10 Best Places to View Art Outdoors This Summer

Grounds for Sculpture, a 42-acre park in Hamilton, New Jersey, was a real discovery. Founded in 1992 by artist and philanthropist Seward Johnson (1930-2020), the extensive collection encompasses a broad range of styles, from figurative through abstraction, with well-known names like Isaac Witkin (1936-2006) and Marisol Escobar (1930-2016) to Johnson’s own delightful life-sized tableaus of famous paintings set directly in the landscape. Open year-round, it features seasonal blooms and rotating indoor/outdoor exhibitions through 2026.

Image: Roaming peacock, Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, New Jersey, 2024. License.

In 1986, sculptor Mark di Suvero (b.1933) led a coalition of artists and community members to transform a New York landfill and illegal dumpsite on the banks of the East River into an open studio and exhibition space for artists. Today, Socrates Sculpture Park is an internationally renowned outdoor museum that has presented more than 1,200 artists on its five waterfront acres. As a New York City public park, it is free to all, year-round.

Image: Jeffrey Gibson, Because Once You Enter My House, It Becomes Our House, 2020. Socrates Sculpture Park.

Any list of sculpture parks must include the rugged 500 acres of rolling hills in New York’s Hudson Valley known as Storm King. Their extensive permanent collection includes iconic works from Magdalena Abakanowicz (1930–2017), Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010), and Alexander Calder (1898-1976), to more recent art stars like Maya Lin (b.1959). A gallery on the property hosts smaller-scale works. New installations in 2026 by emerging and mid-career artists include Saif Azzuz (b.1987), Anicka Yi (b.1971), and Liz Glynn (b.1981).

Image: Storm King Art Center. Field with di Suvero sculptures. License.

Founded in 1995 by midwestern philanthropist Frederik Meijer (1919-2011), the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, spreading over 158 acres in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was originally conceived as a combination outdoor sculpture collection nestled among botanical gardens with a stunning tropical conservatory. A major CHIHULY glass exhibition featuring large-scale outdoor installations and an indoor exhibition titled CHIHULY: Radiant Forms continues now through November 2026. 

Image: Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids Charter Township, Michigan. License.

Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina presents a complex history of American land ownership, race, class, and art. Founded in 1931 by wealthy industrialist Archer Milton Huntington (1870-1955) and his wife Anna Hyatt Huntington (1876-1973), a revered figurative sculptor, the gardens are home to over 2,000 traditional works as exemplified by Daniel Chester French (1850-1931), Frederic Remington (1861-1909), and Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907), along with contemporary practitioners of realism. 

Image: Diana of the Chase by Anna Hyatt Huntington (1922) at Brookgreen Gardens. License.

In Fishtail, Montana, a few hours north of Yellowstone National Park, lies Tippet Rise Art Center. The founders Cathy and Peter Halstead were inspired by Storm King as they adapted a 12,500-acre working sheep and cattle ranch into a home for monumental contemporary sculpture in dialogue with Big Sky Country. The Art Center hosts free classical chamber music and recitals with options for hiking, biking, and van tours. In 2025, they celebrated their 10th anniversary.

Image: The Yellowstone River in Big Sky Country. License.

Located on Seattle’s downtown waterfront, Olympic Sculpture Park, operated by the Seattle Art Museum (SAM), offers free spectacular views of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound, along with monumental sculpture 365 days a year. Current works include Ai Weiwei's (b.1957) Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads (2010), The Eagle (1971) by Alexander Calder (1898-1976), Wake (2004) by Richard Serra (1938-2024), and Seattle Cloud Cover (2004-2006) by Teresita Fernández (b.1968), among 20 other monumental works viewable through 2027. 

Image: Seattle Cloud Cover (2004-2006) by Teresita Fernández. License.

Oslo, Norway is home to two sculpture parks. Founded in 2013, Ekebergparken Sculpture Park is on a forested hillside overlooking the Oslofjord, featuring works by internationally known artists like Salvador Dalí (1904-1989), Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010), and James Turrell (1943). The park is steeped in geological, cultural, and political history. A counterpoint is the Vigeland Museum and Sculpture Park, home to the works of Norway’s most well-known sculptor Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943). 

Image: Cast Glances by Tony Cragg in Ekebergparken Sculpture Park. License.

The 75-acre sculpture garden at the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands is one of the largest in Europe, famous for siting more than 200 modern and contemporary sculptures by Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), Henry Moore (1898-1986), Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985), Mark di Suvero (b.1933), Richard Serra (1938-2024), and others. While there, don’t miss the museum’s unrivaled collection of Van Gogh paintings, including lesser-known works like The Good Samaritan (1890).

Image: Entrance Kröller-Müller Museum. License.

The Hakone Open-Air Museum, established in 1969, is Japan’s first outdoor sculpture park and museum showcasing over 100 pieces across rolling hills and hot springs, with stunning views of the surrounding mountains. Major works by Kenneth Armitage (1916-2002), Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), and Fernand Léger (1881-1955) accompany living Japanese artists like Takamichi Ito (b.1939) and Ryoji Goto (b.1951).

Image: Henry Moore, 1969–70, Reclining Figure: Arched Leg. License.