The Best ACNH Museum Design Ideas For Island Inspiration

One of the most rewarding parts of New Horizons is filling out the museum.

And if you’re anything like me, you’d do almost anything to make Blathers happy.

Despite customization being such a huge part of the game, you’d think that the museum itself would be customizable in a similar way to your house… but no such luck!

With a little creativity though, you can make your museum stand out with a plethora of items decorated around the outside, from extra skeletons and paintings, to custom landscaping, to anything else you can think of!

But if you want others to do some thinking for you, check out these custom museum ideas you can add into your own island.

20. Peaceful Museum

This beautiful museum entrance is a sleepy, peaceful spot to wander around.

With flowers, a stream, and the starry night sky, there’s just as much to look at outside as there is inside!

Well, almost anyway.

I guess that depends how many things you’ve given Blathers.

This is a great design style for newer players, since it only requires terraforming to be unlocked, and getting whichever flowers strike your fancy.

No rare items, no crazy levels, just a little time and creativity.

19. Rainforest Museum

I love the islands that embrace the fact that they’re an island.

This museum looks like something out of an Indiana Jones or similar adventure movie, with the gorgeous rainforest setting.

Bamboo, palm trees, and lots of busy foliage help to make this museum entrance look wild and overgrown.

With all those plants, it’s also a great way to milk a five star rating from Isabelle!

While it looks great on a stormy night, I bet this build looks fantastic during the day as well. It would be so fun to see villagers wandering around, trying to find their way through the thick.

18. Tropical Twilight Museum

This gorgeous island build looks its best at dawn or twilight, while the sun streaks pretty colors against the darkening sky.

It’s a solid choice to build if you have lots of extra shells that you don’t want to sell, because they’re placed nicely out front to extend some of those exhibits into the outdoors.

Maybe invite your friends or favorite villagers to pose and take pictures on the bridge.

The world (or island) is your oyster!

17. Rococo Museum

You know the Rococo style of art: well-dressed ladies on swings with loads of skirts, leaning gentlemen, everyone is rich… well this museum entrance looks right out of one of those paintings.

And I’m sure Redd would agree!

If you like the classic vibe of this style, try re-creating this on your own island.

With just some flowers, street lamps, and a garden bench, it’s an easy idea for new players to achieve, but still classy and gorgeous.

The stone path and the waterfalls really make this spot look like a painting.

16. Skeleton Garden

Players who have a bit extra lying around will probably love this design.

It’s one of those cool ideas that makes a good thing out of an excess of bones.

This build places completed skeletons in a garden, making it look like it might be the dinosaurs’ natural habitats.

With plenty of shrubs and roses arranged just so, it looks great!

I especially like the addition of the bench, because it’s a great place to hang out or take a rest if you’ve been perusing the museum all day.

Plus, you know, photos.

What a backdrop!

15. Purple Museum Entrance

Did you know that purple was traditionally associated with the upper classes because the dye for clothes came from a rare breed of snail? So it was used almost exclusively for Roman senator’s robes.

Even today, purple has a particularly regal feeling.

Which makes it the perfect color choice for a high-class museum.

The trouble is, there’s only so many purple items in New Horizons.

Yet this builder used plenty of purple flowers to fill up the space in their entrance, and it looks fantastic! Peep the fish bones ‘swimming’ in front of the waterfall.

14. Classical Garden and Museum

If you like a whimsical, almost classical Greek feel on your island, this might be an idea worth re-creating.

Using marble statues and plenty of flowers helps to give this museum entrance a classy & timeless feel.

Nautilus shell sculptures work as a return to the roots of being, well, and island.

And a bubbling fountain adds some sound and vibrancy to the area.

Throw in a few garden lights, and it’s as magical a spot at night as it is during the daytime.

13. Paleontologist’s Entrance

There have been a couple entries on this list so far that make use of dinosaur bones.

But what about if you have, like, a lot of bones?

Well then you could extend your indoor collection, of course!

The island is yours to do whatever you want with, so go ahead and just plop a whole other dino exhibit on the lawn of the museum.

It’s not illegal. They can’t stop you.

Iron garden benches also give villagers a spot to plop down and inspect the ol’ bones, and some flowers add a pop of color.

12. Peaceful Woodland Museum

If you have a forestcore island or just want something a little more lowkey, this is a great option to design.

Embrace the great outdoors with plenty of trees and flowers all around your museum area.

There’s even an area for painting in this design, and another for botany!

Enjoy the sounds of the naturally rushing waterfall as you paint your next magnum opus, or inspect the newest creature you’ve found (since Blathers definitely does not want to!)

11. Haute Arte Museum

Do you like a five star rating on your island? Of course you do.

And builds like this are how you accomplish a five star rating with a touch of beauty.

