DNY provides the access before or after the museum opens to the public. Whether you want to host a corporate event, a private family celebration, DNY’s Destination Specialists will open the doors that create a memorable event. DNY’s focus on Edutainment matches Kitt’s choice of museums so that you have the perfect combination of fun and education.
Discover New York can take your love for art, history, and education and combine it to create a customized, one-of-a-kind experience including travel to and transportation throughout the city, accommodations, dining and more. It’s your life, make memories.
For additional recommendations on museums and other New York activities and entertainment, sign up for “This Month in New York.”
| Best Air and Space Museum: The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum | Get Directions
Hours: April 1st - September 30th Closed Christmas Day &
Admission: |
The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is one of America’s leading historic, cultural, and educational institutions. Opened in 1982, the Museum has welcomed more than 10 million visitors. The Museum is centered on the aircraft carrier Intrepid (CVS-11), one of the most successful ships in US history, and now a national historic landmark and one of the most unique attractions in New York City. In 1943, Intrepid was commissioned and served proudly in World War II. She went on to serve as one of the primary recovery vessels for NASA, three tours of duty off Vietnam, and submarine surveillance in the North Atlantic during the Cold War. Today she continues her service as a premiere educational center and a monument to all who have served our nation in uniform.
|
|
| Best Artist Run Organization for Fine Arts: National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts is one of the oldest artist-run organizations in the United States. Founded in 1825, these two organizations have always collaborated to foster the promotion of the Fine Arts in America and house a sizeable collection of American Arts - over 8,000 works!
Designated a New York City landmark, this elegant and stately six-story Beaux-Arts townhouse designed by Ogden Codman Jr. is one of the few remaining mansions on Fifth Avenue that is open to the public.
Lectures, symposia, gallery talks, tours, and other educational programs are presented regularly, designed to complement special exhibitions and provide rare insights into the creative process from the artist's perspective. |
|
| Best Collection of Contemporary Art in a Frank Lloyd Wright Building: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
Frank Lloyd Wright designed this building, now designated the youngest New York City landmark. Walking up the spiral walkway toward the dome above, works can be viewed from artists of the 19th and 20th century including: Brancusi, Braque, Calder, Chagall, Robert Delaunay, Giacometti, Kandinsky, Klee, Leger, Miro, Picasso, and Van Gogh. |
|
| Best Collection of El Greco's: The Hispanic Society of America | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
The Hispanic Society of America is a free museum and reference library for the study of the arts and cultures of Spain, Portugal, and Latin America located on Audubon Terrace.
The Society offers a comprehensive survey of Spanish painting and drawing from the Middle Ages to the present, with particular strengths in the Spanish Golden Age (1550-1700), the nineteenth century, and the early twentieth century. These pieces offer a comprehensive history of Spain's past from the Bronze Age to the period of Roman rule and include Ibero-Phoenician ivories from the 7th century B.C., as well as Roman silver, glass, mosaics and statuary.
In addition to the Ancient and Classical pieces, the Hispanic Society collection contains a significant selection of Islamic and Christian sculpture dating from the Middle Ages to the early twentieth century.
The comprehensive collection of textiles, one of the finest in the world, attests to the richness of this art in the Iberian Peninsula from the Arab rule to the early twentieth century. The collection contains magnificent examples of Hispano-Moresque gold, silk, and satin brocades from the thirteenth through the fifteenth centuries. The Hispanic Society also possesses an outstanding selection of rare carpets from Letur, Alcaraz, Cuenca, and Las Alpujarras, as well as lace and embroidery from the 15th through the 19th centuries. |
|
| Best Collection of Glass Plate Photography in an Historic House: Alice Austen House Museum & Garden | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
The Alice Austen House Museum on Staten Island recalls the world of an exceptional woman photographer. Austen's quaint, Victorian cottage-style home, with a magnificent view of New York Harbor, displays prints from the large glass negative collection of her work that depicts turn-of-the-century American life. The City bought the Austen house in 1975 and restored it and the grounds in 1984-85. The Victorian garden was replanted according to Austen’s photographs with shrubs such as weeping mulberry and flowering quince. The Staten Island Historical Society owns Austen's collection of negatives and helps the Friends of Alice Austen House - which operates the museum - present photographic exhibitions at Clear Comfort." Together with the restored cottage and gardens, the exhibitions perpetuate Austen's life, her times and her art." |
|
| Best Collection of Photography: International Center of Photography | Get Directions
Hours: Closed:
Admission: |
The International Center of Photography is a museum, a school and a center for photographers and photography. The ICP's mission is to present photography's vital and central place in contemporary culture, and to lead in interpretation issues central to its development. |
|
| Best Collection of Rock and Roll History in NYC | Get Directions
Hours: Please Note Holiday Hours:
Exhibit closes at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, Wednesday, December 24, 2008 (last entry 4:30 p.m.)
