This is the museum that surprises everyone. Founded in 1997 when Ardis and Robert James donated their collection of nearly 950 quilts to the university, the International Quilt Museum now holds the world’s largest public quilt collection and moved into its current 37,000-square-foot building in 2008. Rotating exhibitions pull from the deep collection — Japanese boro mended textiles one season, Turkish yorgans the next, contemporary art quilts after that — so no two visits look the same.
The local move is First Friday: free gallery access from 4 to 7 p.m. on the first Friday of each month, often with a curator talk or artist presentation. The building itself is worth the trip — the quilt-like flag out front has become a minor Lincoln landmark — and the gift shop is legitimately good.
Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There’s a modest admission charge, but First Fridays are free. Pair it with the Larsen Tractor Museum and the UNL Dairy Store, both on East Campus, for a full afternoon.