The New England Quilt Museum occupies a renovated mill building in downtown Lowell and is one of the better textile museums in the region. The collection and exhibitions explore the history of American quilting from the 18th century to the present, treating quilts seriously as art objects and as material records of women's domestic lives and creative expression. The connection to Lowell's textile heritage is direct and gives the museum a coherent sense of place.
Exhibitions rotate throughout the year and the museum makes a genuine effort to show both historic and contemporary work side by side. The building itself is attractive — a well-preserved 19th-century commercial structure — and the visit is easily combined with the Boott Mills and the national historical park, which are within walking distance.