The Best Museums in New York City
The Best Museums in New York City | Beautiful Museums in New York City
Here is the list of 20 The Best Museums in New York City
1. New-York Historical Society
Founded as the first museum in New York in 1804, New-York Historical Society is located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. This American history museum is open from 10 AM to 11 AM for seniors above 65 and from 11 AM till 8 PM for general visitors on Friday and 11 AM to 5 PM on Saturday and Sunday.
Timing : 10 AM to 11 AM for seniors above 65 and from 11 AM till 8 PM for general visitors on Friday and 11 AM to 5 PM on Saturday and Sunday
Disability friendly : Wheelchair accessible
Entry Fee : USD 22 (adults), USD 17 (seniors and active military), USD 13 (students), USD 6 (5-13 years old) and free for kids below 4 and college students.
Highlights : Patricia D. Klingenstein Library collection, paintings from Hudson River School, history and iconic genre paintings, American portraits and over 800 works of representational American sculptures.
2. Brooklyn Museum
Founded in 1823, the Brooklyn Museum of New York City is the 3rd largest museum of the state. Sprawling over 560000 square feet, it boasts of holding around 1.5 million art collections and archives at the library.
Timing : 11 AM till 6 PM on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, 11 AM till 8 PM on Friday and Saturday
Disability friendly : Wheelchair accessible
Entry Fee : USD 16 (adults), USD 10 (seniors above 65, students above 20 and disabled visitors) and free for visitors aged 19 and below for general admission. USD 20 (adults), USD 12 (seniors above 65, disabled visitors and students above 13), USD 8 (kids aged 4-12) and free for younger kids.
Highlights : Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern, American, African, Pacific Islands, Islamic and European art collections, Elizabeth A Sackler Center for Feminist Art, Studio 54: Night Magic, exhibitions and archives at the library.
3. The Morgan Library & Museum
The Morgan Library & Museum formerly known as Pierpont Morgan Library, the Morgan Library & Museum is open from Wednesday through Sunday from 10.30 AM till 5 PM, except Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve.
Timing : Wednesday through Sunday from 10.30 AM till 5 PM, except Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, the library closes at 4 PM on Christmas
Disability friendly : Wheelchair accessible
Entry Fee : USD 22 (adults), USD 14 (seniors aged 65 and above), USD 13 (students and siabled visitors) and free for caregivers of disabled visitors and kids aged 12 and below.
Highlights : manuscripts, drawings, prints, printed books and bindings, photography, painting, modern and contemporary drawings, archives and near eastern seals and tablets
4. MoMA PS1
Located in Long Island City or Queens Borough, MoMA PS1 boasts of being among the largest contemporary art institutions. Open from 12 noon till 6 PM from Tuesday through Monday and from 12 noon to 8 PM on Saturday, it represents the modern thought-provoking and experimental art form.
Timing : 12 noon till 6 PM from Tuesday through Monday and from 12 noon to 8 PM on Saturday
Disability friendly : Wheelchair accessible
Entry Fee : USD 10 (adults), USD 5 (seniors aged 65 and above and students) and free for kids aged 16 and below.
Highlights : Long-term art installations, nearly 200,000 contemporary and modern art collections, exhibitions, film series, Mina’s café, Artbook
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5. American Folk Art Museum
The American Folk Art Museum curates and displays contemporary American folk art as well as the work of self taught artists from the 1800s till present. Housing over 8000 works of artists who have had no formal training in their fields, the collections to be found here are some of the most eclectic out of any of the country’s art museums.
Timings : 11.30 AM to 7 PM
Entry fee : Free
Viewing Time : 1 to 2 hours
Accessibility : Wheelchair accessible
6. Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
Founded by Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher in 1982, Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is open from Wednesday through Sunday from 10 AM till 5 PM. The general admission cost for 13 to 64 years old is USD 33, seniors above 65 years is USD 31, kids aged between 5 and 12 is USD 24 and free for kids aged four and below, military and veterans.
Timing : Wednesday through Sunday from 10 AM till 5 PM
Disability friendly : Wheelchair accessible
Entry Fee : USD 33 (13 to 64 years old), USD 31 (seniors above 65), USD 24 (kids aged between 5 and 12) and free for kids aged 4and below, military and veterans.
