TIME just released its World’s Greatest Places of 2026 list, and four of the picks are right here in the tri-state area, including one in the heart of Princeton. Each year, TIME rounds up 100 standout places to visit and stay around the world, choosing from nominations submitted by its writers, contributors and applicants. The list includes hotels, restaurants, attractions, museums, parks and more that offer something new or worth experiencing.
Here are the four spots in our area that made the list:
Princeton University Art Museum
Located on the campus of Princeton University, The Princeton University Art Museum is New Jersey’s only entry on the list. TIME highlighted the museum’s 146,000-square-foot space, 32 galleries, striking design, and how its collections mix major names with unexpected pairings across time periods and cultures.
“Anchoring it all is a colossal, 37-foot-tall Cave mosaic at the entrance—a mixed-media ‘self-portrait’ done as a wall relief—that ushers visitors into what’s poised to become a landmark museum,” Laura Dannen Redman writes on time.com.
The newly reopened museum roughly doubled the space available for the display of its collections and exhibitions, with most of the galleries now on a single level. The museum has more than 117,000 works, from ancient to contemporary art from around the world, and admission is free.
We visited the museum shortly after it reopened, and you can see our full review of the experience and what the kids loved most about the museum and its restaurant, Mosaic, here.
The museum is also adding new exhibits, including Photography as a Way of Life: Minor White, Aaron Siskind, and Harry Callahan, on view through July 26. The show explores the work and influence of three major 20th-century photographers.
Another nearby pick is Netflix House located inside King of Prussia Mall in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. TIME describes it as a more than 100,000-square-foot destination that has tons to see and do but is more intimate and accessible than a giant theme park.
“Not wanting to go full Disney World, Netflix opted for a more intimate and accessible—and Instagrammable—experience,” Kate Springer writes for time.com. “Visitors pass through a massive red envelope—a nod to the brand’s early DVD-by-mail days—and are transported into a colorful atrium overflowing with artwork and show props. From gilded Love is Blind goblets to menacing Squid Game guards, the space is engineered for photo ops.”
A huge immersive space where you can step into the worlds of popular Netflix shows, you can stop by to look around, take photos, shop and eat, or book specific attractions like Top 9 Mini Golf, V/RTUALS VR gaming, Netflix Bites, and the TUDUM Theater, along with immersive experiences tied to popular shows. Attractions and experiences range in price.
In celebration of ONE PIECE Season 2, Netflix House launched a ONE PIECE VIP Ticket available for a limited time. The VIP Ticket unlocks priority entry along with behind-the-scenes access to ONE PIECE: Quest for the Devil Fruit experience, plus a themed drink in BITES and an exclusive merchandise bundle, perfect for ultimate Straw Hat crew members. This offer is available for $99/person on weekdays and $109/person on weekends now through April 12.
We recently visited Netflix House, and you can read about our experience here, and see a video here.
In New York City, The Studio Museum, located at 144 West 125th Street in Harlem, also made TIME’s list after reopening in November 2025. “Functioning as an inverted stoop, the tiered, 150-seat lobby of the new Studio Museum in Harlem welcomes neighbors and visitors alike off West 125th Street,” Ronda Racha Penrice writes for time.com. “The seven-story building is the institution’s first purpose-built home since its founding—famously above a liquor store—in 1968.”
The new building spans 82,000 square feet and nearly doubles the museum’s gallery space. It includes galleries, artist studios, education spaces, community meeting rooms and other public-facing areas in a museum that has celebrated artists of African descent since 1968.
The inaugural lineup includes Tom Lloyd, From Now: A Collection in Context, From the Studio: Fifty-Eight Years of Artists in Residence, and To Be a Place. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, and Sundays are free for everyone.
Located on Manhattan’s Upper East side on East 70th Street between Madison Avenue and Fifth Avenue, The Frick Collection also made the list. It was reopened in April 2025 after a major renovation.
TIME singled out one of the biggest changes: “For the first time, visitors can ascend to the second-floor living quarters once occupied by Henry Clay, Adelaide Frick, and their daughter Helen Clay Frick where artworks have been returned to their original settings,” Devorah Lev-Tov writes for time.com.
“The renovation also brings a new exhibition gallery, auditorium, education room, restaurant, coffee bar, restored 70th Street Garden, and improved ADA access,” Lev-Tov writes.
Set inside one of New York City’s last grand Gilded Age mansions, The Frick Collection reopened after a $220 million renovation.
The museum opened in 1935 in the former home of Henry Clay Frick, whose collection of European paintings, sculpture and decorative arts was left to the public. Today, visitors can see works from the Renaissance through the late 19th century.
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