Maryhill Museum of Art

The museum was built by Sam Hill, a Minneapolis railroad executive and Quaker who came to the Northwest around the turn of the twentieth century with big, restless ideas. In 1914 he began building a grand reinforced-concrete mansion on this bluff, at the center of what he hoped would become Maryhill, a Quaker farming community named in part for his wife and daughter, both named Mary.

The town never took root. The land was dry and remote, the settlers did not come, and the great house sat unfinished on its windy bluff. What might have been a costly failure became something stranger and better, thanks to two remarkable women in Hill's orbit.

In 1917 Hill's friend Loie Fuller, an American dancer and impresario famous across Europe, persuaded him to turn the empty mansion into an art museum. Fuller's connections in the Paris art world became the museum's foundation, and through her the collection gained more than eighty works by the sculptor Auguste Rodin, the heart of the collection to this day.

The other friend was royalty. On November 3, 1926, Queen Marie of Romania, a granddaughter of Britain's Queen Victoria, traveled to this lonely bluff to dedicate the still-unfinished museum before a crowd of thousands, in a ceremony that made national news. She left behind more than seventy objects, including furniture, portraits, and regalia that still form a gallery of their own. The building did not fully open to the public until 1940, nine years after Hill's death.

For a museum this far from any city, the range is astonishing. The Rodin galleries hold sculptures, plaster studies, and drawings that trace how the artist worked. Nearby are Queen Marie's royal collection, a large gathering of Native American baskets, beadwork, and regalia, and cases of Russian and Greek Orthodox icons.

The showstopper for many is Théâtre de la Mode, a set of roughly two-foot-tall wire mannequins dressed by the great Paris fashion houses just after World War Two, when real fabric was scarce and French couturiers used these tiny figures to prove their industry had survived. There are also chess sets from around the world, a gallery on the region's Native peoples, and rotating exhibitions, all under one improbable roof.

Half the pleasure is the setting. The terraces and lawns look out over a wide, golden stretch of the Columbia Gorge, with the river far below and the Oregon hills beyond, and a sculpture garden and picnic grounds spread across the grounds. Peacocks sometimes wander the property, and the light on the gorge at the ends of the day is worth lingering for.

The museum runs on a seasonal schedule, generally open from spring through fall, so it pairs best with a warm-weather gorge trip. Come ready for wind and, in summer, real heat on this exposed bluff. Three miles east stands the other half of Sam Hill's legacy, his full-scale Stonehenge war memorial, and it makes the perfect companion stop.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

The Maryhill Museum of Art, perched dramatically above the Columbia River near Goldendale in southern Washington, is a remarkable and eclectic art museum housed in a grand mansion built by the visionary entrepreneur Sam Hill. Set in a stunning, remote location overlooking the Columbia River Gorge, the museum holds a surprisingly diverse and world-class collection, including sculptures by Auguste Rodin, Native American art and artifacts, items belonging to Queen Marie of Romania, an extensive collection of chess sets, European and American paintings, and more. Surrounded by gardens and sweeping views, the Maryhill Museum of Art offers a fascinating and unexpected cultural treasure in a spectacular setting in southern Washington.

You can view an eclectic and impressive collection including bronze and plaster sculptures and studies by the famous French sculptor Auguste Rodin, extensive Native American art and artifacts, royal items and gifts connected to Queen Marie of Romania who dedicated the museum, a large and unusual collection of chess sets from around the world, European and American paintings, and rotating exhibitions, all in a grand mansion with beautiful grounds and Columbia River views. The diversity of the collection is remarkable. With its Rodin sculptures, Native art, royal treasures, and stunning setting, the Maryhill Museum of Art offers a fascinating cultural experience in southern Washington.

The Maryhill Museum of Art occupies the grand mansion built by Sam Hill, an eccentric and visionary entrepreneur, on his remote property overlooking the Columbia River, where he had dreamed of establishing a Quaker farming community that never fully materialized. Encouraged by friends, including the dancer Loie Fuller and Queen Marie of Romania, Hill converted the isolated mansion into an art museum, which Queen Marie herself came to dedicate. This unlikely origin explains why such a world-class and eclectic collection sits in such a remote, scenic spot. The museum's unusual story and spectacular setting are part of what make Maryhill so fascinating.

The Maryhill Museum of Art is typically open seasonally, generally from spring through fall, so those months are the time to visit, with spring and fall offering pleasant weather and the gardens lovely in the growing season, while the Columbia River setting can be hot and windy in summer. Because it is seasonal, checking the current open dates and hours before you go is essential. The indoor galleries are enjoyable in any weather during the open season. For the best combination of pleasant weather, gardens, and access, aim for spring through fall at the Maryhill Museum of Art.

The Maryhill Museum of Art is near Goldendale in southern Washington, overlooking the Columbia River Gorge, close to the Maryhill Stonehenge Memorial also built by Sam Hill, the Maryhill Winery, and within reach of the Columbia River Gorge attractions, the Dalles in Oregon across the river, and the Goldendale Observatory. That makes the Maryhill Museum of Art a fascinating cultural stop to combine with the Stonehenge Memorial, the Columbia River Gorge, and the other attractions of southern Washington on a visit to the state.