North Carolina Museum of Art

If you could take just one photo: North Carolina Museum of Art

If you’re under the impression that great art is limited to stuffy indoor settings, think again. The NC Museum of Art – Museum Park offers an opportunity to simultaneously experience the beauty of nature and man-made art in a big way. Explore the 164-acre-woodland park to experience a rare synergy between the natural world and your imagination. Pay attention and you’ll see a different optical illusion every time you walk by Thomas Sayre’s huge exhibit titled Gyre. You can’t help but be entranced by the giant whirligig by Vollis Simpson but don’t overlook Cloud Chamber for the Trees and Sky, by Chris Drury. To further your artistic journey, you must experience as many forms of art as possible, including culinary art from The Museum Restaurant...with seasonal desserts from its award-winning chef, each presented like an exquisite, miniature masterpiece. The best part? Nearly guilt-free after your hike around the park.www.ncartmuseum.org

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Across 164 acres of prairies, woodlands, creeks, and pastures, the Museum Park at NCMA pushes contemporary art out of pristine, off-white museum walls and into the Piedmont. A system of trails leads visitors through landscapes populated by site-specific sculptures, playing off the setting and native wildlife. In "Cloud Chamber for the Trees and Sky," artist Chris Drury brilliantly navigates the relationship between the visual arts and the environment. By building a camera obscura the size of a hut, visitors may sit inside, wait for their eyes to adjust to the darkness, and then marvel at an inverted image of the sky projected around them—a topsy-turvy perspective on the green canopy outside.

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