Exhibit CLOSED Christmas Day, December 25, 2008
ANNEX NYC hours beginning January 5, 2009: |
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ANNEX NYC is an engaging and dynamic music experience that takes you on a journey through the defining moments in Rock history. Step into this epic journey and connect with the legendary artists that changed our world.
...And for the first time ever, objects from the rock & roll hall of fame’s permanent collection will be featured in New York.
Please note that all tickets are issued with a specific entry time. Due to space limitations in the Immersive Theater, entry times are strictly enforced. Latecomers cannot be accommodated. We advise you to arrive at the Annex 10 – 15 minutes prior to your entry time. |
|
| Best Collection of Tiffany Glass and Audubon Prints in New York: The New York Historical Society | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
Since 1804 The New York Historical Society has served as the collective memory of New York, accumulating vast collections in American painting, sculpture, books, manuscripts, decorative arts, architectural drawings, photographs, prints and ephemera. The mission of the newly revitalized Historical Society is to use these collections to help New Yorkers understand the complex and diverse past behind the world we know today. In the Luce Center, visitors to The New York Historical Society can see over 40,000 art and artifacts from masterworks of American painting to the draft wheel that played a role in one of the worst urban riots in US history. |
|
| Best Collections of Fashion Design: The Museums at FIT | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
The Fashion Institute of Technology's Museum houses the largest collection in the world of costumes, textiles and apparel dating from the 18th century. The museum also hosts fantastic exhibits ranging from jewelry design to fashion photography and including the Fashion Design Student Show. |
|
| Best Decorative Arts Special Exhibitions: The Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture | Get Directions |
The Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture annually organizes two to three exhibitions devoted to diverse issues relevant to the decorative arts and related fields. The primary mission of the exhibitions is to enhance scholarship and promote public awareness of the decorative arts, design, and culture by examining Western and non-Western subjects from the ancient world to the present. This educational initiative is achieved through the interpretation of objects from an interdisciplinary perspective and the publication of fully-illustrated scholarly catalogues. A range of seminars and public programs as well as gallery tours are also organized in conjunction with each exhibition. |
|
| Best Egyptian Collection in Brooklyn: The Brooklyn Museum of Art | Get Directions
Hours: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day: Closed
Admission: |
The Brooklyn Museum has one of the best collections of Egyptian Art in the world. The museum’s permanent collection also includes Classical and Ancient Middle Eastern Art, Arts of Africa, the Pacific and the Americas. There are 28 period rooms which feature an extensive selection of American Paintings. |
|
| Best Example of 19th Century Life in New York: Merchant's House Museum | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
The Merchant's House Museum offers visitors a glimpse of life in a bygone era when New York City was being carved out of sprawling farming communities and industry was beginning to change the face of society forever. The Merchant's House was built in 1832 and is sited as the finest example of Greek Revival architecture in the nation. It remained in the hands of the Tredwell family for 98 years and in 1936, it was made into a museum. The family left all their possessions including furniture, family apparel and memorabilia, books, paintings, glass, and chinaware. |
|
| Best Example of How Immigrants First Lived in NYC: Lower East Side Tenement Museum | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
In the heart of the Lower East Side, the Tenement Museum is its landmark tenement building, home to 7,000 people from 20 nations between 1863 and 1935. Visitors to the Museum tour the cramped living spaces and learn about the lives of past residents: a German Jewish family (1870s), an Eastern European Orthodox Jewish family (1918), and an Italian Catholic family (1930s). Note: There are no elevators in this historic building, making a tour inside with a stroller or wheelchair impossible. The museum does, however, offer accessible tours of the neighborhood.