Highlights : Aircraft Carrier Intrepid, Space Shuttle Pavilion, supersonic reconnaissance Lockheed A-12 plane, Submarine Growler and British Airways Concorde, Bell 47 helicopter, World War I biplane, Guardian of the Seas, 4D experience.
7. Rubin Museum of Art
The Rubin Museum, originally founded by the Rubin family to exhibit their sizable collection of Himalayan artefacts, was later expanded to include historical artifacts and art from the Himalayan, Eurasian and Indian Subcontinent regions.
Timings : 11 AM to 5 PM
Entry fee : USD 19
Viewing Time : 1 to 2 hours
Accessibility : Wheelchair accessible, Sign language and Touch tours
8. Tenement Museum
Better known as the immigration museum, the Tenement Museum in New York City aims to spread awareness about the experience of immigrants and their importance in the formation and success of modern day America.
Timings : 11 AM to 4 PM
Entry fee : USD 22
Viewing Time : 2 to 3 hours
Accessibility : Wheelchair accessible
9. The Jewish Museum
The Jewish Museum of New York City, housed in the historic Warburg house, is known as the world’s oldest continuously running Jewish museum and the largest one in terms of collections outside of Israel.
Timings : 11 AM to 5 PM
Entry fee : USD 15 (Free on Saturdays)
Viewing Time : 3 to 4 hours
Accessibility : Wheelchair accessible, Audio description tours for visually impaired
10. The Met Cloisters
The Met Cloisters or The Cloisters was built during 1935 to 1939 in the Fort Tryon Park of Washington Heights in Manhattan. Run by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the museum specializes in the medieval architecture and art of Europe, especially from the Gothic and Romanesque periods.
Timing : Thursday to Monday except Thanksgiving, Christmas and 1st January, 10 AM to 5 PM from March to October and 10 AM to 4:30 PM from November to February
Disability friendly : Wheelchair accessible
Entry Fee : USD 25 (adults), USD 17 (seniors), USD 12 (students) and free for kids below 12
Highlights : Nearly 5000 medieval artwork, Panel paintings and sculpture, Illuminated manuscripts, Tapestries, stained glass windows
11. El Museo del Barrio
Located in Upper Manhattan, El Museo del Barrio, commonly known as El Museo was founded in 1969. It features Caribbean and Latin American art forms with emphasis on Puerto Rican works, especially from the community of New York.
Timing : Saturdays and Sundays from 12 noon till 5 PM
Entry Fee : USD 9 (adults), USD 5(seniors and students) and free for kids below 12 years old.
Highlights : Caribbean and Latin American art forms, over 8000 permanent collections including contemporary and modern paintings, photographs, mixed-media, 3D and time-based art forms, graphics from the 20th and 21st centuries
12. Museum of the City of New York
Founded in 1923, the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) in Manhattan preserves artifacts, maps and photos from the birth of New York in the 16th century till date. It is open from 10 AM till 6 PM from Thursday to Monday, except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
Timing : 10 AM till 6 PM from Thursday to Monday, except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve
Disability friendly : Wheelchair accessible
Entry Fee : USD 20 (adults), USD 14 (seniors above 65 and students) and free for visitors aged below 20
Highlights : Mid-20th Century Women's Garments, New York At Its Core, New York Silver, over 190000 digital resources, approximately 750000 items from 16th century till date.
13. New Museum
The New Museum of Contemporary Art on the Lower East Side of Manhattan was founded in 1977 and has around a thousand collections of various media.
Timing : 12 noon till 6 PM on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 12 noon till 9 PM on Thursday
Disability friendly : Wheelchair accessible
Entry Fee : USD 18 (adults), USD 15 (seniors and disabled visitors) and free for visitors aged below 18 and care partners of disabled visitors
Highlights : Approximately 1000 art collections, regular art exhibitions, audio tours, docent-led tours, guided and self-guided tours, art exhibits of artists with lesser recognition.
14. 9/11 Memorial & Museum
The National September 11 Memorial and Museum or 9/11 Memorial & Museum commemorates the victims of the attacks of 11th September 2001, 26th February 1993 and 30th May, 2002.
