May 18 marks International Museum Day (IMD). The day reminds people why museums are important.

Why do museums matter? They remind us of what has happened in history. They help us understand other people better. We marvel at the art and objects others have crafted. Museums make us curious. They help us research and learn.

The world has about 100,000 museums today. In 1975, there were only 22,000. That’s major growth!

And those museums aren’t just sitting there gathering dust. They’re full of visitors. In 2023, the world’s top 100 museums welcomed 176 million guests. That means people are starting to return to museums in large numbers after the pandemic rules stopped them for a time.

What museum did you last visit? Some of the most famous ones can be found in Europe. Great Britain has the British Museum and the Tate Modern. Rome, Italy, has the Vatican Museums. Paris, France, has the Louvre.

But you don’t have to fly overseas to see a good museum. Washington, D.C., “is a goldmine of museums for history lovers,” says travel writer Karee Blunt. “You could spend days exploring the Smithsonian museums—all but one offer free admission!—and still not see everything.” She points out that at the National Museum of American History, you can see the Hope Diamond, a ruby slipper Dorothy wore in the film The Wizard of Oz, and Abe Lincoln’s hat. Philadelphia, New York, and Chicago are also famous museum cities.

Don’t live near a big city? Don’t fret. Your town or county likely has a museum of its own. Its history might matter even more to you—because it’s your history too. Go see it!

Museums amaze us with the sheer volume of objects and marvels they hold. They point to the great Author and Artist of the universe, who is always at work in more ways than we can understand.

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways! — Romans 11:33