Visiting Tips

visual guide is available to help you prepare for your visit.

If you have questions about accessibility or would like to request specific accommodations, please email access@high.org or ask a staff member at the ticketing desk.

Please, take photos!

Non-flash photography is encouraged in the High’s permanent collection galleries, following the guidelines below.

Photography Guidelines:

  • Photography of special exhibitions or works on loan to the Museum is sometimes prohibited by lenders. Look for photo policies posted in special exhibition galleries.
  • Take non-flash photos for personal use only. Photos may not be sold, published, or used to promote any outside product or service.
  • Use hand-held cameras, cell phones, and tablets with the flash turned off. Tripods, lights, selfie-sticks, and other camera accessories are not permitted.
  • Remain behind stanchions and maintain a safe, non-touching distance from all artwork, cases, platforms, and pedestals.
  • Please respect other visitors enjoying the galleries.

Professional photography and filming information can be found in the High’s online Press Room.

Stay Connected

The Museum offers free wifi to visitors, so please feel free to connect and share your photos on social media.

Sketching is welcome.

Sketching is encouraged in the High’s permanent collection galleries and select special exhibitions. You may write notes or sketch in the galleries using only dry media, such as pencils and crayons. Please refrain from leaning against walls or glass cases while sketching.

Re-entry is permitted.

You may exit the Museum and return later in the day. Simply retain your electronic or printed ticket to present upon re-entry. Tickets are valid from the printed entrance time through the end of operating hours on the day of your visit.

Nursing at the Museum.

Breastfeeding is permitted in any public location in the Museum, including all galleries. If caregivers prefer a private space, there is a nursing room located in the Greene Family Education Center on the Lower Level of the Stent Family Wing, equipped with a lock to ensure privacy. The space includes comfortable furniture, including a loveseat and glider, a changing table, and books for children. The nursing room is available any time during the Museum’s regular operating hours.

Coat check is free.

Coat check is located in the Wieland Lobby and provided free of charge. The High requires visitors to check large backpacks, umbrellas, and other bulky items.

The galleries do tend to run cold for the protection of the artwork, so please dress accordingly.

Strollers are OK!

Baby strollers are permitted in the permanent collection galleries. Wagons and large jogging strollers are not permitted. Strollers are available for free use on a first-come, first-served basis with an ID at the Wieland Lobby coat check. The use of strollers may be restricted in special exhibition galleries due to certain loan restrictions and high visitor volume in these areas.

Accessibility Assistance

Manual wheelchairs, strollers, and lightweight, collapsible stools are available for free use on a first-come-first-serve basis. To check out a wheelchair, stroller, or collapsible stool, please inquire with a security officer in the Taylor Lobby.

A sensory guide for all visitors is available to help you prepare for your visit. The sensory guide covers logistics of your visit as well as information on sensory stimuli you may encounter in the museum.

sensory map is available online and at the Admissions and Information desk. The sensory map can help you locate spaces that tend to be quieter and less crowded, have low light, and allow for tactile engagement and activities.

Need a restroom?

Restrooms are located on all floors of the Wieland Pavilion, all floors of the Anne Cox Chambers Wing, and on the Lobby and Lower Levels of the Stent Family Wing. All restrooms include an accessible stall, baby-changing facilities, and nearby drinking fountains. Separate single-stall restrooms (family-friendly and gender-neutral) are available in all restroom locations except on the Stent Lobby Level.

No food or drink in the galleries.

Food and drink are not permitted in the Museum’s galleries or in the Hill Auditorium, with the exception of breastfeeding, medically necessary supplies, and baby bottles administered by caregivers.

Dining Options

CJ’s Café in the Taylor Lobby offers salads, sandwiches, light snacks, baked goods, and beverages from Tuesday through Sunday. Across the piazza, the Twelve Eighty Lounge provides a limited menu from Tuesday through Saturday.

Visitors are also welcome to pack a lunch and eat at the tables on our piazza. Learn more about dining at the High.

Don’t touch the art.

It is prohibited to touch any artwork in the galleries. Many pieces are very fragile, and even a fingertip can leave a damaging oil residue on a painting, sculpture, or object.

The High is a smoke-free environment.

The High Museum of Art, the Sifly Piazza, and The Woodruff Arts Center are smoke-free. Designated smoking areas are provided around the perimeter of the Arts Center, and we ask that you limit your smoking to these areas.

Leave weapons at home.

For the safety of our guests and employees, The Woodruff Arts Center prohibits the possession of weapons of any kind on the Arts Center’s property, including the Sifly and Callaway plazas, and at events sponsored by the Arts Center, unless such possession or use is a requirement of the job (e.g., law enforcement). Weapons include firearms, explosives, knives, and other objects that in the opinion of The Woodruff Arts Center might cause harm.