Full Monument View, African Burial Ground

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Temporarily Closed

Admission: $15

Free Fridays 8am - 12pm

Flatbush, Brooklyn

Nestled in Prospect Park next to the sprawling Brooklyn Museum is a quiet oasis filled with trees, vegetables, flowers, trickling streams, and quiet ponds. Though smaller than its counterpart in the Bronx, its gardens and conservatories are cultivated with the same care and attention. A gorgeous and educational escape.

Brooklyn Children's Museum

Chaim Gross Foundation

Temporarily Closed

temporarily closed

Admission: $15

Greenwich Village, Manhattan

Chaim Gross, the 20th-century American sculptor (with Austrian-Jewish roots), has artworks on display in museums across the city and the world. To delve deeper into his life, process and works, visit his converted home near Washington Square Park and tour three floors of artifacts from his life--one of the few single-artist museums in the city.

Children's Museum of Manhattan

Temporarily Closed

Admission: $15

Upper West Side, Manhattan

Selecting a Children's Museum in New York is as much about the convenience of the location as the content of the museum. Manhattan's child-friendly entry is on the increasingly family-friendly Upper West Side. Permanent installations allow children as young as two to learn while playing and temporary exhibits focus on subjects relevant to modern, multi-cultural societies.

Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum

Temporarily Closed

Admission: $18

Pay-What-You-Wish Saturdays 6pm - 9pm

Upper East Side, Manhattan

One of only two museums belonging to the Smithsonian Institute outside of Washington D.C. (and the only one to charge admission), the Cooper-Hewitt is the unique in the nation in its efforts to promote and curate contemporary design. The museum takes a broad definition of 'design', spanning topics from decorative wallpaper and aristocratic jewelry to quotidian household and office supplies.

Czech Center

Temporarily Closed

Free Admission

Upper East Side, Manhattan

The Czech Republic maintains a solid contribution to New York's landscape of cross-cultural institutions with a beautiful Upper East Side gallery space. Films, lectures, and events occur almost daily, highlighting Czech and Bohemian culture, supplemented by rotating art and history exhibits. The Czech Center merits repeat visits.

Derfner Judaica Museum

Temporarily Closed

Free Admission

Riverdale, The Bronx

The Derfner Judaica Museum in Riverdale is a surprising little museum. Gallery space borrowed from the Hebrew Home (for the aged) opened in 1968, initially filled with items borrowed from the Jewish Museum to give residents access to beauty. Since then it has grown to an impressive museum in its own right, filled with art and artifacts donated by collectors of Jewish culture.

Dia Chelsea

temporarily closed

Admission: $8

Free Fridays 3pm - 6pm

Greenwich Village, Manhattan

The trip to Dia: Beacon is well worth the time and effort. However, when Beacon is too far away but you need a taste of contemporary art at significant scale, stop by the Dia extension in Chelsea (for the ambitious, dual-admission tickets are available). Immediately upon entering it becomes obvious that Dia is not your usual Chelsea art gallery space.

Frick Collection

Temporarily Closed

Admission: $22

Pay-What-You-Wish Wednesdays 2pm - 6pm

Upper East Side, Manhattan

Henry Clay Frick's estate retains the aristocratic spirit of the Gilded Age better than any of the other mansions-turn-museums lining Fifth Avenue. His impressive collection of European art and decor is on public display, but in a very private space that makes you feel like a glowering Mr. Frick could round the corner at any moment.

Front Room Gallery

Temporarily Closed

Free Admission

Lower East Side, Manhattan

Right at home on the Lower East Side, the Front Room Gallery hosts rotating exhibits highlighting the works of emerging contemporary artists working in a variety of media (as well as occasional retrospectives of established artists). Openings can be a scene, but midday visits allow you to discover your new favorite artist at a leisurely pace.

General Grant National Memorial

Temporarily Closed

Free Admission

Upper West Side, Manhattan

Better known as Grant's Tomb, this monument to the victorious Union general and a two-term president is the largest mausoleum in the country and a tribute to the esteem contemporaries once held for U.S. 'Unconditional Surrender' Grant. Surprisingly few visitors make the short pilgrimage uptown to visit, making the surround park and overlook of the Hudson a serene escape from the city.

Godwin-Ternbach Museum

Temporarily Closed

Free Admission

Flushing, Queens

Godwin-Ternbach, CUNY's flagship museum hosted on the campus of Queens College, maintains an impressive permanent collection of art and artifacts from every continent, spanning thousands of years. Rotating exhibits reflect the diversity of Queens and highlight contemporary artists and cultural movements from around the globe.

Governors Island National Monument

Temporarily Closed

Ferry access $3

Governors Island, Manhattan

By a happy accident of military history, a small island in New York Harbor escaped the centuries of development that transformed almost every other inch of habitable land in the area. Transferred from the coast guard to the city, Governors Island is a critical oasis of open space in the urban desert ringing the harbor.

