Many Museums are actually FREE? Yes, they are!
New York City Museums range from the world-renowned Metropolitan Museum of Art NYC and American Museum of Natural History NYC, to the more specialized, such as The New York City Police Museum or the Museum of American Finance.
Did you know it is possible to see two NYC museums every day for a year and still not cover them all?
NYC Locals – Add your NYC Museum Event (updates, exhibits, concerts, promotions) to the NYC Insider Guide.
NYC Insider Tip – New York City Museums
Suggested Donation vs. Admission Price
Many New York City Museums are non-profit organizations. Their goal is to make art and culture affordable to everyone. As non-profits, they ask for a “suggested donation” or contribution to access the museum, rather than an admission price. Pay attention when evaluating sightseeing passes, if the “price” is suggested donation or an actual admission cost. Please do donate as these Museums are priceless and the money donated goes back into the NYC Museums, so we can all enjoy them.
Most New York City Museums also offer Free or “Pay-What-You-Wish” days and times. Some are listed at NYC Museums and on the NYC Museums and Tours cheat sheet in the NYC Print Guide and free Mini Guide.
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New York City Museum Guides
Best New York City Museum for Kids
Best NYC Attractions Pass for Museums
|
Sightseeing Pass |
New York Pass |
Go City New York |
CityPASS |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| 9/11 Museum | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ 9/11 or Intrepid |
| Natural History | ✔ Admission | ✔ Admission | ✔ Admission | ✔ Admission ✔ Planetarium |
| Guggenheim | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ TOTR or Guggenheim |
| Intrepid | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ 9/11 or Intrepid |
| MET | X | X | X | X |
| MoMA | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Liberty/ Ellis | ✔ Cruise ✔ Grounds ✔ Ellis Island/Immigration ✔ Secret Tour |
✔ Cruise ✔ Grounds ✔ Ellis Island/Immigration |
✔ Cruise ✔ Grounds ✔ Ellis Island/Immigration ✔ Secret Tour |
✔ Ferry/Grounds or Circle Line |
| Whitney | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
New York City Museum Events Calendar
Most Popular New York City Museums
Check out the new Museum of Ice Cream (SoHo), Guggenheim, MoMA, Whitney and so many more museums from which to choose.
New York City Museums
New York City Museums – The Met
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (aka The MET) contains more than 2 million works spanning 5,000 years and is the number one attraction in New York City, counting over 5 million visitors annually. Even those who think Art or Museums are not their thing can spend days here and still not experience a small portion of their art collections, famous exhibits, special events, multiple restaurants, rooftop garden, live music, museum tours and much more!
As of 2018, the Met Suggested Contribution policy only applies to NY State residents as well as NY, NJ, CT students.
The Met admission fee is covered on the New York Sightseeing Pass, New York CityPASS, New York Pass or a choice on the New York Explorer Pass
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Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum offers the most complete overview of twentieth-century American art of any museum in the world, with a special focus on works by living artists. The new museum building (opened May 2015) includes approximately 50,000 square feet of indoor galleries and 13,000 square feet of outdoor exhibition space and terraces facing the High Line.
Admission included with the New York Sightseeing Pass and New York Pass
New York City Museums – Statue of Liberty
If visiting the Statue of Liberty and getting inside the Statue of Liberty Museum and/or climbing Lady Liberty’s Crown is important to you, then stop right here and reserve your Statue of Liberty tickets (Monument Access Pass), either with or without $3.00 Crown Access now!
Neighborhood: Financial District/Wall Street
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9-11 Memorial
The 9/11 Memorial was dedicated on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and open to the public on September 12, 2011. Tickets to the Memorial are FREE, and reservations are no longer required.
Read all about ways to honor the memories of the thousands of lives lost on 9-11-01 at 9-11 Memorial.
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9-11 Memorial Museum
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Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum
Best For: Kids or anyone really interested in War history and transportation. (PS – this is my Dad’s all-time favorite thing to do in NYC, except eating, of course).
NYC Insider Way: Sorry, but private events, such as weddings and charity balls, are the true insider way to have this spectacular museum to yourself for a night.
American Museum of Natural History NYC
SuperSaver Admission – Adults: $33 Children (2-12): $20.50 Seniors/Students with ID: $25.50. Include admission to Museum and Rose Center for Earth and Space plus all special exhibitions, IMAX films, and Hayden Planetarium.
Only the New York CityPASS includes the Planetarium Space Show.
Many New Yorkers think this is the best of all the New York City Museums. The Planetarium is well worth the price. Anyone who grew up in NY fondly remembers their class trips and Saturdays with their parents at the Planetarium. Check out the spectacular new Space Show, “Journey to the Stars,” narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, that premiered July 4, 2009. Show times approximately every half hour.
New York City Museums -MoMA
Museum of Modern Art NYC
11 W. 53rd St. (5th/6th Aves)
Subway: E, V to 53rd St.–5th Ave.; F to 57th St.;
B, D, F, V to 47th–50th Sts.–Rockefeller Center
Admission included with New York Sightseeing Pass, New York Pass and a choice on the New York Explorer Pass.
Admission – $25; $18 seniors; $14 students; children 16 and under free. Open: 7 Days Week
Plan your day at MoMA with the interactive MoMA tool highlighting the best days to visit and best touring plan, based on your preferences.
