The 17 best museums in New York to visit this year

The streets of NYC are lined with incredible galleries and museums, fully reflecting its status as a hub of culture and artistic expression. No matter your taste, New York City will have something to suit it.

From hallowed halls that give an extensive overview of the history of art to a small niche museum devoted to a specific century, region or genre, the Big Apple has you covered. As the famous Romantic poet John Keats said, “a thing of beauty is a joy forever” – discover that joy with our round-up of the best museums in New York City.

1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Best for all-day entertainment

With a permanent collection of more than two million objects and artworks covering 5000 years of art history, and multiple visiting exhibitions showcasing works from around the globe, it would take a week of constant perusing to explore this marvelous museum in its entirety. This makes it the perfect place to spend an entire day immersing yourself in art.

The museum opens early and has late evening hours on Fridays and Saturdays for those who want to maximize their browsing. In fact, there’s little need to leave the premises until closing time rolls around – the museum is well-appointed with comfy benches, scores of phone charging outlets, information booths, and a tasty cafe with seasonal delights to help fuel your art marathon.

With so much to see, we’ve put together our favorite Met itineraries – whether you’re here for one, three or eight hours.

2. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

Best indoor-outdoor experience

Recognized as one of the most significant modern art museums on the planet, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an absolute must-visit. Galleries sprawl across multiple levels and the five-story central atrium means a bird’s-eye balcony view from every floor. Sound installations in the atrium can be heard throughout the museum, creating a cacophonous, immersive experience.

Best of all is the outdoor sculpture garden, accessible only from within the museum, with a floor made of polished marble and a rotating array of sculptures from such greats as Aristide Maillol, Rachel Whiteread, Henri Mattise and Pablo Picasso.

3. The Whitney Museum of American Art

Best for a downtown adventure

This excellent museum is perfectly located for a culture fix while exploring the West Village, Meatpacking District, High Line and Hudson River Park neighborhoods. Known locally as The Whitney, this museum’s phenomenal permanent art collection covers American creativity from the late 19th century through to the present day.

You’ll find everything from painting and sculpture to photos and video artworks, alongside eclectic multimedia installations. The museum prides itself on showcasing living artists, giving the galleries a fresh and ultra-contemporary feel. Admission is free on Friday evenings from 5-10pm and the second Sunday of every month, making for a great, inexpensive way to explore the collections.

4. The Met Cloisters

Best for medieval art

For medieval history buffs, the Met Cloisters – fondly referred to simply as “The Cloisters” – is a unique treat. The museum has a wonderful assortment of ancient objects on display, including hand-carved wooden panels, perfectly preserved stone sepulchers and elegantly woven tapestries that come to life on every wall.

While you’re here, pop into nearby Fort Tryon Park for gorgeous river views from one of the highest points in the city.

5. The Leslie Lohman Museum of Art

Best LGBTIQ+ art museum

This cozy neighborhood gallery in Manhattan’s Soho is lesser-known but it packs an impressive cultural punch. Covering more than 22,000 works by historic and contemporary LGBTIQ+ artists, its collection is nothing short of legendary.

Items include contributions from iconic queer artists ranging from Andy Warhol and Robert Mapplethorpe to David Hockney and Berenice Abbott and hundreds more in between. Located on a quiet cobblestoned street, this outwardly unassuming museum is an important community builder and an outstanding collection all in one.

6. The American Museum of Natural History

Best for families

This engaging space has something for anyone with an interest in the natural world, but it’s particularly good for families with kids. Adults will marvel right alongside teens and toddlers at the displays of skeletal dinosaurs and other natural wonders in this massive, 2-million-square-foot museum, which also includes a stellar planetarium and an extensive library. A 200-strong team of scientists is behind the informative displays.

Its impressive manifesto says it all: “To discover, interpret, disseminate – through scientific research and education – knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe.” Admission is “pay as you wish” for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut residents, which makes a visit affordable for families on a budget. For more insider tips on things to do with your kids in NYC, dive into our family guide to the Big Apple.

7. Nicola Vassell Gallery

Best contemporary art gallery

This contemporary art gallery opened in early 2021 and is home to a fascinating array of works from talented contemporary artists. The curators are committed to starting fresh and imaginative conversations about both the history and future of art, so there’s always something thought-provoking on display.

Nicola Vassell herself is a longtime art dealer, a veteran curator, and a global lecturer who has organized exhibitions everywhere from London and Berlin to Shanghai and beyond. If there is a gallery to visit to get your finger on the pulse of the New York art scene, this is it!

