A world-class museum, the BMA was founded in 1823 as the Brooklyn Apprentices' Library Association (Walt Whitman was one of its first librarians) and was a pioneer in the collection of non-Western art. With approximately 1.5 million pieces in its permanent collection, from Rodin sculptures to Andean textiles and Assyrian wall reliefs, it ranks as the second-largest art museum in New York -- only the Met is larger. As you approach the massive, regal building designed by McKim, Mead & White (1893), look for the allegorical figures of Brooklyn and Manhattan, originally carved by Daniel Chester French for the Manhattan Bridge. The spectacular glass-fronted entranceway and the lobby were designed by Polshek Architects, the same firm that did the Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History.

Beyond the changing exhibitions, highlights include Egyptian Art (third floor), considered one of the best collections of its kind, and African and Pre-Columbian Art (first floor). In the gallery of American Painting and Sculpture (fifth floor), Brooklyn Bridge by Georgia O'Keeffe hangs alongside nearly 200 first-rate works by Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Thomas Eakins, George Bellows, and Milton Avery. The Period Rooms (fourth floor) include the complete interior of the Jan Martense Schenck House, built in the Brooklyn Flatlands section in 1675, as well as a Moorish-style room from the since-demolished 54th Street mansion of John D. Rockefeller. Asian Art (second floor) includes galleries devoted to Chinese, Korean, Indian, and Islamic works. On the third floor is the Beaux-Arts Court, a gracious, skylighted space where changing exhibits and events are held. Outdoors, the Frieda Schiff Warburg Memorial Sculpture Garden showcases architectural fragments from demolished New York buildings, including Penn Station. On the first Saturday of each month, "First Saturdays" offers a free evening of special programs, including live music, dancing, film screenings, and readings. COST: $6 suggested donation. Subway: 2, 3 to Eastern Pkwy.