This summer my family drove from my sister's house (in the middle of Kansas) and my in-law's house (in norther Illinois) by breaking up the 10 hours into two half days of driving. This allowed for Art Experiences in Kansas City and Des Moines, both of which have stellar, and free art museums!
The Nelson-Atkins has 35,000 works of art that attract half a million visitors every year. It opened in 1933 and was financially stable enough (thanks to the two founders who left their fortunes to a trust for the museum in their will) that they were able to buy up much of the artwork from other museums who were needing to sell in order to raise funds and stay afloat.
The Des Moines Art Center was really fun morning stop. Firelei Báez is a contemporary artist who was having an enormous exhibition filling several galleries.
But the center also had some really strong modern art like Hopper, and there were Diebenkorn etchings and paintings skattered throughout.
They have an indoor gallery that had a photography exhibit when we were there, but obviously most of is is outside: a prairie area, a garden, a couple ponds, and a collection of Bonzai trees. My favorites included a Henry Moore and the Deborah Butterfield horse. Summer was a little hot in the afternoon, but I imagine it being a great place for spring or summer picnics, walks, or photoshoots.
After camping and hiking on the Upper Peninsula and spending a day on Mackinaw Island the family was ready to come down the the other side of Lake Michigan until we ended up at the Ann Arbor Art Fair. I had no idea is was such a big deal! 30 city blocks and 1,000 venders! Lunch at Zingerman's Deli made for a perfect afternoon with the family.