For tours and times, visit www.tenement.org/tours.html. Prices for all tickets include admission to the museum's video histories of the Lower East Side. |
|
| Best Example of Medieval Art: The Cloisters | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
The Cloisters house the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection of art and architecture from medieval Europe. Best known for the beautiful tapestries on display, the Cloisters also offer architectural installations, a series of special programs, and fantastic views of the Hudson. Located on four acres overlooking the Hudson River in northern Manhattan's Fort Tryon Park, the building incorporates elements from five medieval French cloisters - quadrangles enclosed by a roofed or vaulted passageway or arcade - and from other monastic sites in southern France. Three of the cloisters reconstructed at the branch museum feature gardens planted according to horticultural information found in medieval treatises and poetry, garden documents and herbals, and medieval works of art, such as tapestries, stained-glass windows, and column capitals. Approximately five thousand works of art from medieval Europe, dating from about A.D. 800 with particular emphasis on the twelfth through fifteenth century, are exhibited in this unique and sympathetic context. |
|
| Best Examples of Crafts made in America: Museum of Arts & Design | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
Biography coming soon. |
|
| Best Examples of Jewish Culture: Jewish Museum | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
The collection of The Jewish Museum demonstrates how Jewish culture is reflected in art through 28,000 objects of different media, including Fine Arts, Judaica, and broadcast media.
The museum has taken a broad view of fine arts acquisitions, collecting material that is both specifically and implicitly related to Jewish culture: by virtue of the subject depicted; because of the implicit intent of the artist; or because a work by a Jewish artist represents a significant contribution to the history of art. |
|
| Best Examples of National Decorative Arts and Design: Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum | Get Directions
Hours: Garden entrance on 90th Street open May-September (weather permitting) Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day: Closed
Admission: |
The Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution displays a virtual cornucopia of decorative and design arts in Andrew Carnegie's Upper East Side mansion.
|
|
| Best Examples of Natural Sciences: American Museum of Natural History | Get Directions
Hours: Thanksgiving and Christmas: Closed
Admission: There is no fixed admission price, just a recommended donation, but that doesn't include the Sky show, IMAX Theater or temporary exhibits. |
For 125 years, the American Museum of Natural History has been one of the world's preeminent science and research institutions, renowned for its collections and exhibitions that illuminate millions of years of the earth's evolution, from the birth of the planet through the present day. The Natural History Museum is one of the most famous tourist attractions in New York City. The architecture alone makes the museum stand out; it's a huge, sprawling stone building that reflects an eclectic mix of design styles. The Central Park West entrance has towering white columns and a bronze statue of President Theodore Roosevelt on horseback, other parts of the building look Medieval, with towers like on a storybook castle, and the Rose Center is as modern as a building can get, a glass box with the new Hayden sphere floating in the center.
The museum houses:
The Natural History Museum is a must-see, especially if you're traveling with children, since many of the exhibits appeal to a person's sense of wonder and curiosity.
The museum is an extremely popular place to visit, so food and gifts will cost tourist prices. Also, it may be quite crowded sometimes, so observing displays can be hard on weekends, but it's definitely still worth a visit.
Recommended Age Group : |
|
| Best Examples of Toy Soldiers: The Forbes Magazine Galleries | |
Located in the Forbes Magazine building at 60 Fifth Avenue, this free museum displays an intriguing assortment of goodies that the late Malcolm S. Forbes, Sr. began collecting back in the 1930's. The impressive collection features over 12,000 toy soldiers, 500 toy boats, and objects of art, Presidential papers and historical documents. The gallery also displays other memorabilia including as antique trophies and several original versions of the game Monopoly. |
|
| Best Exhibitions of Contemporary Art: New Museum of Contemporary Art | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
The New Museum of Contemporary Art, founded in 1977, is the premier contemporary art museum in New York City and among the most important internationally. The Museum exhibits innovative contemporary art from around the world. |
|
| Best Garden in Brooklyn: The Brooklyn Botanic Garden | Get Directions
Hours: The Garden is closed Mondays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.
Admission: |
BBG blooms in the middle of one of the largest cities in the world. Each year more than 750,000 people visit the well-manicured formal and informal gardens that are a testament to nature's vitality amidst urban brick and concrete. More than 12,000 kinds of plants from around the globe are displayed on 52 acres and in the acclaimed Steinhardt Conservatory. There's always something new to see. |
|
| Best General Art Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
If you could only see one museum, this is it". The Met is a universal museum: every category of art in every known medium from every part of the world during every epoch of recorded time is represented here and thus available for contemplation or study -- not in isolation, but in comparison with other times, other cultures, and other media." |
|
| Best History of Teddy Roosevelt: Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace | |
For 14 years, this was the home of Theodore Roosevelt, the young man who was to become the 26th President of the United States. Roosevelt lived here from the time of his birth, October 27, 1858. The house was reconstructed in 1923, to preserve the story of the early life of this influential president.
