The 3 Most Colorful Museums in NYS

Disclaimer: I have, indeed, not been to every museum in NYS, but these three I imagine are hard to beat.

When it’s supposed to be Spring but your hometown weather doesn’t quite agree – cough, Syracuse, cough – you get to a point where you really want to see some color. These three museums, one in NYC and two in Upstate, definitely give a unique and colorful experience. When looking for the “most colorful” museums, I was looking for ones that were more non-traditional. Is an art museum colorful? Well, of course! But I wanted museums that were different, that would drown you in color. That’s why you won’t find MOMA or the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in this post.

All that said, onto the color!

3. The Color Factory

The Color Factory in NYC is a very cool – and obviously colorful – experience. It’s a guided experience that takes about an hour to go through. You meander through a series of rooms, all of which are exploding with color and have different interactive activities to do. It is basically an instagrammer’s dream. Make sure to come a little hungry, or at least ready for dessert, because about every other room has some sort of sugary treat waiting for you.

The Color Factory, albeit probably the most truly “colorful” in this list, gets the three spot because it felt almost a bit over-curated to me. It was still an awesome experience, and I think worth the ticket price!

2. Corning Glass Museum

Photo from: Road Scholar

The Corning Glass Museum, located on the Southern edge of NYS below the Fingerlakes, is really unique and awesome. Who doesn’t love blown glass?!? The museum is filled with colorful glass in all kinds of shapes and sizes, from well larger than you to tiny, table top items. If you plan it right, you can even watch demonstrations on how the glass is made or make your own!

1. ARTISANworks

My favorite of the colorful museums has been ARTISANworks in Rochester, NY! I actually got to go in for free thanks to some extra free passes my boss had, but I would definitely pay to get back in here (it’s only $12). Before you even enter the building, and definitely once you do, your eyes are going to be overwhelmed with color, texture, and an endless array of objects. It took us 2 hours easy to fully walk through the place. A self-described “place where people experience creation and inspiration,” the non-profit museum is a huge supporter of local creatives and artists. And the space is just stunning.

What unique and colorful museums did I miss? What ones are your favorite to visit? Let me know in comments!