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Free Museums in NYC

Published by Caroline Morse, Writer

Country: United States

The Experience

Sometimes it seems that seeing all of the famous museums of New York City will cause the average tourist to declare bankruptcy, when faced with admission prices of $20 or higher. But don't let your lack of funds stop you from seeing once in a lifetime exhibits - there are many free museums in New York City or chances to see expensive museums for free or reduced admission.

Let’s start with the free museums – many great New York museums are always $0 to get in, including: Carnegie Hall/Rose Museum, Dahesh Museum, the FIT Museum (Fashion Institute of Technology), the Guggenheim SoHo (sorry, this is not the main location, but it’s still worth a visit), the Museum of American Folk Art, the National Museum of the American Indian, and the Whitney.

I know, I know, you didn’t come all the way to NYC to see those museums. You want to see the super famous ones. Like the Met. Well the good news is, many of New York’s museums charge a “suggested donation”. Which means they “suggest” you pay $20 to get in, and you shamefully give the ticket seller four quarters and avoid eye contact. Museums with this policy include: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Historical Society, and the American Natural History Museum.

Then there are the museums with the strict admission fee, and if you try to bargain with the “suggested” admission price, they will probably call security on you. But if you time your visit right, you can still get in for free (and I don’t mean waiting until everyone leaves and trying to sneak in the back). This list of museums that have free admissions during certain days/times: Bronx Zoo - Wednesday, all day, Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) – Fridays, 4-8pm, International Center for Photography - Fridays, 5-8pm, The Morgan Library – Fridays, 7-9pm, The Whitney – Fridays, 6-9pm, Brooklyn Botanical Garden – Saturdays, 10am-12pm, The Guggenheim - Saturdays, 5:15pm-7:45pm, The Frick - Sundays, 11am-1pm. Make sure to get to the museum well before the free admission starts - oftentimes, lines can be very long.

So with some careful planning, you can get all the culture you want, while saving your money for things like Broadway shows, eating out, and bus tours.

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Puzzle

When to Go to Free Museum Nyc

Since the museums are all indoors, any time of year works well to visit New York City's museums. A nice time though to make your rounds at these free NYC museums is during the fall, when a walking into a toasty warm museum after a brisk walk outside is welcomed experience. Special exhibits happen year round, so make sure to check the museum websites to see if anything of interest is scheduled.

Odds n' Ends

Keep in mind that seeing special exhibits such as the Tim Burton exhibit at the MoMa, is not
included in the free admission tickets. If you wish to see them you will have to shell out extra money.

More Experiences Nearby

Cheap Eats in NYC
Exploring one of the world's most walkable cities can be tough on the appetite, but it doesn't have to be tough on your wallet. Avoiding the overpriced, touristy restaurants that populate Manhattan and checking out some of NYC's cheap eats instead can be a great excuse to see parts of the city that aren't on your sightseeing map. Got a dollar? You can get a slice of pizza (with one cent left over) at 2 Bros. Pizza in Greenwich Village. (601 Sixth Avenue, New York NY 10011) The line can look dauntingly long at times, but the experienced staff keep ...0 miles away.

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Books and DVDs

Frommer's NYC Free & Dirt Cheap
Frommer's New York City 2010
Mike Colameco's Food Lover's Guide to New York City

Media References

Whitney Museum of American Art - NYTimes.com (newspaper)
Museum of Modern Art - NYTimes.com (newspaper)
American Museum of Natural History - NYTimes.com (newspaper)

Language Guides

French , Hindi , Indonesian , Italian , Japanese , Lao , Malay , Mandarin , Portugese , Russian , Spanish , Thai , Turkish , Vietnamese are some of the languages spoken in United States. If you know of a freely available phrase book or podcast for one of the missing languages, let us know!

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