Timing : Thursday and Friday from 12 noon to 7 PM and from Saturday to Wednesday (Now Monday) from 10 AM till 5 PM
Disability friendly : Wheelchair accessible
Entry Fee : USD 26 (adults), USD 15 (7-12 years), USD 20 (13-17 years, seniors above 65 and college students), USD 18 (US veterans) and free for kids below 7
Highlights : Swamp white oak forest, 2 reflecting square pools, the plaza with a memorial designed 30 feet below street level
15. The Museum of Modern Art
Popularly known as MoMA, the Museum of Modern Arts of Midtown Manhattan was founded in 1929 and has a reputation of being the most influential and largest museums across the globe.
Timing : 10:30 AM till 5:30 PM, closed on Christmas and Thanksgiving
Disability friendly : Wheelchair accessible
Entry Fee : USD 25 (adults), USD 18 (seniors of and above 65), USD 18 (with disability) and USD 14 (students)
Highlights : Over 89,000 works available online, evolving collection, paintings of Van Gogh, Henri Matisse, etc, contemporary and modern art, books, exhibition catalogs, ephemera, and periodical titles.
16. The Frick Collection
Founded in 1935, The Frick Collection will have its first renovation to reopen at the Frick Madison in early 2021. It was among the first museums offering virtual tours during 1998 and the tickets cost around USD 12-22.
Entry Fee : around USD 12-22
Highlights : temporary exhibitions, old master paintings, fine furniture, Oriental rugs, porcelain materials, sculptures, Limoges enamel work, ceramics, textiles, antique clocks, silverware, medals and paper media, extensive range of symposia, lectures and the educational and research programs.
17. Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum
Nestled in the Museum mile of Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum is part of Smithsonian Institution. It is the only museum of the country representing contemporary and historical design sourced through nearly 240 years of creativity and design aesthetic.
Disability friendly : Wheelchair accessible
Highlights : Egyptian textiles and ceramics, lace collection, objects from the Fontainebleau Palace, two fountains donated by Gorge Heam, metalwork, largest paperwork collection of Frederic Church, steel chair by Peter Cooper
18. Whitney Museum of American Art
Popularly known as Whitney, the Whitney Museum of American Art in Manhattan was established in 1931 and features a permanent collection emphasizing on twentieth and twenty first century American art.
Timing : 11:30 PM till 6 PM, Monday, Thursday and Friday. 12 noon till 6 PM, Saturday, Sunday except on Thanksgiving and Christmas
Disability friendly : Wheelchair accessible
Entry Fee : USD 25 (adults), USD 18 (senior, disabled and student) and free for kids aged 18 and below
Highlights : Over 25000 artworks from the 19th century till date by over 3500 artists, films, biennial and annual exhibitions.
19. American Museum of Natural History
Among the largest museums of its kind, the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) started its journey on 6th April 1869 and is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 10 AM till 5:30 PM
Timing : 10 AM-5:30 PM, Wednesday to Sunday
Disability friendly : Wheelchair accessible
Entry Fee : USD 23 (adults), USD 18 (senior and student) and USD 13 (kid 3-12). For one special exhibition, USD 28 (adults), USD 22.50 (senior and student) and USD 16.50 (kid 3-12). For all special exhibitions, USD 33 (adults), USD 27 (senior and student) and USD 20 (kid 3-12)
Highlights : Alaska Brown Bear, T-Rex, Mammoth, Blue Whale, Rapa Nui, Titanosaur, Willamette Meteorite, permanent and special exhibitions, giant-screen film, laboratories.
20. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Built in 1937, The Guggenheim or Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum from Upper East Side, Manhattan boasts of expanding art collections of Post-impressionist, Impressionist, Contemporary and early Modern genre.
Timing : 11 AM till 6 PM, Thursday to Monday except on Thanksgiving and Christmas
Disability friendly : Wheelchair accessible
Entry Fee : USD 25 (adults), USD 18 (senior, disabled and student) and free for kids below 12
Highlights : Rotating artworks from over 625 artists, music, dance and theatrical performances, digital resources and online activities.
So, these were some of the best and most visited Museums in and around the New York City. If you feel we have missed out on your favorite Museum, let us know in the comments box below!