Wander through the rooms of the house, restored with some of the original furnishings dating back to the 1860's. There are tours available and the staff is quite helpful.
Operated by the National Parks Service. |
|
| Best History of the holocaust in Manhattan: Museum of Jewish Heritage | Get Directions
Hours: Fridays and the eve of Jewish Holidays
Admission: |
The Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust opened to the public in September 1997. Its mission is to educate people of all ages and backgrounds about the 20th century Jewish experience before, during, and after the Holocaust. |
|
| Best History of the Ukraine: Ukrainian Museum | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
The Museum focuses on the Ukrainian experience, past and present through exhibitions and various programs and activities. The events are designed to educate and motivate visitors to further explore this incredibly rich cultural heritage. Also, the Museum store features truly remarkable merchandise. |
|
| Best Interaction Location for Gardens and Art in the Bronx: Wave Hill | Get Directions
Hours:
Mon: Closed
Admission:
Tuesday: |
A non-profit cultural institution located on 28 acres in the northwest Bronx, Wave Hill is dedicated to exploring the interaction between human beings and the natural environment. Programs in both the arts and sciences are designed to foster public understanding of and appreciation for this complementary relationship. The Arts Program at Wave Hill presents the work of contemporary artists and landscape professionals whose work explores, demonstrates, or otherwise reflects upon the dynamic relationship between human beings and natural phenomena. |
|
| Best Interactive Children's Museum in Manhattan: The Children's Museum of the Arts | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
The Children's Museum of the Arts provides stimulating, interactive exhibitions and programs for children under ten years old, encouraging them to develop their full creative potential through the visual and performing arts. The Museum emphasizes inclusion, with programs geared to integrate special needs children, their families, and school into the life of the museum.
Recommended Age Group : |
|
| Best Living Museum of Plants and Gardens: New York Botanical Garden | Get Directions
Hours: The Garden is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Mondays, except for the following dates:
Admission:
Conservatory, Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, the Tram Tour, and all other gardens and exhibitions on the grounds. |
One of the oldest and largest botanical gardens in the world, The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx is a museum of plants and a National Historic Landmark with 250 acres of gorgeous grounds, 47 gardens and plant collections (such as daylilies, herbs, native plants, perennials, alpine plants, roses, annuals, magnolias, and tulips, as well as thousands of shrubs and trees), 40-acres of the Forest that once covered all of New York, and the spectacular Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. This Holiday Display is fabulous.
NOTE:
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, April 25 through June 15, 4-6 p.m., admission to The New York Botanical Garden is complimentary, courtesy of the National Endowment for the Humanities. |
|
| Best Location for Understanding Asian Relations: Asia Society | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: Free Fridays suspended July 4 to Labor Day. |
The Asia Society is America's leading institution dedicated to fostering understanding of Asia and communication between Americans and the peoples of Asia and the Pacific.
Extensive Renovation and Expansion. |
|
| Best Museum Devoted to the History of the New York City Police Department: New York City Police Museum | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
The New York City Police Museum, a not-for-profit New York State Department of Education Chartered Museum is now open to the public. Located in the heart of the Financial District near other museums such as the Museum of the American Indian, the Museum of American Financial History, the Museum of Jewish Heritage, Living Memorial to the Holocaust, and Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty ferries. |
|
| Best Museum Devoted to this History of the Firefighters: New York City Fire Department Museum | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
The New York City Fire Museum houses one of the nation's most important collections of fire related art and artifacts from the late 18th century to the present. Among its holdings are painted leather buckets, helmets, parade hats and belts, lanterns and tools, pre Civil War hand pumped fire engines, horse drawn vehicles and early motorized apparatus. |
|
| Best Museum for African American Art: The Studio Museum in Harlem | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
The Studio Museum is the premier museum dedicated to African American art. The collection features nineteenth and twentieth-century African-American art, twentieth century Caribbean and African art, and traditional African art and artifacts. |
|
| Best Museum for Recitals: Carnegie Hall/Rose Museum | Get Directions
Hours: Available to concert patrons in the evenings
Admission: |
In 1991, the Rose Museum opened as part of Carnegie Hall's 100th anniversary celebration. Located on the First Tier level of Carnegie Hall, the Museum houses special temporary exhibitions as well as a display of the permanent collection drawn from the Carnegie Hall Archives.