NYC Insider Ways to Visit the MoMA
1) The Modern – This is not a typical New York City Museum cafe. Everything from the food to the atmosphere and scenery is exquisite. The Modern is part of Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group, which also owns Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Eleven Madison Park, Tabla and many other of NYC’s top rated restaurants. The dining room overlooks the sculpture garden in the middle of the museum and food itself is practically art. Of all the dining in New York City Museums, this is likely the nicest
2) UNIQLO Free Fridays: MoMA stays open late on the first Friday of every month and admission is free just for New Yorkers! Tickets, from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., are free for New York City residents but must be reserved in advance (up to two adults), and are subject to availability and proof of residency. Since the program launched in 2004, nearly three million visitors have enjoyed free admission and increased accessibility to MoMA’s exhibitions, film screenings and The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden.
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NYC Museums – Guggenheim Museum
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum NYC
1071 Fifth Ave. (89th St)
Manhattan, NY 10128
Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 86th St
Admission – Adults: $30 Students and Seniors 65+ (ID required): $19 US Military (ID required): $25 Visitors with disabilities: $19 Members: Free Children under 12. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Please check their site for museum days, hours and events as they change quite frequently.
Admission included as a choice on New York CityPASS (or Top of the Rock), included with the New York Sightseeing Pass and New York Pass.
NYC Insider Ways to Visit the Guggenheim Museum
1) Pay-What-You-Wish: Saturday evenings 4-6pm. Make sure to book your ticket online as they are released at 10am the day (Friday) before.
2) (Paused as of 2020) Art After Dark – The Guggenheim hosts really cool after hours art events with a cash bar and music centered around a special exhibition or program. Once the general public has left for the day, usually after 9pm, the museum turns into one of the city’s hottest spots.
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Museum of Sex NYC
If you’re ready to take sex seriously, then a visit to the Museum of Sex is your next stop. The Museum is actually quite educational and does a great job at encouring public enlightenment, discourse and engagement on a variety of worldwide issues. Of course, some of the exhibits do have their sexy side.
Visitors must be 18 years of age or older to enter the museum and 21 to consume alcohol onsite. Admission is included in New York Pass and a choice on the New York Explorer Pass.
More Info: Museum of Sex NYC, 233 Fifth Avenue (@ 27th Street)
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More New York City Museums
The New Museum – Founded in 1977, the New Museum is a leading destination for new art and new ideas. It is Manhattan’s only dedicated contemporary art museum and is respected internationally for the adventurousness and global scope of its curatorial program. Lower East Side
The Ukrainian Museum (222 East 6th Street, 2nd/3rd Aves) – open Wed-Sun. Collections of Ukranian folk art, fine art, and extensive compendium of archival materials. Afterwards, browse the small are of “Little Ukraine” on 6th and 7th Streets b/w 1st and 3rd Aves and wander the East Village.
The Paley Center for Media (formerly Museum of Television and Radio)
The New York City Police Museum – The NYPD’s tribute to 165 years of service features exhibits on its history and the tools of its trade, including vintage uniforms, squad cars and firearms. More notorious artifacts are also on view, including a gun used by one of Al Capone’s minions in the 1928 murder of Frankie Yale. Visitors can participate in a simulated police gunfight, see a model jail cell and a 9/11 memorial.
Museum of the City of New York
The Bronx Museum of the Arts – internationally recognized cultural destination that presents innovative contemporary art exhibitions and education programs and is committed to promoting cross-cultural dialogues for diverse audiences.
Like the rest of New York City, many of our less famous Museums are some of the best kept secrets. Examples include:
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New York City Museum Updates
UNIQLO Free Fridays: Like many New York City Museums, MOMA offers free admission every Friday evening from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Since the program launched in 2004, nearly three million visitors have enjoyed free admission and increased accessibility to MoMA’s exhibitions, film screenings and The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden.
Free NYC Museum Admission for Military Families Summer
Free NYC Museum Admission for Military Families is being offered all summer at more than 40 New York City Museums and gardens. The program, sponsored by Blue Star, allows all active duty, National Guard and Reserve military…
Click Here to Add a New York City Museum Event or Update
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Recent New York City Museums News
Kids Week at the Intrepid Museum
The Intrepid Museum offers dynamic, interactive exhibits in the Exploreum Hall and a host of fun-filled, hands-on activities for every member of your family – every day of the week. From special guests and activities galore to flight simulators and multimedia technology, Kids Week at the Intrepid is action packed and filled with excitement.
Night at the Museums
On Pause 2022. New in NYC and held every June!!!! Night At The Museums, when Fifteen museums and historic sites in Lower Manhattan open their doors to celebrate summer – all for free. Night At The Museums is produced by the Downtown Cultural Association and is part of the RIVER TO RIVER FESTIVAL
Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space
The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space is a volunteer-run small history museum of grassroots activism. We tell the story of efforts to create community spaces on the Lower East Side, especially efforts that “reclaim” space taken over by city bureaucracies or corporations. We highlight the political implications of how social structures shape and control our space and take a long-term historical perspective on how the urban landscape evolves through cycles. facebook.com/morusnyc/
More from NYC Insider Guide:
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