At the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh is one of the finest Dutch and Flemish collections in the world, as well as works by American, Italian and French impressionists. The permanent collection includes works by masters such as Monet, Rubens and Goya, and American artists Andrew Wyeth and Georgia O’Keefe. The museum is best known for its European collection, which includes work by Giotto, Raphael and Botticelli. A dozen special exhibitions are held each year.

Since 1958, the Ackland Art Museum has been one of North Carolina's most important artistic resources. Located in Chapel Hill, the Ackland is an academic unit of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and serves broad local, state, and national constituencies. The Museum's collection consists of more than 15,000 works of art, featuring North Carolina's premier collections of Asian art and works of art on paper plus significant collections of European masterworks, twentieth-century and contemporary art, African art, and North Carolina pottery. The Ackland organizes more than a dozen special exhibitions a year.

The North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh traces the state’s roots to the first English colonies in America. More than 100,000 items are on display, including the original Carolina Charter of 1663.

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh showcases the state’s wildlife, flora and environment. The museum’s marine mammal exhibit is called one of the finest in the country, and it includes two massive, full-size whale skeletons. Other exhibits highlight native birds, Indian artifacts and the wide range of habitats found in the state.

The North Carolina Museum of Life and Science in Durham is a hands-on museum, with science experiments to try, animals to pet and a huge walk-through butterfly house. The Aerospace exhibit is one of the museum’s most impressive, with artifacts dating back to the first days of space exploration. Children love the dinosaur trail and the entire family will enjoy the ride on the Ellerbee Creek Railway through a 48-acre wildlife sanctuary.