Museums in New York
The complete New York museum guide: Find current exhibitions at MoMA, the American Museum of Natural History and more.
A New York museum trip shouldn't be saved for a rainy day: With specialties ranging from modern art to mathematics, sex to outer space, there a New York museum for every aesthetic and intellectual curiosity. Click on a listing for museum information and complete details on current exhibitions.
The Museum of Modern Art Photograph: Timothy Hursley
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
- Price band: 1/4
RECOMMENDED: Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) After a two-year redesign by Japanese architect Yoshio Taniguchi, MoMA reopened in 2004 with almost double the space to display some of the most impressive artworks from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Outside, the Philip Johnson–designed Abby Aldrich
- 11 W 53rd St, between Fifth and Sixth Aves, 10019
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Price band: 3/4
- Critics choice
RECOMMENDED: The Metropolitan Museum of Art Occupying 13 acres of Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which opened in 1880, is impressive in terms both of quality and scale. Added in 1895 by McKim, Mead and White, the neoclassical facade is daunting. However, the museum is surprisingly
- 1000 Fifth Ave, at 82nd St, 10028
Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum Photograph: Wendy Connett
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
- Price band: 2/4
This educational museum is located on an aircraft carrier, the USS Intrepid, and docked at Pier 86. Highlights include a restored fleet of jets, a helicopter flown in World War II, a mess hall decorated to look as it would have in 1969 and other interactive exhibits. But the crown jewel is the
- Pier 86, Twelfth Ave, at 46th St, 10036
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
RECOMMENDED: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum The Guggenheim is as famous for its landmark building—designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and restored for its 50th birthday in 2009—as it is for its impressive collection and daring temporary shows. The museum owns Peggy Guggenheim’s trove of Cubist, Surrealist
- 1071 Fifth Ave, at 89th St, 10128
Wendy Connett
American Museum of Natural History
- Price band: 2/4
RECOMMENDED: American Museum of Natural History No matter which wing you wander through or where your curiosities lie (dinosaurs, gems or something else entirely), it’s hard to explore this Upper West Side fixture without being awestruck. You’ll immediately spot the rotunda’s hulking Barosaurus
- Central Park West, at 79th St, 10024
Cuxa Cloister Photograph: Courtesy Metropolita
The Cloisters
- Rated as: 4/5
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
RECOMMENDED: 50 best New York attractions Set in a lovely park overlooking the Hudson River, the Cloisters houses the Met’s medieval art and architecture collections. A path winds through the peaceful grounds to a castle that seems to have survived from the Middle Ages. (It was built less than 100
- Fort Tryon Park, 99 Margaret Corbin Dr
Kathleen McCarthy
International Center of Photography
- Price band: 1/4
- Critics choice
The library at the International Center of Photography—a major photographic resource—houses back issues of photography magazines, and thousands of biographical and photographic files. Founded in the 1960s as the International Fund for Concerned Photography, ICP has work by photojournalists Werner
- 1133 Sixth Ave, at 43rd St
Museum of Sex
Museum of Sex (MoSex)
- Price band: 2/4
RECOMMENDED: Museum of Sex (MoSex) Situated in the former Tenderloin district, which bumped-and-grinded with dance halls and brothels in the 1800s, MoSex explores the subject within a cultural context—but that doesn’t mean some content won’t shock the more buttoned-up visitor. On the ground floor,
- 233 Fifth Ave, at 27th St
Discovery Times Square
- Rated as: 4/5
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
The Discovery Channel is one of the sponsors of this new large-scale exhibition center, which will offer limited-edition runs of exhibits from across the globe. The 60,000-square-foot space is housed in the former New York Times building, and includes a learning center, a space for special events
- 226 W 44th St, between Seventh and Eighth Aves
2010 Getty Images, Neilson Barnard
The Frick Collection
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
The opulent residence that houses a private collection of great masters (from the 14th through the 19th centuries) was originally built for industrialist Henry Clay Frick. The firm of Carrère & Hastings designed the 1914 structure in an 18th-century European style, with a beautiful interior court
- 1 E 70th St, between Fifth and Madison Aves
9/11 Memorial Time Out
The 9/11 Memorial
Years of planning went into this monument, which opened on the tenth anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks. Called “Reflecting Absence,” the design by architect Michael Arad features two reflecting pools that sit within the footprint of each of the Twin Towers. The water elements are surrounded by oak
- Enter at Albany and Greenwich Sts
New Museum of Contemporary Art
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
RECOMMENDED: New Museum of Contemporary Art The first new art museum ever constructed from the ground up below 14th Street, the aptly named New Museum marks a major contribution to the continuing revitalization of downtown Manhattan. The bold seven-story building, designed by the cutting-edge Tokyo
- 235 Bowery, at Prince St
New-York Historical Society Photograph: Alex Strada
New-York Historical Society
- Rated as: 4/5
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
RECOMMENDED: New-York Historical Society New York’s oldest museum, founded in 1804, was one of America’s first cultural and educational institutions. Instead of the niche perspective on NYC’s past that some of our favorite attractions offer, this institution gives a comprehensive look at the New
- 170 Central Park West, between 76th and 77th Sts
Wendy Connett
Brooklyn Museum
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
RECOMMENDED: Brooklyn Museum Brooklyn’s premier institution is a less-crowded alternative to Manhattan’s bigger-name spaces. Among the museum’s many assets is a 4,000-piece Egyptian collection, which includes a gilded-ebony statue of Amenhotep III and, on the ceiling, a large-scale rendering of an
