When Are NYC Museums FREE: Must See – Days and Times
A list of the most attractive NYC Museums for tourists & locals too. You can get them for free on specific days and times and save your money!
What is free, is the admission to the NYC Museum. Special events and exhibitions may require to pay a fee. To check the free days at NYC Children’s Museums click here.
MOST POPULAR NYC MUSEUMS:
- MoMA
- Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET)
- Museum of Natural History
- 9/11 Memorial Museum
MET & American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History has a SUGGESTED price New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut residents with Valid I’d. You pay what you wish at ticket counters. You can pay a dollar if you want!
If you’re a foreign but have a friend who is a NY, New Jersey or Connecticut resident, you can go with them & pay what you wish 😉
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Free on Winter (December to February) from Tuesday to Friday.
Free on Mondays
9/11 Memorial Museum
5:30pm to 7pm. Tickets are distributed the same day starting at 7am.
You can make your free ticket reservations online here! Up to 4 tickets per person. If online tickets are sold out, head in person to the box office on Monday because they always reserve more tickets for walk-ins on a first-come, first-served basis.
Free on Wednesdays
New York Aquarium
Reduced admission tickets for Wednesday afternoon are available at 3pm the Monday before. Reserve online here.
Bronx Zoo
Reduced admission tickets for Wednesday afternoon are available at 5pm the Monday before. Reserve online here.
Free on Thursdays or half price!
Museum of Arts and Design (MAD)
Half price tickets on Thursdays for general admission tickets!
Museum of Jewish Heritage
4pm to 8pm. Last admission 30 minutes prior to closing.
Museum of the Moving Image
2pm to 6pm. No reservation required.
Free on Fridays
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
Free admission for NY Residents the first Friday of every month: 4pm to 8pm.
Whitney Museum of American Art
7pm to 10pm (pay what you wish).
New York Historical Society
6pm to 8pm (pay what you wish). You can pay $1 if you want!
Free on Saturdays
Guggenheim Museum
6pm to 8pm (pay what you wish). Last ticket is issued 7:15pm.
The Jewish Museum
Free all day.
For those who aren’t big museum fans
If you don’t like museums at all, don’t waste your time going to them!
If you want to see what’s it about, choose one or two to go for a couple of hours.
If it’s boring for you to watch paintings, the Museum of Natural History might be a better fit. You can also check the schedule at the Metropolitan Museum because sometimes they have some cool exhibitions.
For those with limited time
The TOP 4 NYC Museums chosen by tourists are the MoMA, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET Museum), Museum of Natural History and 9/11 Memorial Museum.
You can choose one art museum and a different one like the Natural History or 9/11 Memorial Museum.
If you’re traveling with kids
The Museum of Natural History, Children’s Museum of Manhattan and the Bronx Zoo are great places to go with children! You also have the Zoo at Central Park. If you don’t mind going a little far away, you can go to the famous New York Aquarium in Coney Island!
NYC MUSEUMS: Details, Hours, Money You Save, Location & More
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) | TOP NYC MUSEUMS
They have a SUGGESTED price ONLY for NY residents (with valid NY ID) and for NY, New Jersey & Connecticut students. You can pay $1 if you want!
What’s about?
Among the most visited art museums in the world. Over two million works. The main building is one of the world’s largest art galleries. There is also a smaller second location at The Cloisters at Fort Tryon Park in Upper Manhattan which features medieval art. Works of art from classical antiquity and ancient Egypt, paintings and sculptures from nearly all the European masters, and an extensive collection of American and modern art. The Met also maintains extensive holdings of African, Asian, Oceanic,Byzantine, and Islamic art.
Hours:
Sunday – Thursday: 10am-5:30pm (galleries are cleared 15 min before closing)
Friday – Saturday: 10am-9pm (galleries are cleared 15 min before closing)
Closed Thanksgiving Day, December 25, January 1, and the first Monday in May
Location: 5th Ave. & E 82nd St. on the Upper East Side, Manhattan.
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) | TOP NYC MUSEUMS
When is it Free? Fridays from 4pm to 9pm.
What’s about? Almost 200,000 works from around the world spanning the last 150 years. The collection includes an ever-expanding range of visual expression, including painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, photography, architecture, design, film, and media and performance art.
Money you save: regular admission fee
$25 Adults
$18 seniors with ID (65+)
$14 full time students with current ID
Free 16 and under
$5 Guest of Members
Hours:
Sunday – Thursday: 10:30am-5:30pm
Friday – Saturday: 10:30am-9pm (through Dec. 30). Until 8pm afterwards.
