These New York City museums, memorials, monuments and art-filled attractions are either always free, free on specific days of the week or free for select hours. They cover all kinds of subjects—history, art, religion, kids’ topics—and are spread throughout the five boroughs. Find ones that interest you, and take advantage of their generosity.
Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden. Photo: Lucía Vázquez
Always Free or Pay What You Wish
This list covers general admission only; certain events and exhibitions may require a fee. Many spots have a pay-what-you-wish policy, with a suggested amount, and donations are always encouraged. Some institutions require reservations even for free admission—check before you arrive.
9/11 Memorial
(memorial only; museum requires admission except for certain visitors and on Monday evenings—see below)
Africa Center
(except during special events)
African Burial Ground Memorial Site
American Folk Art Museum
American Museum of Natural History
(New York City and State residents pay what you wish)
Austrian Cultural Forum
BLDG 92 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard
BRIC House
The Bronx Museum of the Arts
Castle Clinton National Monument
Center for Architecture
Center for Brooklyn History at Brooklyn Public Library
Center for Jewish History
Czech Center Gallery
Dia Chelsea
Dr. Bernard Heller Museum
Drawing Center
Federal Hall National Memorial
Fordham Museum of Greek, Etruscan and Roman Art
Fort Wadsworth
General Grant National Memorial
Godwin-Ternbach Museum
at Queens College
Governors Island
(home to regular exhibits; find the Governors Island ferry under Saturdays and Sundays)
Grey Art Museum
at New York University (suggested admission)
Grolier Club
Hall of Fame for Great Americans
at Bronx Community College
Hamilton Grange National Memorial
Harbor Defense Museum
Herbert and Eileen Bernard Museum of Judaica (Temple Emanu-El)
High Line
Hill Art Foundation
Hispanic Society of America Museum & Library
(suggested donation)
Institute for the Study of the Ancient World
at New York University
Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and Museum
King Manor
Korean Cultural Center New York
Lehman College Art Gallery
Lenfest Center for the Arts
at Columbia University
Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art
(suggested donation)
Lewis Latimer House Museum
Little Island
Maritime Industry Museum at Fort Schuyler
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
(NYC residents pay what you wish)
Mmuseumm
MoMA PS1
Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology
Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space
(suggested donation)
National Jazz Museum in Harlem
National Museum of the American Indian
New York Public Library, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
New York Public Library – Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
New York Transit Museum Gallery and Store
in Grand Central Terminal
Nicholas Roerich Museum
Old Stone House
(suggested donation)
Queens County Farm Museum
(except during special events)
Rose Museum at Carnegie Hall
Salmagundi Club
(public galleries)
Scandinavia House
(gallery)
SculptureCenter
Sheila C. Johnson Design Center
(Parsons School of Design)
The Skyscraper Museum
Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden
(grounds and botanical garden only)
Socrates Sculpture Park
South Street Seaport Museum
Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center
Swiss Institute of Contemporary Art
(temporarily closed and scheduled to reopen in new location spring 2027; check website for pop-up programming)
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace
Voelker Orth Museum
(garden free; suggested donation for tours)
Wallach Art Gallery
at Columbia University
Waterfront Museum
Weeksville Heritage Center
Wyckoff House Museum
(suggested donation)
Sometimes Free
The following museums typically require paid admission but open their doors for free on specific days or times—though again, some do charge for admission to specific events or sections or if you are visiting with an organized group. Consult the websites or call ahead if you hope to see a specific exhibition or are making arrangements for a group visit. Note too that certain institutions require advance ticket reservations even for the free admission dates.
Courtesy, Guggenheim New York
Mondays
9/11 Museum
free 5:30–7pm (reservations open Monday 7am)
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
pay what you wish 5–6pm
Museum at Eldridge Street Synagogue
pay what you wish
The Morgan Library & Museum. Photo: Graham Haber
Tuesdays
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
pay what you wish 5–6pm
Guggenheim New York
pay what you wish 4–5:30pm
The Morgan Library and Museum
free 3–5pm (J. Pierpont Morgan’s Library only)
Frick Collection. Photo: Joseph Coscia Jr.
Wednesdays
Bronx Zoo
free limited admission 10am–5pm (reservations required )
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
pay what you wish 5–6pm
Frick Collection
pay what you wish 1:30–5:30pm
New York Aquarium
free after 3pm (reservations required)
New York Botanical Garden
free grounds access 10am–6pm for NYC residents and 10–11am for other visitors (does not include entry to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, special exhibitions or Tram Tour)
Queens Botanical Garden
free 3–6pm, April to December 15; free 8am–4:30pm, December 16 through March
Staten Island Zoo
free 2–4:45 pm
Brooklyn Children's Museum. Photo: Julienne Schaer
Thursdays
Brooklyn Children's Museum
free 2–5pm
China Institute and Gallery
free 5–8pm
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
pay what you wish 5–6pm
Museum of Jewish Heritage
free 4–8pm
Museum of the Moving Image
free 2–6pm
Van Cortlandt House Museum
free 11am–4pm (always free for Bronx residents)
Wave Hill
free 10am–5pm (house); free 10am–5:30pm (grounds)
Courtesy, Museum of Modern Art
Fridays
China Institute and Gallery
free 5–8pm
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
pay what you wish 5–6pm
The Morgan Library and Museum
free 5–8pm (reservations required)
Museum at Eldridge Street Synagogue
pay what you wish 10am–5pm
New York Hall of Science
free 2–5pm (reservations open on Friday at 10am)
The New-York Historical
pay what you wish, 5–8pm
Poster House
Whitney Museum of American Art
free 5–10pm
Neue Galerie. Photo: Joe Buglewicz
First Friday of the Month
Japan Society
free 5–7pm
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
free 5:30–8:30pm for NY state residents
Neue Galerie
free 5–8pm
The Noguchi Museum
Brooklyn Museum. Photo: Victor Llorente
Saturdays
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
pay what you wish 5 to 6pm
Governors Island
the island is always free, but the ferry from Battery Maritime Building is also free Saturdays before 11am
The Jewish Museum
First Saturday of the Month
Brooklyn Museum
free 5–11pm during First Saturdays program (next season begins February 2026)
Governors Island. Photo: Julienne Schaer
Sundays
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
pay what you wish 5–6pm
Governors Island
ferry from Battery Maritime Building before 11am
Guggenheim New York
pay what you wish 4–5:30pm
The Morgan Library and Museum
free 3–5pm (J. Pierpont Morgan’s Library only)
Queens Botanical Garden
free 9–11am, April to mid-December
Whitney Museum of American Art
free second Sunday of the month
Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Photo: Tagger Yancey IV
Seasonal
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
free community tickets upon request 10am–6pm, March through October (extended hours in spring and summer); pay what you wish 10am–3:30pm, Tuesday to Sunday, November through January 18; pay what you wish 10am-3:30pm, Tuesday to Friday, January 20 through end February
Queens Botanical Garden
free 8am–4:30 pm, Tuesday to Sunday, December 16 through March
