Sandwiched between high-rises on North Michigan Avenue, in the heart of the city's most prestigious retail district, the Terra's narrow rectangular building is passed without so much as a glance by droves of shoppers making a beeline for Crate & Barrel or Water Tower Place. But this unique art repository is well worth a visit.

The core of the Terra's holdings was originally the private collection of Daniel Terra, a wealthy industrialist and rainmaker for Ronald Reagan who founded his eponymous museum in north-suburban Evanston in 1980. Moved to the present location in 1987, its excellent collection has grown to include some 700 pieces of American art from the late 18th century to the present. (Another 200 works reside at the Terra's sister museum, Musée d'Art Américain, in Giverny, France.) Many of the paintings and prints, and a limited number of sculptures, on display are by American artists whose names will assuredly draw a blank -- but that's part of the Terra's appeal. The other part is coming across works by household names such as Mary Cassatt, Winslow Homer, Andrew Wyeth, John Singer Sargent, James McNeill Whistler, and Edward Hopper. The museum is particularly known for its outstanding American Impressionism collection. And, from time to time, the Terra can bowl you over with a truly stellar traveling exhibition, so it's worth checking out the museum's website before you come to town. Allow 1 hour.