These New York City museums are either always free, free on specific days of the week or free for select hours. Find one near you, and take advantage of their generosity.
Note that this takes into account general admission only; certain events and special exhibitions may still require a fee.
Always Free
African Burial Ground Memorial Site
American Folk Art Museum
BRIC House
The Bronx Museum of the Arts
El Museo del Barrio
Federal Hall National Memorial
General Grant National Memorial
Hamilton Grange
The Harbor Defense Museum
MoMA PS1 (free for NYC residents)
The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology
National Museum of the American Indian
The New York Public Library Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
New York Transit Museum Annex & Store, Grand Central Terminal
Queens County Farm Museum
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden (grounds and botanical garden only)
Socrates Sculpture Park
Soldiers and Sailors Monument
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace
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. Be sure to consult their websites or call ahead if you hope to see a specific exhibition.
Mondays
Museum at Eldridge Street (pay what you will, 10am to 5pm, tours)
Tuesdays
9/11 Memorial & Museum (5pm to close)
Morgan Library and Museum (McKim Rooms only, 3 to 5pm)
Wave Hill (9am to noon)
Wednesdays
Bronx Zoo (pay what you will for grounds access; does not include admission to special exhibitions like the Butterfly Garden, Congo Gorilla Forest and JungleWorld)
Frick Collection (pay what you wish, 2 to 6pm)
Museum of Jewish Heritage (4 to 8pm)
New York Aquarium (pay what you will, 3pm to close; 4pm to close in summer)
New York Botanical Garden (free grounds access; does not include entry to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, special exhibitions like the Orchid Show and Holiday Train Show, Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, Rock and Native Plant Gardens or Tram Tour)
Queens Botanical Garden (April to October, 3 to 6pm; all day rest of year)
Van Cortlandt House Museum
Staten Island Zoo (2 to 4:45pm)
Thursdays
Museum of Arts and Design (pay what you will, 6 to 9pm)
New Museum (pay what you will, 7 to 9pm)
First Thursday of the Month
Museum of Chinese in America
Fridays
Asia Society (September to June, 6 to 9pm)
Brooklyn Botanic Garden (March to November, before noon)
Historic Richmond Town (1 to 5pm)
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum (April to October, 5 to 9pm)
Japan Society (6 to 9pm)
Morgan Library and Museum (7 to 9pm)
Museum of Modern Art (4 to 8pm)
Museum of the Moving Image (4 to 8pm)
New York Hall of Science (2 to 5pm)
The New-York Historical Society (pay what you will, 6 to 8pm)
Rubin Museum of Art (6 to 10pm)
First Friday of the Month
Children’s Museum of Manhattan (5 to 8pm)
Frick Collection (6 to 9pm, except September and January)
Neue Galerie (6 to 9pm)
The Noguchi Museum
Saturdays
The Jewish Museum
New York Botanical Garden (free grounds pass, 9 to 10am)
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (pay what you will, 5 to 8pm)
Wave Hill (9am to noon)
First Saturday of the Month
Brooklyn Museum (5 to 11pm)
Sundays
Brooklyn Children's Museum (4 to 7pm)
The Morgan Library and Museum (McKim Rooms only, 4 to 6pm)
New York Hall of Science (10 to 11am)
Queens Botanical Garden (April to October, 9 to 11am)
Seasonal
Brooklyn Botanic Garden (December to February, Tuesday to Friday)
Queens Botanical Garden (November to March, Tuesday to Sunday)
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