Gracie Mansion

Houdini Museum

Temporarily Closed

Suggested: $10

Midtown, Manhattan

Harry Houdini will forever remain the most influential magician in the world, and this humble, charming museum celebrates his life and ground-breaking illusions in a small space shared with Fantasma Magic

International Center of Photography

Temporarily Closed

Admission: $16

Pay-What-You-Wish Thursdays 6pm - 9pm

Bowery, Manhattan

It can be difficult to keep track of where on the island you can visit the fascinating exhibits hosted by the International Center of Photography. After moving to the Bowery in 2014 the museum and its associated school are slated to move again to the Lower East Side next year. Stop by to see the last handful of exhibits in its current home and plan on exploring the undoubtedly beautiful new location in 2019.

International Print Center New York

Temporarily Closed

Free Admission

Chelsea, Manhattan

Printmaking has enjoyed a popular renaissance in recent years and fine art prints are found throughout contemporary art galleries. The International Print Center was founded well before this renaissance began and has served as the epicenter of printmaking internationally. At the base of the Highline, it is a perfect part of a Chelsea gallery day.

Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum

Temporarily Closed

Admission: $33

Midtown, Manhattan

The greatest city in the world would feel somehow incomplete without a retired aircraft carrier permanently docked on a midtown pier. Luckily, the USS Intrepid, a massive, Essex-class ship dating from World War II, still capable of defeating the combined navies of half the world's countries, was no longer needed by the U.S. Navy. Since 1982 the carrier has served as the unique home of the Sea, Air and Space Museum and hosted a range of fascinating exhibits and events.

Morgan Library

Temporarily Closed

Admission: $22

Free Fridays 7pm - 9pm

Midtown, Manhattan

The art and artifacts collected by Wall Street magnate J.P. Morgan during New York's Gilded Age are the foundation of the eponymous museum in Midtown Manhattan. Mr. Morgan amassed an impressive library of rare books, historical documents, and early prints, now on display in his former private library, itself an architectural masterpiece.

Morris-Jumel Mansion

Temporarily Closed

Admission: $10

Washington Heights, Manhattan

The life of Manhattan's oldest home is a tour of American history. Roger Morris built the house in 1765 but rightly forfeited it after the revolution (he was a British loyalist). George Washington used the house briefly as his headquarters. Aaron Burr was briefly married to one of the home's owners. The views are also stunning.

Museum of Chinese in America

Temporarily Closed

Admission: $12

Chinatown, Manhattan

The MOCA fills a critical gap in the long, fascinating story of American Immigration. This small museum explores the positive contributions and decidedly mixed experiences of Chinese immigrants, from California gold mines to Chinatown laundries, to Hollywood and the military. It is a fascinating story not told nearly as well anywhere else.

Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts

Temporarily Closed

Admission: $8

Fort Greene, Brooklyn

The MoCADA in Fort Greene, Brooklyn is a center of art and culture exploring the modern experience of peoples of African descent outside of Africa. Rotating exhibits invited contemporary artists to explore topics relevant to the African Diaspora in the modern world. Exhibits are timely, relevant and sure to spark conversations.

Museum of Jewish Heritage

Temporarily Closed

Admission: $16

Free Thursdays 4pm - 8pm

Free Wednesdays 4pm - 8pm

Battery Park, Manhattan

The museum was founded as A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. While other museums around the city celebrate and explore the long history and contemporary creativity of the Jewish people, the Museum of Jewish Heritage explores the dark and tragic experiences of Jewish communities during the twentieth century. It is a somber place to visit--but ultimately hopeful.

Museum of Mathematics

Temporarily Closed

Admission: $18

Midtown, Manhattan

One of the more recent additions to the NYC museum landscape, the Museum of Mathematics (MoMath) fills a topical gap. Despite the potential complexity of its subject, the museum is accessible, even (or especially) for children is quite possibly more entertaining than educational. Come ride a square-tired bike.

Museum of Modern Art

Temporarily Closed

Admission: $25

Free Fridays 4pm - 8pm

Midtown, Manhattan

This is where all the art you know is. All the names you remember from art history classes or college dorm-room posters: van Gogh, Dali, Picasso, Warhol, Matisse, Monet, Pollack and all the rest are represented in the permanent collection at the MoMA, supplemented by some of the most popular temporary exhibits in the city.

Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space

Temporarily Closed

Suggested: $5

East Village, Manhattan

This fascinating museum seeks to document, educate and advocate for grassroots movements to use urban space in a socially responsible way. Exhibits focus on such topics as community gardens, squatter's rights, homelessness and other issues of urban space and property ownership. Worth a visit to understand the Alphabet City experience.

