May 2, 2026, 5:02 a.m. ET
New Jersey’s art scene just received a national recognition.
TIME’s 2026 roster of World’s Greatest Places of 2026 spotlights the Garden State.
The national news magazine collection lists hundreds of notable and recommended places, organized into “Places to Stay” and “Places to Visit” that includes waterparks, hotels, museums, cultural sites and natural attractions from around the world.
This year’s “Places to Visit” list features one location from Princeton, New Jersey.
Princeton University Art Museum
Located on the Princeton University campus features a new 146,000-square-foot space with 32 galleries. The museum offers everything from ancient artifacts to contemporary works, alongside dynamic exhibitions and public programming and is also home to a historic collection spanning more than 5,000 years of global art.
And here’s why:
Princeton University punched well above its weight class with the October 2025 unveiling of its new art museum. At 146,000 square feet with 32 galleries, its footprint is roughly double the exhibition space of Paris’ Picasso Museum.
The project made headlines from the start: designs by Adjaye Associates show a striking mix of classical and contemporary spaces, with a Brutalist exterior and light-filled interiors finished in warm blue spruce. There’s a surprisingly dense roster of bold-faced names—Rodin, Manet, Monet, Degas, Kandinsky—but careful attention has also been paid to North and Latin American artists through the 21st century, with six new commissions and acquisitions showcasing women and artists of color, including Syrian-born sculptor Diana Al-Hadid.
To combat museum fatigue, curators play with juxtapositions: a Nick Cave Soundsuit next to an Edo-period samurai suit; Andy Warhol’s Blue Marilyn, a 1962 screenprint of Marilyn Monroe as a sacred icon, facing a late-14th-century Florentine Virgin and Child. Anchoring it all is a colossal, 37-ft.-tall Cave mosaic at the entrance—a mixed-media “self-portrait” done as a wall relief—that ushers visitors into what’s poised to become a landmark museum.
New Jersey Museums
The state has over 200 museums which include History museums, Art museums, Science and technology museums, and Children’s museums. Below are a few:
- Newark Museum of Art: Features a 130,000-object collection that includes Tibetan art and American art.
- Grounds For Sculpture: A 42-acre park in Hamilton offering an immersive, world-class outdoor sculpture experience.
- Liberty Science Center: Theis 4 level interactive center inspires and excites learners of all ages about science and technology through exceptional onsite, offsite, and online programs.
- The Foundation for the New Jersey Hall of Fame: Honors, celebrates, and educates about New Jersey leaders and legends through exhibits, programs, and annual induction ceremonies.
TIME World’s Greatest Places of 2026
Add these spots from the Tri-State area to your summer 2026 bucket list. These places are among TIME’s Places to Visit for 2026.
- New York: Studio Museum in Harlem
- New York: The Frick Collection
- New Jersey: Princeton University Art Museum
- Pennsylvania: Netflix House