|
|
| Best Museum for the History of Immigration: Ellis Island Immigration Museum |
Hours:
Admission:
Ferry fees: |
Ellis Island is currently fully open. Liberty Island is also open, though access to the interior of the Statue of Liberty Monument is restricted as a security measure. Over 40% of the U.S. population descends from the 17 million immigrants that have passed through Ellis Island from 1892 to 1954. The three story Ellis Island Museum is housed in the same building that the immigrants came through in those 64 years. Ferry boats leave from Battery Park for the 27 acre island, including an option to visit the Statue of Liberty, located on an island nearby. |
|
| Best Museum in the Bronx for Local Culture: Bronx Museum of the Arts | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
Founded in 1971, the Bronx Museum of the Arts offers wonderful exhibitions and programs for children and adults. The Museum's collection consists of over 800 twentieth-century and contemporary works of art in all media.
|
|
| Best Museum to Focus on American Art: Whitney Museum of American Art | Get Directions
Hours: The Museum is open Tuesdays for prearranged school programs.
Admission: One-day pass to the Kaufman Astoria Studios Film & Video Gallery only : $6 |
The Whitney, one of only a few museums in New York City that focuses entirely on American art, has a distinctly contemporary look of sharply angled, polished gray stone and glass. However, it's not the building that makes the Whitney unique, it's the extensive collection of twentieth century American art housed inside.
Sarabeth's Restaurant at the Whitney offers delicious late lunch or weekend brunch. For hours and more information, call (212) 570-3670. |
|
| Best New Museum in Lower East Side: New Museum of Contemporary Art | Get Directions
Hours: CIT Free Thursday Evenings: 7 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Admission: |
The New Museum was designed by Tokyo-based architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa/SANAA with Gensler, New Yorkserving as Executive Architect. It is a seven-story structure located at 235 Bowery between Stanton and Rivington Streets, at the origin of Prince Street in New York City. The first art museum ever constructed from the ground up in downtown Manhattan, the New Museum opened on December 1, 2007, coinciding with the institution’s 30th anniversary.
|
|
| Best Non-Profit Space for Drawing: The Drawing Center | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
The Drawing Center is the only not-for-profit institution in the country to focus solely on the exhibition of drawings, both contemporary and historic. It was established in 1976 to provide opportunities for emerging and under-recognized artists; to demonstrate the significance and diversity of drawings throughout history; and to stimulate public dialogue on issues of art and culture. |
|
| Best Outdoor Children's Space in Midtown: Central Park Zoo and Tisch Children's Zoo | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
In a steamy rain forest or in an icy Antarctic penguin habitat, the Wildlife Center at the Central Park Zoo introduces visitors to fascinating animals - from tiny leafcutter ants to tremendous polar bears. Explore the Tropic Zone, a beautiful tree filled rain forest environment, the Temperate Territory, where sea lions and monkeys frolic, or the Polar Circle, where you can watch polar bears swim underwater thanks to a plexiglass wall. If you are visiting with kids, don't miss the wonderful Tisch Children's Zoo, designed especially for children age 6 and under, letting little animal lovers meet gentle creatures up close. This Enchanted Forest "features a petting zoo with goats, sheep, cows, pigs and other furry animal friends. Admission to the children's zoo is included in the price of admission to the main zoo.” |
|
| Best Private Collection of Art: The Frick Collection | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: The price of admission includes the ArtPhone audio guide. |
The Frick mansion was designed by Carrere and Hastings, the same architects who worked on the New York Public Library, and was built to make Carnegie's place look like a miner's shack. "Preserved on Millionaire's Row, the mansion is a grand setting for an incredible collection of European painting and decorative arts. The enclosed inner courtyard is a perfect place for weary art lovers to take a rest." |
|
| Best Private Home turned into a Museum: The Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
Step back in time to the days when midtown Manhattan was a country escape for New Yorkers living in the crowded city at the southern tip of the island. This once grand estate is New York City's only surviving day hotel. With its beautiful architecture and stunning gardens this unique museum brings the bygone era of old New York alive for children and adults alike. The Museum has a fine collection of American furniture and decorative arts, costumes, quilts and textiles, and works on paper including early American and New York City historical archives and documents. Built in 1795 by William Stephens and Abigail Adams Smith, this grand estate originally sat on 23 acres of Manhattan’s Upper East Side. It was named “Mount Vernon” in honor of George Washington’s home in Virginia. The carriage house was built in 1799 and converted into a hotel in 1826. |
|
| Best Science Museum in Queens: New York Hall of Science | Get Directions
Hours:
April Holiday Week
July & August
September - March
Holiday Weeks
Admission: |
Enjoy free admission September through June, on Fridays from 2 - 5 pm and Sundays from 10 - 11 am.
