American Museum of Natural History ©AMNH/D. Finnin
Free admission to NYC museums, zoos, gardens and galleries is more readily available than you might imagine. In a city as big as New York, there are always free admission times at one cultural place or another. If you’re willing to be a little bit organized when you plan your visit, you’ll find that you can definitely see the best that New York City has to offer… Totally free!
Psst… Another great way to get free admission to various attractions is via the Culture Pass. Check out further details here!
Free Admission to NYC Museums – Specific Times
First on our list is museums. There are many museums across New York City that offer either free or “pay-what-you-wish” admission, allowing for enjoyment of these museums at little to no cost whatsoever at certain times.
Brooklyn Children’s Museum – Crown Heights
Type: Pay-as-you-wish
Times: Thursday from 2 pm to 6 pm and Sunday from 4 pm to 7 pm
145 Brooklyn Ave.
718-735-4400
Children’s Museum of the Arts – Hudson Square
Type: Pay-as-you-wish
Times: Thursday from 4 pm to 6 pm
103 Charlton St.
212-274-0986
New York Hall of Science- Corona
Type: Free
Times: Friday from 2 pm to 5 pm and Sunday from 10 am to 11 am
47-01 111th St.
708-699-0005
Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling – Sugar Hill
Type: Free
Times: Every third Sunday of the month. Children 8 and younger always enjoy free admission
898 St. Nicholas Avenue @155th Street
212-335-0004
American Museum of Natural History – Upper Westside
Type: Free (Special exhibits and experiences cost extra)
Time: Daily from 10 am to 5:45 pm
200 Central Park West
212-769-5100
Brooklyn Museum – Prospect Heights
Type: Free to ages 19 and younger
Time: All regular hours of operation.
200 Eastern Pkwy.
718-638-5000
The Met Cloisters – Fort George
Type: Free to children under 12
Time: All regular hours of operation
99 Margaret Corbin Drive
212-923-3700
MoMA PS1 – Long Island City
Type: Free to all NYC residents and children 16 and under
Time: All regular hours of operation
20-25 Jackson Ave.
The Met Breuer – Upper Eastside
Type: Pay-what-you-wish for New York state residents, along with New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut students
Time: All regular hours of operation
945 Madison Ave. at 75th Street
212-731-1675
The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Upper Eastside
Type: Pay-what-you-wish for New York state residents, along with New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut students
Time: All regular hours of operation
1000 Fifth Ave.
212-535-7710
Museum of the City of New York – Upper Eastside
Type: Free to neighbors (those living or working in the 10029, 10035, or 10037 zip codes)
Time: All regular hours of operation
1220 Fifth Ave. at 103rd Street
212-534-1672
Sculpture Center – Long Island City
Type: Free to members of IDNYC, Culture Pass, Blue Star Museums, and disabled visitors and a person accompanying them
Time: All regular hours of operation
44-19 Purves St.
718-361-1750
Free Admission to NYC Museums – Always Free
American Folk Art Museum – Upper Westside
Type: Free to everyone
Time: All regular hours of operation
2 Lincoln Square
212-595-9533
Photo via NYCgo.com
The Bronx Museum of the Arts – Concourse village
Type: Free to everyone
Time: All regular hours of operation
1040 Grand Concourse
718-681-6000
Lehman College Art Gallery – Jerome Park
Type: Free to everyone
Time: All regular hours of operation
250 Bedford Park Blvd West, Fine Arts Building
718-960-8731
The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology – Chelsea
Type: Free to everyone
Time: All regular hours of operation
Seventh Avenue at 27th Street
212-217-4558
National Museum of the American Indian – Financial District
Type: Free to everyone
Time: All regular hours of operation
Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House, One Bowling Green
Queens County Farm Museum – Glen Oaks
Type: Free to everyone, except during special public events
Time: All regular hours of operation
73-50 Little Neck Pkwy.
718-347-3276
9/11 Memorial and Museum – Financial District
Type: Always free to 9/11 family member, rescue and recovery workers, and active and retired U.S. military, free to the public on Tuesday
Time: 5 pm to close
180 Greenwich St.
212-312-800
Asia Society Museum – Upper Eastside
Type: Free to general public, children under 16 are always free
Time: Friday from 6 pm to 9 pm from Labor Day through June
725 Park Avenue at 70th St.
212-517-2742
Cooper Hewitt Museum – Upper Eastside
Type: Pay-what-you-wish, free to children 18 and under
Time: Tuesday from 6 pm to 8 pm
2 East 91st St.
The Frick Collection – Upper Eastside
Type: Free and pay-what-you-wish
Time: Free from 6 pm to 9 pm on the first Friday of the month, excluding January and September, pay-what-you-wish on Wednesday from 2 pm to 6 pm
212-288-0700
Guggenheim Museum – Upper Eastside
Type: Pay-what-you-wish.
Time: Saturday, 5 pm to 8 pm
1071 5th Ave.
The Jewish Museum – Upper Eastside
Type: Free, always free to children under 18
Time: Saturday
1109 5th Ave. at 92nd Street
212-423-3200
The Morgan Library & Museum – Midtown Manhattan
Type: Free, always free to children under 12
Time: Friday from 7 pm to 9 pm
225 Madison Ave. at 36th Street
212-685-0008
Museum of Arts and Design – Upper Westside
Type: Pay-what-you-wish
Time: Thursday from 6 pm to 9 pm, always free to children 18 and under
2 Columbus Circle
212-299-7777
Museum of Chinese in America – Lower Manhattan
Type: Free
Time: The first Thursday of the month
215 Centre St.
1-855-955-MOCA
Photo via amny
Museum of Jewish Heritage – Downtown Manhattan
Type: Free to children under 12, pay-what-you-wish.
Time: Wednesday and Thursday from 4 pm to 9 pm
36 Battery Place
Museum of Modern Art – Hell’s Kitchen
Type: Free, free to children 16 and under
Time: Friday from 5:30 pm to 9 pm
11 West 53rd St.
Museum of the Moving Image – Astoria
Type: Free
Time: Friday from 4 pm to 8 pm
36-01 35th Ave.
718-784-0077
Free Admission to Zoos and Gardens
The Bronx Zoo – Crotona
Type: Free with a request to donate if possible
Time: Every Wednesday, does not include Total Experience activities.
2300 Southern Blvd.
718-220-5100
Photo via NYCgo.com
Brooklyn Botanic Garden – Prospect Lefferts Gardens
Type: Free. Free to children 11 and under
Time: Friday from 8 am to noon from March to November, free on weekdays from December to February
990 Washington Ave.
718-623-7200
New York Aquarium – West Brighton
Type: Pay-what-you-wish
Time: Wednesday from 3 pm to last entry
602 Surf Ave.
178-265-3474
New York Botanical Garden – Fordham Heights
Type: Free
Time: All day Wednesday and 9 am to 10 am on Saturday, special exhibits not included
2900 Southern Blvd.
718-817-8716
Queens Botanical Garden – Flushing
Type: Free
Time: Daily from November through March, Wednesday from 3 pm to 6 pm and Sunday from 9 am to 11 am for the rest of the year
43-50 Main St.
718-463-0263
Free admission to NYC Museums, Zoos, and Gardens is Waiting!
Free admission to NYC museums, zoos, and gardens is easier to find than you’d think. In fact, almost all of them have some form of free admission opportunity waiting for you to take advantage of. If you’re looking for free admission to NYC museums, zoos, or gardens, the above list has everything you’ll ever need to find exactly what you’re looking for.
