Night at the Museums in Lower Manhattan: 15 NY Museums All for Free!
15 NY Museums and Historic Sites will open their doors for FREE in Lower Manhattan on June 19 thanks to the Night at the Museums! Free admission, special programming and all within walking distance from each other. Including 9/11 Memorial Museum & Tribute Center, Free Wall Street Tours, Federal Hall National Memorial & more!! A wonderful way to spend the evening in Financial District, one of the most historic neighborhoods in Manhattan.
Night at the Museums is produced by the Downtown Cultural Association and is part of the River to River Festival 2018, featuring free arts events from June 15-24 throughout Lower Manhattan.
When is the Night at the Museums 2018?
Tuesday, June 19.
4pm to 8pm | Free of charge for everyone!
A NYC event that happens every year one evening of June (usually the third Tuesday of the month).
Hashtag of the event: #nighatthemuseums
Map of Night at the Museums
Which Are the 15 Participating Museums & Historic Landmarks?
I put them in order based on a possible starting point from South St. Seaport 😉 I don’t think you’ll be able to do ALL in just a few hours so choose your favorites! Don’t forget to wear comfortable shoes.
- South Street Seaport Museum
- Lower Manhattan Tours
- Museum of American Finance (temporarily closed!)
- Federal Hall National Memorial
- Fraunces Tavern Museum
- National Archives at New York City
- National Museum of American Indian
- The Skyscraper Museum
- Museum of Jewish Heritage
- 9/11 Tribute Museum
- China Institute
- 9/11 Memorial Museum
- Poets House
- NYC Municipal Archives
- African Burial Ground National Monument
South Street Seaport Museum
Telling the story of the rise of New York as a port city and its critical role in the development of the United States.
12 Fulton St. between South & Water Sts.
Lower Manhattan Tours
Half-hour walking tour through the historic capital of world finance: the square mile of downtown Manhattan known as “Wall Street.” From 4 to 7pm.
Book in advance here. Tours will fill up quickly.
Tours meet at 50 & 57 Wall St. between William & Hanover Sts. and end
Museum of American Finance (MOAF)

The United States’s only independent public museum dedicated to preserving, exhibiting and teaching about American finance and financial history.
IMPORTANT: unfortunately the museum is closed for a facility emergency. Check website.
48 Wall St. & William St.
Federal Hall National Memorial

Exhibits present the history of Federal Hall, a museum & memorial to America’s first President and the beginnings of the USA. Federal Hall is the name given to the 1st of two historic buildings located at 26 Wall St. The original, a Greek Revival structure completed in 1703, served as New York’s first City Hall. It received a massive renovation in 2006 after the collapse of the World Trade Center in 2001 weakened the foundations of the building.
26 Wall St. & Nassau St.
Fraunces Tavern Museum
Museum & tavern in a city’s oldest building, where George Washington bid farewell to his troops.
54 Pearl St. & Broad St.
National Archives at New York City & National Museum of American Indian

National Archives of NYC: connects visitors to New York history. View original documents that explore records related to the Vietnam War, begin a journey into family history research/genealogy in the Research Center by examining immigrant arrivals (including Ellis Island), federal census and naturalization (citizenship) records, plus so much more.
National Museum of the American Indian: Native American art & artifacts, some going back 12,000 years, displayed in a former customs house.
Both located at 1 Bowling Green between State & Whitehall Sts.
The Skyscraper Museum

The museum focuses on high-rise buildings as “products of technology, objects of design, sites of construction, investments in real estate, and places of work and residence.” It also celebrates the architectural heritage of New York and the forces and people who created New York’s skyline.
39 Battery Pl where The Ritz Hotel is located.
Museum of Jewish Heritage

A memorial to those who perished in the Holocaust.
36 Battery Pl & 1st Pl.
9/11 Tribute Museum

Formerly known as the 9/11 Tribute Center and Tribute WTC shares personal stories of family members who lost loved ones, survivors, rescue and recovery workers, volunteers, and Lower Manhattan residents with those who want to learn about the September 11 attacks.
92 Greenwich St. & Rector St.
China Institute

China Institute is the go-to resource on China—from ancient art to today’s business landscape and its rapidly shifting culture. It’s the oldest bi-cultural, non-profit organization in USA to focus exclusively on China.
100 Washington St between Rector & Carlisle Sts.
9/11 Memorial Museum
The Museum tells the story of 9/11 terrorist attack through interactive technology, archives, narratives and a collection of artifacts.
180 Greenwich St. between Liberty & Fulton Sts.
Poets House

A national poetry library and literary center that invites poets and the public to step into the living tradition of poetry.
10 River Terrace & Murray St.
NYC Municipal Archives

It holds historical records of New York City’s government. The earliest record is from the seventeenth century. There are 160,000 cubic feet of records on paper and microfilm.
31 Chambers St. #103 between Lafayette & Elk Sts.
African Burial Ground National Monument

The oldest and largest known excavated burial ground in North America for both free and enslaved Africans. It protects the historic role slavery played in building New York City. The site honors both the spirit of those buried here and those who fought for the respectful protection of this site for this and future generations.
290 Broadway & Elk St.
You might also want to check out:
When Are NY Museums Free: Days of the Week All Year Round.
NYC Calendar: Featured Events by Month
Enjoy Night at the Museums in Financial District!
@NewYorkerTips