How to Visit Museums for Free in New York City

There are many ways to visit museums for free, or for a few pennies, in New York City. Some museums have weekly free nights, others operate on donations only, and still others open their doors for free on special occasions. By planning your trips right, you can see some of the greatest art, history and science in the world for mere pocket change.

Instructions

1. Choose wisely. Due to generous grants, some museums in New York City are free 100 percent of the time. The National Museum of the American Indian is free every day and provides guided tours at no additional charge.

2. Visit museums on their weekly free nights. For example, the Whitney Museum of American Arts, located at 945 Madison Avenue, is pay-what-you-wish every Friday Night and stays open until 9pm.

3. Donate. Many major museums, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History, operate on donations. Though you must pay something, entrance is granted on as little as a penny or as much as the suggested price of twenty-two dollars.

4. Visit on a special occasion. Every summer in early June, New York City opens its museums along Fifth Avenue free to the public for the annual event Museum Mile. El Museo del Barrio, the Museum of the City of New York, the Jewish Museum, the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, the National Academy Museum, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Neue Galerie of Art, the Goethe-Institut/German Cultural Center, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art are all free of charge to the public for 3 to 4 hours in the evening.

Tips & Warnings

• If possible, visit museums at less popular times (such as weekdays or evenings), as the crowds are much lighter then.

• Museums often list "suggested" admission prices and are not quick to explain that this means you may pay what you will. Don't be fooled by the signs, and have no fear paying with your leftover subway money.