The Currier is legitimately good — the kind of compact, well-curated museum that cities ten times Manchester's size would be proud of. The American paintings collection is the strongest part: significant works from the colonial period through the 20th century, with particular depth in the Hudson River School and American Impressionism. The European holdings are smaller but include worthwhile pieces from the medieval through early modern periods.
The museum's most famous possession isn't in the building at all — it is the Zimmermann House, a 1950 Usonian home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in nearby Manchester. Guided tours of the house run on selected days and require separate advance booking. The house is essentially intact as Wright designed it, with all original furnishings: a rare chance to experience Wright's domestic vision as a lived space rather than a museum reconstruction.
Back at the museum proper, the temporary exhibition program is ambitious for an institution this size, regularly bringing traveling shows that would otherwise require a trip to Boston. The museum shop is well-stocked with architecture and design books. The café is reliable for lunch.