With statues, bones, paintings, and plenty of… well, everything, this entrance is a lot to look at.

It’s busy without being messy, but there’s a lot going on.

If you need a break from touring, there’s even a stone dining set ready for an afternoon or evening tea.

This idea is what the artists would have wanted.

10. Rosy Red Entrance

I’ll just say it: this is a simple and beautiful museum entrance.

There are statues and benches for resting, but most importantly, beautiful flowers.

Red roses, classic white daisies, and other red and white flowers make this entrance into a big ‘wow’ spot.

Sometimes, simple is better.

And doing a setup like this helps to make the architecture of the museum itself feel impressive and even a little imposing.

9. Blathers’ Study

Don’t you think it’s odd that Blathers, a crucial part of island life, doesn’t have so much as an office?

This poor homeless owl is the backbone of any and all scientific advancement on our islands. And yet the guy doesn’t even have a desk.

This player felt Blathers’ pain, and turned their museum entrance into a study for the professorial owl.

With bookcases, a desk, and even a bed, Blathers now has somewhere to call home – assuming he ever leaves the museum, of course.

Is it cruel to make him sleep outside? Well he’s an owl, so no.

8. Natural Entrance Idea

This museum seems to be in the middle of nowhere, but in a good way.

Plenty of flowers and trees give this design a perfectly natural vibe, and look! There’s even pumpkins.

Some flags out front help to make it look more deliberate, and the traveling suitcase is a cute touch too.

Overall this idea offers a gorgeous place for a walk, or to go hunting for buried fossils!

7. Neighborhood Museum

This museum blends right in with the neighborhood in this little stone suburbia!

Stone pathways and fences look great with all of the foliage and nature.

Streetlamps and statues are arranged symmetrically around the museum, which looks awesome and really well-put together. Plus a little stream makes it easy to catch fish and fill out the aquarium section, too!

Maybe even consider building this near your own residential suburban area.

Can you imagine living this close to a museum? I think I’d be visiting every day!

6. Royal Entrance

Here’s a super opulent and super gorgeous build.

Star fragment statues, gold roses, and harps definitely count as the finer things in life, right?

You may not believe it, but there is a museum behind all these treasures.

A couple of blue roses help to balance out the colors, and there’s just enough flowers to add a touch of nature without adding the whole forest.

Honestly, this is what I picture the Louvre looking like if it could be ported to Animal Crossing.

5. Fountain Lover’s Museum Entrance

Gosh, this list is making me miss visiting museums IRL!

I mean, this entrance makes use of a lot of fountains and waterfalls.

Two angels and two Davids watch over the rushing water, hopefully blessing it with rare fish to catch for your aquarium.

This could be the perfect spot to explore and take pictures, by yourself or with friends. And all the greenery makes this design fit right in, even on a natural island!

4. Trevi Fountain

OK, this is crazy impressive.

The Trevi Fountain is a Roman landmark. And this player created it right outside their museum in New Horizons!

Statues, different fountains, and plenty of custom panels help to bring this whole thing together. And what a great idea!

It just goes to show that the only limit with this game is your imagination.

You can extend your entire museum to outside with builds like this, adding any landmarks you like with a little careful planning.

Iron garden benches are a must here, because you’ll be staring for hours. Save your feet.

3. Traditional Japanese Entrance

It’s hard not to put a traditional Japanese entry on these kinds of lists, since there’s just so many Japanese items in-game.

Which makes sense, of course, since Nintendo is a Japanese company.

Well this lovely museum entrance has stone pools, bamboo, cherry blossoms, and some great red fencing to really set the theme.

If you have a Japanese-themed island, this is a really great approach to go with. Since the museum itself (which is not customizable) is really basic looking by default.

Spotlights help to light the place up at night, and it looks like a great spot for a get together.

Maybe host a gala or soiree with your friends, where everyone dresses up all fancy and discusses fine art – or at least pretends to know what they’re talking about.

I mean really, does anyone understand how fine art works? Anyone?

2. Jurassic Entrance

This museum entrance combines the classic island vibe with some extra dino displays.

Coconut trees and tropical flowers really set the vibe of a typical island museum.

At night, handy spotlights light up the dinosaur exhibits too. Which has to look super cool.

There’s also a helpful sign pointing the way to the door, if the path didn’t give it away.

Plus, it’s Zucker approved!

1. Rock Garden Entrance

Here’s another traditional Japanese entrance, but rather than a more Shinto style, this one goes full zen garden.

A gong, rock pool, bamboo trees, and even a bonsai tree help to cement the theme.

If you wanted to take it a step further you could even try and get your rocks to appear here through trial and error!

If you just don’t like the museum building itself, this is a great way to hide it.