The Birmingham Museum of art is a wonderful regional art museum. It houses the largest Wedgwood collection outside of England and has more art than you can see in a day. The galleries are diverse and well curated. The restaurant is good....and the sculpture garden is a great place to rest and reflect or let the little ones take an "energy" break. As a local, and former docent, I always enjoy a couple of hours in the galleries. There are special exhibits on a regular basis, some with a fee, some not. But, entrance to the museum is free. Check the website for special events and exhibits.

This was a delightful surprise. There are many different collections including furniture and sculptures. They have a few pieces of famous artists including a Monet, Andy Warhol, Cassat, Remiongton, and O'Keefe There is even a collection of Hippo decorated porcelain. We were there for two hours and could have stayed longer.

I had only one free afternoon and I decided to walk over to the Birmingham Art Museum. It was the right decision. This museum is not huge like the Metropolitan, but its collection has been well-chosen. The atmosphere is friendly and relaxing. In fact, I'd recommend the museum as a good place to have lunch even if you don't care about art. The food was excellent, the portions were large, and there were lovely gardens a few yards away on both sides of the dining area.

There is a bit of everything here, from ancient to modern, European, North American, Asian and African art. The Wedgwood pottery collection is impressive, as is the collection of English portraits. I saw Japanese armor and swords, huge Chinese Calligraphy brushes, and spectacular glass creations.

One thing I liked was that, in addition to the usual blurbs about the artists' lives, the plaques near the paintings said what the paint was applied to--canvas, linen, wooden panels, etc. There are kid-friendly exhibits too. I would recommend the Birmingham Art Museum for families as well as single art-lovers. I think if I lived in Birmingham I'd visit the museum often.

I always enjoy the items on display at this museum. I am a huge fan of museums of any kind and like the variety that they put on display.