Recommended Age Group: Four years and older.
NOTE: |
|
| Best Sculpture Garden: Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
The permanent home of The Noguchi Museum displays a comprehensive collection of artwork by sculptor Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) in a tranquil setting created by the artist. On exhibition are more than 240 works, including stone, metal, wood and clay sculptures, models for public projects and gardens, dance sets, and Noguchi's Akari light sculptures. Housed in thirteen galleries within a converted factory building, and encircling a garden containing major granite and basalt sculptures, the museum presents one of the most dramatic installations of art in New York City. |
|
| Best Seaport Historical Museum: South Street Seaport Museum | Get Directions
Hours:
April -October
Admission: |
New York City's maritime past comes alive at the South Street Seaport Museum. Here adults, families, and children can see, touch and enjoy the city's rich and diverse maritime past from the 19th century district where it all began. Explore the decks and cabins of six historic ships, see exhibitions of maritime art and artifacts and discover New York's archaeological heritage. Journey through the area's stone-paved streets as well as the little shops all along the way. Learn to use a 19th Century letterpress, sail around New York harbor on a graceful twin-mast schooner or excursion vessel. |
|
| Best Source for Collecting and Preserving the History of NYC: The Museum of the City of New York | Get Directions
Hours: Started: 03/24/2009
Admission: |
The Museum of the City of New York is a private, not-for-profit, educational agency established in 1923 to collect, preserve, and present original materials related to the history of New York City. In addition to individual contributions and gifts from foundations and corporations, the Museum receives public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The City of New York, the owner of the Museum's building, provides support in the form of operating and programmatic funds through the Department of Cultural Affairs. |
|
| Best Source for the Preservation and History of Native American Indians: National Museum of the American Indian | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
The Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian is dedicated to the preservation, study, and exhibition of the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of Native Americans. Established by an Act of Congress in 1989, the museum works in collaboration with the Native peoples of the Western Hemisphere to protect and foster their cultures by reaffirming traditions and beliefs, encouraging contemporary artistic expression, and empowering the Indian voice. The museum includes the The George Gustav Heye Center in Manhattan, the Museum on the Mall in Washington, D.C., and the Cultural Resources Center (CRC) in Suitland, Maryland. |
|
| Best Source for Understanding Entrepreneurship: Museum of American Financial History | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
Museum of American Financial History, the nation's only independent public museum dedicated to celebrating the spirit of entrepreneurship and the democratic free market tradition which has made New York City the financial capital of the world. Founded in 1988, the Museum was chartered as an educational institution. Fifteen years later, financial education is at the core of the Museum's mission and its public programs and services. |
|
| Best Understanding of African Art: Museum for African Art | |
The Museum for African Art is dedicated to increasing public understanding and appreciation of African art and culture. Recognized worldwide as the pre-eminent organizer of exhibitions and publishers of books devoted exclusively to historical and contemporary African art.
|
|
| Best Venue for Understanding Latin American Issues: Americas Society | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
The goal of the Americas Society is to foster an understanding of the contemporary political, social and economic issues confronting Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada, and to increase public awareness and appreciation of the rich cultural heritage of our hemispheric neighbors. |
|
| Best Wax Museum: Madame Tussaud's New York Wax Museum |
Hours: Extended hours during the summer season. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, our doors open at 10 a.m. and our last ticket is sold at 10 p.m. Open every holiday!
Admission: |
What began in 18th century Paris, when a woman was forced to create death masks for aristocrats executed in the French Revolution, has turned into one of the world’s most famous and most visited wax museums that recreates life with vivid art, style, and color.