- 200 Eastern Pkwy, at Washington Ave
Photograph: Caroline Voagen Nels
Museum of the Moving Image
- Price band: 2/4
RECOMMENDED: Museum of the Moving Image Only 15 minutes from midtown, the Museum of the Moving Image is one of the city’s most dynamic institutions. Rubbing elbows with Kaufman Astoria Studios, it includes a three-story extension that features a state-of-the-art 267-seat cinema and expanded gallery
- 36-01 35th Ave, at 37th St, 11106
Museum of Arts & Design
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
Originally designed in 1964 by Radio City Music Hall architect Edward Durell Stone to house the Gallery of Modern Art, 2 Columbus Circle (nicknamed the "Lollipop Building" because of the Candyland-like columns that lined its base) was a windowless monolith that had sat empty since 1998. After an
- 2 Columbus Circle, at Broadway, 10019
New York Transit Museum
- Price band: 1/4
RECOMMENDED: 50 best New York attractions Other archives may offer broader perspectives on city history, but we love the Transit Museum because it goes deep into one essential element of New York life: the public transit system. Opened in 1976 in a former IND subway station, the museum displays
- Boerum Pl, at Schermerhorn St, 11201
Museum of the City of New York Photograph: Courtesy Museum of the City of New York
Museum of the City of New York
- Price band: 1/4
RECOMMENDED: Museum of the City of New York Located at the northern end of Museum Mile, this institution contains a wealth of city history and includes paintings, sculptures, photographs, military and naval uniforms, theater memorabilia, manuscripts, ship models and rare books. The extensive toy
- 1220 Fifth Ave, between 103rd and 104th Sts
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Roof Garden Café and Martini Bar
- Price band: 2/4
Perched on top of one of the world's finest museums is one of the city's finest vantage points—from both a sight and cultural perspective. During the warm months, vistors can sip a beverage while taking in spectacular views of Central park, with the city's tony skyline beyond. Vying for the vista's
- 1000 Fifth Ave, at 82nd St
Best interactive museums
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum This educational museum is located on the aircraft carrier, the USS Intrepid, and docked at Pier 86. Highlights include a restored fleet of jets, including some new additions (like a helicopter flown in World War II), a mess hall decorated to look as it would have
Jolie Ruben
City Reliquary Museum
- Rated as: 4/5
- Price band: 1/4
- Critics choice
This quirky institution houses all sorts of New York City ephemera, from old postcards featuring the Statue of Liberty to a vintage subway turnstile, as well as permanent exhibits on the history of burlesque in NYC and the 1939 World's Fair. The museum is also an active presence in the community,
- 370 Metropolitan Ave, at Havemeyer St
Tenement Museum
The Tenement Museum
- Rated as: 4/5
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
This fascinating museum—actually a series of restored tenement apartments at 97 Orchard Street—is accessible only by guided tour. Tickets are sold at the visitors’ center at 108 Orchard Street; tours often sell out, so it’s wise to book ahead. Costumed "residents" give glimpses into the daily lives
- 103 Orchard St, between Broome and Delancey Sts
New York Public Library Time Out
The New York Public Library Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
- Critics choice
- Free
RECOMMENDED: 50 best New York attractions While the New York Public Library system consists of 89 individual branches, it’s this austere Beaux Arts building in Bryant Park —home to 75 miles of shelves housing a massive humanities and social sciences archive—that most readily comes to mind. The
- Fifth Ave, at 42nd St
MoMA PS1
- Price band: 1/4
RECOMMENDED: 50 best New York attractions Housed in a distinctive Romanesque Revival building (a former public school), PS1 mounts cutting-edge shows and hosts an acclaimed international studio program. Artwork crops up in every corner, from the stairwells to the roof. PS1 became an affiliate of
- 22-25 Jackson Ave, at 46th Ave
Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
Founded in 1897 by the Hewitt sisters, granddaughters of industrialist Peter Cooper, the only museum in the U.S. solely dedicated to design (both historic and modern) has been part of the Smithsonian since the 1960s. The museum hosts periodic interactive family programs that allow children to
- 2 E 91st St, at Fifth Ave
Rubin Museum Wendy Connett
Rubin Museum of Art
- Price band: 1/4
- Critics choice
Opened in 2004, this six-story museum (once home to Barneys New York) houses Donald and Shelley Rubin’s impressive collection of Himalayan art and artifacts, as well as large-scale temporary exhibitions.
- 150 W 17th St, at Seventh Ave, 10011
New York Hall of Science Photograph: David Handschuh
New York Hall of Science
- Price band: 1/4
Built for the 1964 World’s Fair, and recently expanded, the Hall of Science demystifies its subject through colorful hands-on exhibits, with topics such as Marvelous Molecules and the Realm of the Atom. In summer, children can burn off their excess energy—and perhaps learn a thing or two—in the
- 47-01 111th St, at 47th Ave, 11368
The LGBT Center
- Price band: 1/4
Located in the former site of the Food and Maritime Trades High School, this center for the LGBT community was established in 1983 and is now the second-largest center of its kind wordwide. It hosts meetings and events for more than 300 groups and receives more than 6,000 visitors weekly.
- 208 W 13th St, between Greenwich and Seventh Aves
Bronx Museum of the Arts
- Price band: 1/4
- Critics choice
- Free
Founded in 1971 and featuring more than 800 works, this multicultural art museum shines a spotlight on 20th- and 21st-century artists who are either Bronx-based or of African, Asian or Latino ancestry. The museum sporadically offers family programming.
- 1040 Grand Concourse, at 165th St
The Morgan Library & Museum
This Madison Avenue institution began as the private library of financier J. Pierpont Morgan and is his artistic gift to the city. Building on the collection Morgan amassed in his lifetime, the museum houses first-rate works on paper, including drawings by Michelangelo, Rembrandt and Picasso;
- 225 Madison Ave, at 36th St
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