8. International Center of Photography Museum

Best for aspiring photographers

Located in the Lower East Side, the International Center of Photography Museum (ICP) houses photography galleries and a 20,000-book library. Founded in 1974, the ICP is not just a museum but an educational institution. If you’re interested in getting more hands-on experience, browse the ICP’s workshops and courses. Whether you’re an amateur photographer or a visiting researcher, the museum offers a wealth of knowledge within its tall glass facade.

9. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

Best for architecture lovers

One of the biggest draws of the Guggenheim is the building itself. Designed by the famous Art Deco architect Frank Lloyd Wright, the museum’s tiered, funnel-shaped building is one of the more iconic structures in Manhattan. It also offers a unique way to take in the Guggenheim’s impressive art exhibits, featuring work from Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh and many more.

10. The Morgan Library & Museum

Best for bookworms

Once the personal library of the famous financier Pierpont Morgan, The Morgan Library & Museum is a stunning building filled to the brim with historic, rare books. Built in the early twentieth century, the building’s architecture also offers a lot to look at, from the marble-floored rotunda to the Renaissance-inspired study. The Morgan houses rare books and manuscripts like Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and Milton’s Paradise Lost, as well as drawings, prints and artifacts. If you feel overwhelmed by the vastness of The Met, The Morgan is a much smaller alternative, displaying plenty of art and history within its walls.

11. Tenement Museum

Best for history buffs

Visitors to the Tenement Museum can step into history in the historically accurate recreations of homes in the New York City tenements in the 1800s and 1900s. You can only access the museum by booking one of the themed guided tours, exploring the women who lived in the tenements, small businesses run in the tenements and more. The museum also offers guided food experiences and walking tours of the Lower East Side.

12. Brooklyn Museum

Best museum in Brooklyn

Whether you’re staying in Brooklyn during your visit or just want to spend a day exploring the borough, the Brooklyn Museum is a massive, can’t-miss attraction for art and history enthusiasts. At a whopping 560,000 square feet, the museum is about a quarter of the size of The Met but still one of the oldest, largest museums in the country. 

Opened in 1897, you’ll find a wide variety of items within its collections – more than 1.5 million to be exact – from works by local Brooklyn artists to ancient Egyptian artifacts.

13. Museum of the City of New York

Best for local history

While New York’s vast collection of museums provides ample opportunity to learn about other cultures and histories, the Museum of the City of New York is the perfect spot for immersing yourself in local history. Watch 400 years of history packaged into a half-hour-long documentary about the city on a loop on the ground floor of the museum, or learn about the city’s history of social activism dating back to the 1600s. The museum is located in East Harlem across the street from Central Park’s iconic Burnett Fountain.

14. Jewish Museum

Best for Jewish history

As part of New York City’s Museum Mile on the Upper East Side, you can easily stop by the Jewish Museum after visiting the Guggenheim or The Met. The museum houses almost 30,000 pieces in its 20th-century French-Gothic mansion. Learn about thousands of years of Jewish history and culture through artwork, artifacts, lectures and more. Check the calendar before you visit to take advantage of the many educational events hosted by the museum.

15. Merchant’s House Museum

Best for an intimate experience

When it’s peak tourist season in New York City, more intimate house museums can be a nice change of pace. Tour the luxurious Manhattan mansion once owned by Seabury Tredwell, now known as the Merchant’s House Museum, to see what wealthy life was like for the merchant in 19th-century New York City. 

The five-story home was built in 1832, and you can still immerse yourself in its historic rooms, whether by guided tour or perusing at your own pace. During the month of October, you can even book an evening candlelight ghost tour.

16. New York Transit Museum

Best for railfans

Even if you have a love-hate relationship with the New York subway, you have to appreciate its long history. Housed in an out-of-commission Brooklyn subway station that was built in 1936, the New York Transit Museum is one of the more unique exhibits in the city. You’ll even get to walk through old train and subway cars for a glimpse into what New York City public transit was like in its early days. Tickets are just $5-$10, if you’re looking for a budget- and family-friendly museum to visit.

17. Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

Best for design lovers

As part of the extensive Smithsonian museum network, the Cooper Hewitt occupies an Upper East Side mansion built by Andrew Carnegie in the early 20th century. The museum’s exhibits focus solely on historical and contemporary design, featuring a collection of more than 215,000 items and 30 centuries of design. Plus, you’ll get to roam the halls of the extravagant 64-room Carnegie Mansion – an extraordinary work of design in itself.

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