People now flock to Madame Tussaud New York to get up close and personal with the famous and the infamous characters of history, power, and fame. There are no ropes in this museum for complete access to the figures. There are six themed, interactive areas showcasing nearly 200 masterfully crafted, lifelike wax figures.
|
|
| First Children's Museum: The Brooklyn Children's Museum | Get Directions
Hours:
Jul-Aug:
Holidays
Museum Closed
Admission: |
Come see the world's first museum for children! 'Since 1899, The Brooklyn Children’s Museum has given youth a place where learning and life come together. Children can explore culture, arts, science, and the environment. Brooklyn Children’s Museum offers innovative hands-on exhibitions, daily workshops and programs, and weekend multicultural performances.
Recommended Age Group: 5 years and older |
|
| First Museum of Modern Art: Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) |
Hours:
Closed Thanksgivingday and Christmas day.
Admission: |
Founded in 1929 in order to help people understand and enjoy the visual arts of our time, MoMA was the world's first museum dedicated to the education and enjoyment of modern art. MoMA's rich and varied collection constitutes one of the most comprehensive and panoramic views into modern art in the world, and has grown to include over 135,000 paintings, prints, photographs, drawings, sculptures, films, and design objects. The Museum also maintains an active schedule of exhibitions highlighting significant recent developments in the modern visual arts and new interpretations of major modern artists and art historical movements. |
|
| Most Interesting Panorama in New York: Queens Museum of Art | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
The Queens Museums of art is home to the famous Panorama of New York City. The model is 9335 sq. ft. with 800,000 buildings representing the 320 square miles of New York City.
NOTE: The Museum offers hour-long tours of the Panorama of the City of New York every Saturday and Sunday at 4:00 p.m. Tours are free with admission. Tours are led by Museum Educators. |
|
| The Best Center for Black Culture: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture | Get Directions
Hours:
Photographs and Prints
General Research and Reference
Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books
Moving Image and Recorded Sound
Admission: |
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is a national research library devoted to collecting, preserving, and providing access to resources documenting the experiences of peoples of African descent throughout the world. The Center's collections first won international acclaim in 1926 when the personal collection of the distinguished Puerto Rican-born Black scholar and bibliophile, Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, was added to the Division of Negro Literature, History and Prints of the 135th Street Branch of The New York Public Library.
Schomburg served as curator from 1932 until his death in 1938. Renamed in his honor in 1940, the collection grew steadily through the years. In 1972 it was designated as one of The Research Libraries of The New York Public Library and became the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Today, the Schomburg Center contains over 5,000,000 items and provides services and programs for constituents from the United States and abroad. |
|
| The Best Collection of Tibetan Art: Rubin Museum of Art | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
The Rubin Museum of Art is New York's newest museum. Opened on October 2nd, 2004, it is the first museum in the Western World dedicated to the art of the Himalayas and surrounding regions. The museum's mission is to establish, present, preserve and document a permanent collection that reflects the vitality, complexity and historical significance of Himalayan art. |
|
| The Best Examples of Film History: American Museum of the Moving Image | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: Note: Strollers are not permitted in the Museum's galleries. |
The American Museum of the Moving Image tells the story of the innovation and artistry that make the moving image the most powerful artistic and cultural influence of the twentieth century. The Museum houses the nation's most important collection of motion picture and television artifacts. Exhibitions elegantly illustrate how the art and the craft of moving image making are inseparable.
The Museum also presents retrospective film series, often accompanied by discussions with the filmmakers themselves, and digital media seminars with industry pioneers. Education programs for junior high school and high school students connect moving image media with the study of the humanities and sciences.
|
|
| The Best Traditional Examples of Country Art: American Folk Art Museum | Get Directions
Hours:
Admission: |
Chartered as the Museum of Early American Folk Arts when it was founded in 1961, the Museum originally focused on the vernacular arts of 18th and 19th century America, especially of the northeast. The institution adopted a more inclusive name - Museum of American Folk Art - in 1966. Over the years, it established a national and international reputation as a leading cultural institution dedicated to the collection, exhibition, and study of traditional and contemporary American folk art. As the American Folk Art Museum, it will present exhibitions and programs that embrace an even wider range of folk art, both traditional and contemporary, from the U.S. and abroad. |
|