Location: W 53rd St. between 5th & 6th Ave. in Midtown West, Manhattan.
9/11 Memorial Museum | TOP NYC MUSEUMS
When is it Free?
Free on Tuesdays from 5pm to close. Last admission two hours prior to closing. Free Admission Tuesday tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis at the Museum starting at 4 p.m.
You can make your free ticket reservations online here!
What’s about? Examining the implications of the events of 9/11, documenting the impact of those events. Honoring the lives of those who were lost in the terror attacks of September 11, 2001.
Money you save: regular admission fee
$24 Adults
$18 US college students, seniors (65+) and US veterans
$15 children 7-17, free for children under 7.
Extra fee for the tour.
Hours:
MEMORIAL: daily 7:30am – 9pm.
MUSEUM:
Sunday – Thursday 9am-8pm (last entry at 6pm)
Friday – Saturday 9am-9pm (last entry at 7pm)
Location: in Financial District, Manhattan. View address on Google Maps.
American Museum of Natural History | TOP NYC MUSEUMS
They have a SUGGESTED price but you can pay what you want any day!
What’s about? A great place to go with kids! Contains over 32 million specimens of plants, humans, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, and human cultural artifacts
Hours: Daily 10am-5:45pm except on Thanksgiving and Christmas
Location: Central Park West between 77th & 81st St. on the Upper West Side, Manhattan.
Guggenheim Museum | TOP NYC MUSEUMS
When is it Free? Saturdays 5:45pm-7:45pm (pay what you wish)
What’s about? An internationally renowned art museum and one of the most significant architectural icons of the 20th century. Special exhibitions of modern and contemporary art, lectures by artists and critics, performances and film screenings, classes for teens and adults, and daily tours of the galleries led by museum educators. Founded on a collection of early modern masterpieces, the Guggenheim Museum today is an ever-growing institution devoted to the art of the 20th century and beyond.
Money you save: regular admission fee
$25 Adults
$18 seniors (65+) and students with ID
Free Children under 12
Hours:
Sunday – Wednesday, Friday: 10am-5:45pm (last entry 30 minutes prior to closing time)
Saturday: 10am-7:45pm
Thursdays Closed
Location: 5th Ave. between 88th & 89th St. Upper East Side, Manhattan.
Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) | NYC MUSEUMS
When is it Free?
Free on Thursdays from 6pm to 9pm (pay what you wish). Groups of 8+ people must make online reservations here.
What’s about? Collect, display, and interpret objects that document contemporary and historic innovation in craft, art, and design.
Money you save: regular admission fee
$16 Adults
$14 seniors
$12 students
Free 18 and under
Hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday – Sunday: 10am – 6pm
Thursday: 10am – 9pm
Closed Mondays and major holidays
Location: in Columbus Circle, Midtown West, Manhattan. View address on Google Maps.
Museum of Jewish Heritage | NYC MUSEUMS
When is it Free?
Free on Wednesdays from 4pm to 8pm. Last admission 30 minutes prior to closing.
What’s about? The broad tapestry of Jewish life in the 20th and 21st centuries before, during, and after the Holocaust.
Money you save: regular admission fee
$12 Adults
$10 seniors (65+)
$7 students
Free for children 12 and under
Hours:
Sunday – Tuesday: 10am – 6pm
Wednesday – Thursday: 10am – 8pm
Friday: 10am – 5pm (Nov. 10 through March 9, 2018: until 3pm).
Closed Saturdays, Major Jewish Holidays and Thanksgiving.
Location: in Battery Park, Downtown Manhattan. View address on Google Maps.
The Jewish Museum | NYC MUSEUMS
When is it Free? Thursdays 5pm-8pm (pay what you wish) and Saturdays Free all day
What’s about? A jewel-box of an art museum, and a distinctive hub for art and Jewish culture for people of all backgrounds. Unique collection of nearly 30,000 works of fine art, Judaica, antiquities, folk art, ceremonial objects, and broadcast media which reflect the global Jewish experience over more than 4,000 years.
Money you save: regular admission fee
$15 Adults
$12 seniors (65+)
$7.50 students
Free 18 and under
Hours:
Sunday-Tuesday & Saturday: 11am-5:45pm
Thursday 11am-8pm
Friday 11am-4pm
Wednesdays Closed
Location: Upper East Side, Manhattan. View address on Google Maps.
Museum of the Moving Image | QUEENS, NYC
When is it Free? Fridays from 4pm to 8pm.
What’s about? Art, history, technique, and technology of film, television, and digital media by presenting exhibitions, education programs, significant moving-image works, and interpretive programs, and collecting and preserving moving-image related artifacts.
