 48 hours. The museum’s exterior can also be viewed on a number of hop-on hop-off bus tours, which pass it as they coast along the city’s famed Parkway.