Museum of Sex

Temporarily Closed

Admission: $20.50

Midtown, Manhattan

A topic which has permeated all of human culture throughout time has had surprisingly little coverage from traditional museums. The Museum of Sex (yes, it's shortened to MoSex) stepped in to fill this void in 2002. While limited to 18 and older, the museum treats the topic as serious more than scintillating, respectful and academic while retaining the fun.

Museum of the City of New York

Temporarily Closed

Suggested: $20

Upper East Side, Manhattan

Just as the City itself balances the preservation of history and the embrace of modernity, this eponymous museum serves as both a trove of treasures chronically fading New York and a showcase of contemporary urban culture.

Museum of the Moving Image

Temporarily Closed

Admission: $15

Free Fridays 4pm - 8pm

Astoria, Queens

This Astoria institution is one of the best modern museum experiences in the city. The museum celebrates every aspect of an image that moves --film, television, animation, video games, YouTube, and gifs. Time your visit with a film you are interested in seeing--usually the daily screenings are included with admission.

National Jazz Museum Nightclub Map of Harlem

National Jazz Museum in Harlem

Temporarily Closed

Suggested: $10

Harlem, Manhattan

This tiny Harlem-based institution conserves the history of the neighborhoods most influential creation: American Jazz music. See Duke Ellington's piano or listen to selections from one of the most expansive collections of early Jazz music in the world.

National Museum of the American Indian

Temporarily Closed

Free Admission

Battery Park, Manhattan

One of the most beautiful buildings in the city contains one of its most tragically under-utilized museums. One of only two branches of the Smithsonian outside of the Washington DC area, the National Museum of the American Indian houses one of the world's largest collection of pre- and post-Colombian artifacts, as well as numerous works by contemporary Native artists. There is no reason not to go.

National September 11 Memorial and Museum

Temporarily Closed

Admission: $26

Downtown, Manhattan

The conversation about how to best memorialize the lives lost and buildings destroyed on September 11 settled on a powerful memorial design in the footprints of the buildings and a nearby museum to retell the story of that day. The museum houses extensive artifacts, powerful video and audio and symbols of resiliency and recovery.

Neue Galerie

Temporarily Closed

Admission: $25

Upper East Side, Manhattan

Gustav Klimt looms large at the Neue. While the dorm-room favorite The Kiss is not here, but the $135 million Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I and other major works by the Austrian painter headline the museum's impressive collection of German and Austrian art. Beyond Kilmt, the museum has examples of pieces from the Bauhaus, Vienna Secession, and other Germanic art movements.

New Museum

Temporarily Closed

Admission: $18

Pay-What-You-Wish Thursdays 7pm - 9pm

Bowery, Manhattan

The New Museum's revolutionary founding principles are now common practice for even the most traditional of museums: curating active, living contemporary artists with traditional museum practices. But the New Museum did it first and still, usually, does it best. It is impossible to predict what you will see or if you will like it. The only promise is that it will be new.

New York Aquarium

Temporarily Closed

Admission: $29.95

Coney Island, Brooklyn

The aquarium is recovering nicely from the devastation of Hurrican Sandy. While many of the buildings are still closed, the blockbuster new Shark exhibit is worth the long trip to Coney Island. Smell the salt air and visit the seals, otters, pelicans, turtles, rays, and fish in the nations oldest aquarium.

New York Botanical Garden

Temporarily Closed

Admission: $28

Fordham, The Bronx

The collection of flora cultivated in the New York Botanical Garden does not usually excite visitors as easily the charismatic fauna in the neighboring Bronx Zoo. A respite in the gardens, with its smaller crowds, expansive trails, and unique exhibits, is a rare opportunity to escape the city without leaving it. Blooms in spring, leaves in autumn, forest paths in summer and winter greenery in the conservatory make this a year-round destination.

New York City Fire Museum

Temporarily Closed

Admission: $10

Soho, Manhattan

New York City has not had a disaster like the Great Fire of London Fire of 1666 in large part thanks to early efforts at fire prevention and containment. The New York City Fire Museum chronicles the many strategies used to protect the city, from bucket brigades to horse-drawn water tanks to modern suppression systems. Retired FDNY firefighters are often on hand for tours.

New York Hall of Science

Temporarily Closed

Admission: $16

Free Fridays 2pm - 5pm

Free Sundays 10am - 11am

Corona, Queens

The New York Hall of Science, like the nearby Queens Museum, is one of the few buildings remaining for the World's Fairs hosted in Flushing in 1939 and 1964. Like most science museums, the target audience is primarily children, introducing them to key concepts in science in an engaging and interesting way.

Rose Museum at Carnegie Hall

Temporarily Closed

Free Admission

Midtown, Manhattan

Carnegie Hall has hosted iconic performances from the greatest musicians in the world. But performing arts are necessarily transient and once the show is over little remains. However, the little that does remain--costumes, programs, ticket stubs, promotional posters, is on display in the small museum on the second floor of this historic institution.

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