Money you save: regular admission fee
$15 Adults (18+)
$11 seniors (65+) and students with ID
$7 children 3-12, free for children under 3.
Hours:
Wednesday – Thursday: 10:30am-5pm
Friday: 10:30am-8pm
Saturday – Sunday: 10:30am-6pm
Closed Mondays. Tuesdays for group visits only (except for select holiday openings).
Location: in Astoria, Queens. View address on Google Maps.
Whitney Museum of American Art | MEATPACKING
When is it Free? Fridays from 7pm to 10pm (last free ticket is issued at 9:30pm)
What’s about? Known informally as the “Whitney” – is an art museum founded in 1931 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–1942), a wealthy and prominent American socialite and art patron after whom the museum is named. The Whitney focuses on 20th- and 21st-century American art.
Money you save: regular admission fee
$25 Adults (18+)
$18 seniors (65+) and students
Free under 18
Hours:
Monday, Wednesday – Thursday: 10:30am-6pm
Friday-Saturday 10:30am-10pm
Sunday: 10:30am-6pm
Tuesdays Closed
Location: Gansevoort St. between Washington St. & 10th Ave. in Meatpacking, Manhattan.
Bronx Zoo
When is it Free? Free on Wednesdays (pay what you wish donation).
What’s about? More than 6,000 animals. A great place to go with kids.
Money you save: regular admission fee
$28.95 Adults (13+)
$20.95 Children 3-12
Free for children under 3
Hours: Daily 10am-4:30pm from Nov. 6 to Mar. 29. Check schedule
Location: in the Bronx, New York. View address on Google Maps.
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden
When is it Free?
Free on Tuesdays all day
Free on Saturdays 10am-noon except festival dates
Free on Fridays all year round only for seniors (65+).
DECEMBER AND FEBRUARY FREE ON WEEKDAYS.
What’s about? Urban botanic garden that connects people to the world of plants, fostering delight and curiosity while inspiring an appreciation and sense of stewardship of the environment.
Money you save: regular admission fee
$15 Adults
$8 students with ID (12+) and seniors (65+)
Free for children under 12.
Hours:
MARCH – OCTOBER
Tuesday-Friday 8am-6pm
Saturday-Sunday 10am-6pm
Closed on Mondays but open Memorial Day and Columbus Day 10am-6pm.
NOVEMBER
Tuesday-Friday 8am-4:30pm
Saturday-Sunday 10am-4:30pm
Closed on Mondays and Thanksgiving.
DECEMBER – FEBRUARY
Tuesday-Sunday 10am-4:30pm
Closed on Mondays but open Martin Luther Kind Jr. Day and President’s Day 10am-4:30pm
Location: Prospect Park, Manhattan. View address on Google Maps.
Children’s Museum of Manhattan | UPPER WEST SIDE
When is it Free? First Friday of very month from 5pm to 8pm
What’s about? Five floors of fun, discovery, exhibits, learning, workshops and performances.
Money you save: regular admission fee
$14 Adults and Children
$11 seniors (65+)
Free for Children under 12 months
Hours:
Tuesday-Friday 10am-5pm
Saturday 10am-7pm
Sunday 10am-5pm
Mondays Closed
Location: W 83rd St. between Broadway & Amsterdam Ave. Upper West Side, Manhattan.
New York Aquarium | CONEY ISLAND, BROOKLYN
Website
When is it Free? Fridays 3pm to closing time (pay what you wish donation).
What’s about? A must-see destination on Coney Island’s celebrated Boardwalk. Seals, sea lions, walruses, shark tank. See if you can catch the changing colors of Squirt, the mischievous Giant Pacific octopus. The aquarium is open on a partial basis while renovations continue through 2016.
Money you save: regular admission fee
$11.95 at Gate Adults (3+)
Free for children under 2
Military discounts
Hours: Daily 10am-4:30pm (last entry at 3:30pm)
Location: in Coney Island, Brooklyn. View address on Google Maps.
New York Historical Society | UPPER WEST SIDE
When is it Free? Fridays from 6pm to 8pm (pay as you wish)
What’s about? Founded in 1804, New-York Historical is the oldest museum in New York City. Richly layered political, cultural and social history of New York City and State and the nation.
Money you save: regular admission fee
$21 Adults
$16 seniors with ID (65+), Educators, Active Military
$13 students
$6 Kids 5-13
Free Children under 5
Hours:
Tuesday-Thursday 10am-6pm
Friday 10am-8pm
Saturday 10am-6pm
Sunday 11am-5pm
Mondays Closed
Location: Central Park West between 76th & 77th St. Upper West Side, Manhattan.
