Big city lights, the rolling countryside, busy boardwalks and quiet coastal waterways, the Mid-Atlantic states have it all—including art offerings as abundant and diverse as the region itself.

A mural outside of Ben’s Chili Bowl celebrating notable Black Americans is one of countless colorful murals found across Washington, DC. Photo courtesy washington.org

Encompassing Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and lower New Jersey, it would be impossible to do justice to an area that is home to major art destinations like Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Baltimore, as well as the surrounding regions peppered with contemporary art scenes whose roots stretch back centuries to the origins of American art.

To narrow it down, we figured it’s late summer and many of you are probably vacationing with the whole family in tow—and running out of ways to keep the kiddos entertained. Fret not, wherever you find yourself in the Mid-Atlantic region, here are some suggestions for art excursions that will inspire the next generation of art lovers and bring out the inner child in everyone.

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From top to bottom: Braydon, Beckham and Bennett. Photo credit: Roy Beaumont.

Washington, D.C.
The O Museum of the Mansion
With over 100 rooms and 80 secret doors, the O Museum in the Mansion is sure to delight the inner child—and art lover—in us all. As you make your way through themed rooms and covert passages crammed with original art and memorabilia, you’ll walk in the footsteps of presidents and freedom fighters, historians, authors, artists and musicians, athletes and scholars.

www.omuseum.org 

Photo courtesy Visit Philadelphia.

Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia's Magic Gardens

Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens (PMG), a nonprofit museum, is an immersive mixed media art environment that is completely covered with mosaics and sure to dazzle—and inspire—viewers of all ages. The creator, Isaiah Zagar, used handmade tiles, bottles, bicycle wheels, mirrors and international folk art to chronicle his life and influences. The space is made up of two indoor galleries and a bi-level outdoor sculpture garden, with several public murals and a fully mosaicked basement. In August, PMG is hosting the exhibition After the Flowers Pass: Works by Amir Khadar.
www.phillymagicgardens.org 

James Clarke Hook, RA (1819-1907), Catching a Mermaid, 1883, Oil on canvas. ©The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London.

Berlin, MD
The Mermaid Museum

Located just inland from Ocean City, Maryland, the Mermaid Museum is the first establishment dedicated entirely to the mythology of the mysterious mermaid. Through a combination of history, pop culture, folklore, artifacts, oddities and original art, the museum plumbs the ocean depths to reveal the allure of the elusive finned figures that continue to capture the imagination of generation after generation. Be sure to dress up in full mermaid regalia and memorialize your visit to this unique museum with a private professional photoshoot.
www.berlinmermaidmuseum.com 

Photo courtesy Insectropolis.

Tom’s River, NJ
Insectropolis

Also known as the Bugseum of New Jersey, Insectropolis is a unique, interactive learning center on the Jersey Coast that will enthrall visitors of all ages. Showcasing thousands of beautiful, bizarre and exotic insects from all over the world, there are engaging installations geared toward toddlers and teenagers, from pretending to be a termite while crawling through a mudtube, watching ants forage for food and build tunnels, and an opportunity to safely observe busy beehives. Of course, the experience is not complete without touching an actual bug! Find live tarantulas, scorpions, millipedes, cockroaches and more right at your fingertips.
www.insectropolis.com 

Photo courtesy Lynchburg Tourism.

Lynchburg, VA
Amazement Square

Located east of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Lynchburg, Virginia, Amazement Square features hands-on, interactive exhibits designed to make learning fun. Visitors of all ages can paint on the walls of their paint box, explore life on a farm, create a rainstorm over downtown, float a boat down the James River, and even rock out on stage in a band of your own. In the center of the historic building is the Amazement Tower, an indoor play structure that spans all four floors of the museum offering an endless maze of slides, ladders, tunnels and a zip-line.
www.amazementsquare.org 

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Zenith Gallery
1429 Iris Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20012
(202) 783-2963 art@zenithgallery.com
www.zenithgallery.com
Since opening their doors in 1978, Zenith has established deep roots in the nation’s capital, and with artists and collectors globally. The gallery has pushed boundaries and broken ground with an ever-changing selection of paintings, sculpture, neon, tapestries and mixed-media pieces that stimulate, engage and have profoundly enhanced their clients’ residential, corporate and public-space environments.

At the forefront of the Washington arts scene, Zenith seeks out and features exceptional artists at varying stages of their careers—many well-known and established, while others are young, bright lights on the horizon.

Zenith Gallery, Speaker’s Perch, oil on linen, 36 x 56", by Bradley Stevens.

For 46 years, Zenith Gallery’s founder and director, Margery E. Goldberg, has been placing art in public, private and corporate collections throughout the Washington, D.C. tri-state area. Zenith Consulting is a full-service entity of the gallery that provides experience and expertise in placing art with corporations, institutions and residences.

Zenith Gallery, Snow in the Valley, oil on linen, 24 x 36", by Bradley Stevens.

The gallery's upcoming show, Under Spacious Skies – The American Landscape, will feature paintings by Bradley Stevens, and runs October 18 through November 30.

In his career of over 40 years, Stevens has forged a reputation as one of America’s leading contemporary realist painters. His style is rooted in classical training, yet boldly depicts the modern world with a penetrating eye.

Zenith Gallery, Misty Morning, Crow Valley, oil on linen, 24 x 30", by Bradley Stevens.

“Painting a landscape on location, in ever-changing conditions, is an intense experience,” says Stevens. “My paintings are a record of my response to the spiritual and dramatic effects of light in nature. I am successful if the viewer sees and is as moved as I am.”

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Peter Swift
pswift73@icloud.com
www.peterswiftartstudio.com
Peter Swift’s work combines symmetrical design and classical realistic still life painting. He has coined the term “symmetrical realism” to describe this genre.

Peter Swift, Red, White & Blue Screwdrivers, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 60" 

Swift’s goal is to create laconic, resonant symmetries, using common household tools such as stub screwdrivers.

“Symmetry is a fundamental underlying principle in art,” Swift adds. “However, over the past century, symmetry has been a factor for the most part only in abstract art, such as the work of Josef Albers and Frank Stella. My work combines both symmetry and realistic rendering, both imagination and meticulous craftsmanship.”

Peter Swift, Stub Screwdrivers, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 48" 

More of Swift’s work can be seen at the Seven Bridges Foundation in Greenwich, Connecticut, or by visiting the organization’s website at www.sevenbridges.org.

Swift is represented by Touchstone Gallery in Washington, D.C. —

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