Most Beautiful Museum Gardens Around The World (PHOTOS)

Museums are meant to be visual feasts; they are guilt-free, indulgent, Thanksgiving-sized banquets of painting, sculpture, video, music, photography, and so on. The sights and sounds experienced within the walls of a museum, however, are but a mere part of what makes them such oft-visited and beloved locales. The gardens, courtyards, and outdoor spaces found within many museums and gallery spaces are often reason enough to make a visit. Whether its a former private home turned art gallery like Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum or the Nasher Sculpture Garden in Texas, these open-air havens have a history all their own and are usually outfitted with what could be considered their own art exhibition, whether its simply the landscaping or a rotating selection of sculptures. Check out our top choices and leave your favorites in the comments.