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New York’s museum scene is truly enviable. Visitors will find over 140 stellar institutions sizzling with art, culture, and history throughout the city.
Where you’ll go depends on your interests. Art lovers gravitate to MoMA, home to masterpieces by Vincent van Gogh, Joan Miró, and Claude Monet, while families seek out the kid-friendly Natural History Museum. Here, the little ones will encounter treasures like a giant T Rex, a Blue Whale, and a 15.5-ton iron meteorite.
Seeking to delve deeper into the history of the world? Then, the MET is the place for you. This sprawling museum is home to two million precious items (from Egyptian relics to ancient musical instruments) spanning over 5,000 years.
Is it a lot to take in? Yes. But we’re here to help! Here’s a straightforward guide to the best New York museums that deserve all the attention in the world. Have a look below.
The Guggenheim Museum is a bucket-list destination for any art lover visiting New York. Beautifully set within an architectural masterpiece designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the museum plays host to 8,000 modern and contemporary artworks.
While browsing Gugghenheim’s modern art collection, you’ll see precious early modern masterpieces by artists like Pablo Picasso, Kandinsky, René Magritte, Jeff Koons, Francis Bacon, Paul Cézanne, and Marc Chagall.
Aside from harboring a vast collection, the Guggenheim Museum also hosts various cultural events such as lectures by artists and critics, film screenings, and performances.
Address: 1071 5th Ave, New York, NY
Opening Hours: Sunday–Friday from 11 am–6 pm | Saturday from 11 am–8 pm
The American Museum of Natural History is a must if you're in New York with the kids. Located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, the museum hosts 34 million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, human remains, and cultural artifacts.
Some of the fascinating treasures you’ll see in the Museum of Natural History include
a giant Galapagos tortoise, a dinosaur mummy, a massive T Rex, a 15.5-ton iron meteorite, and a 3.18-million-year-old human skeleton.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) is a treasure trove of wonders from around the world. In this spectacular museum, visitors will stumble upon a permanent collection of over two million works spanning 5,000 years.
All items are divided among 17 curatorial departments — African Art, Egyptian Art, Arms and Armor, and Costumes. So, you’ll have plenty to explore while visiting the MET.
Don’t miss the “European Paintings” section, which harbors Old Master paintings by Caravaggio, Goya, Rembrandt, and El Greco.
Be sure to also check out The Temple of Dendur in Gallery 131. Built by emperor Augustus in the first century B.C. and dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis, this sumptuous structure will dazzle you with its highly decorated entrance hall, sanctuary, and carved walls.
Here's a fun fact about New York you might not know: the Metropolitan Museum of Art is the largest art museum in the United States and one of the most visited art museums in the world!
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) provides visitors with a comprehensive view of modern and contemporary art.
Often regarded as one of the world's most influential museums, MoMA houses almost 200,000 eye-popping artworks that dazzle and inspire simultaneously.
Among MoMA’s rich art collections are paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, media, architectural models and drawings, design objects, and films.
Some iconic works include Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, and Bicycle Wheel by Marcel Duchamp. You’ll also see pieces by Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Andy Warhol, and other famous artists.
Address: 11 W 53rd St, New York, NY
Opening Hours: Sun–Fri from 10:30 am – 5:30 pm | Saturday 10:30 am – 7:00 pm
Whitney Museum
The Whitney Museum of American Art is a hidden-gem art museum located in New York’s Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods. Named after prominent heiress Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, “The Whitney” is set within a sculptural building that was designed by architect Renzo Piano, and it's a work of art in itself.
Inside is a sparkling collection comprising over 25,000 works ranging from the 20th Century to contemporary American art. You’ll undoubtedly be touched while seeing pieces like A Woman in the Sun by Edward Hopper, Andy Warhol’s Alice Neel, and the Painting, Number 5, by Marsden Hartley.
Address: 99 Gansevoort St, New York, NY
Opening Hours: From 10:30 am - 6 pm | Friday 10:30 am - 10 pm | Closed on Tuesdays
New York Transit Museum
Want to learn about the fascinating link between transportation and the growth of NYC? Then, the New York Transit Museum is the place to go.
Housed underground in a real-life 1936 subway station in Downtown Brooklyn, the museum tells the story of New York’s mass transportation system through fascinating artifacts and authentic vehicles.
You’ll see twenty vintage subway and elevated cars dating back to 1907, a working signal tower, original New York trolleys and buses, and more.
Address: 99 Schermerhorn St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Opening Hours: Thursday – Sunday 10 am to 4 pm
Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum is New York City’s second-largest museum. With 560,000 square feet of exhibition space, the institution harbors a rich art collection of around 5,000 objects, including Egyptian antiquities and artworks from Japan, the USA, the Pacific Islands, and the Islamic World.
Housed in a majestic Beaux-Arts building, the Brooklyn Museum is also famous for its African art collection, one of the largest in any American art museum.
Address: 200 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY
Opening Hours: Wednesday–Sunday from 11 am - 6 pm | First Saturdays from 5 pm to 11 pm
Tenement Museum
If you’re seeking an offbeat museum experience, visit the Tenement Museum. Founded in 1988 by historian Ruth Abram and social activist Anita Jacobson, this immersive museum tells the story of the immigrants and migrants that lived in New York City.
Visitors will get the chance to tour two historical tenement buildings where immigrant and migrant families lived between the 1860s and the 1980s. You’ll catch a glimpse of the recreated apartment where teenage immigrant Victoria Confino lived and see the tenement homes of the Epstein and Saez Velez families in the 1950s and 1960s.
The museum also offers tours of NYC’s Lower East Side, allowing visitors to explore the often-forgotten places and unexplored spaces.
Address: 103 Orchard St, New York, NY
Opening Hours: Monday - Thursday 10 am - 5 pm | Friday - Sunday 10 am - 6 pm
Jewish Museum
Set in a landmarked Warburg mansion, the Jewish Museum preserves the artistic and cultural heritage of the Jewish people.
The museum preserves a collection of nearly 30,000 works of art and ceremonial objects that'll give you a deep appreciation of Jewish culture.
These treasured items include a Jewish marriage contract from 1879, a 14th-century Sabbath lamp, and a Bezalel School Rug.
Address: 1109 5th Ave &, E 92nd St, New York
Opening Hours: Saturday - Monday 11 am - 6 pm | Thursday 11 am - 8 pm | Friday 11 am - 4 pm | Tuesday and Wednesday closed
Rubin Museum of Art
The lesser-known Rubin Museum of Art has many wonders begging to be discovered. Created to promote the understanding of Himalayan regions, the museum is home to approximately 3,400 objects spanning more than 1,500 years to the present day.
Perfect for offbeat travelers, the Rubin Museum includes otherworldly artworks from the depths of the Tibetan plateau and surrounding regions, including Nepal, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, and Mongolia.
Take your time to explore the museum’s galleries. On the way, you’ll be mesmerized by relics like a Coral Mask of God Begtse from the early 20th century, a skull cup from the 18th century, an ancient ritual hammer, and a 19th-century amulet box.
Address: 150 W 17th St, New York, NY
Opening Hours: Thursday 10 am - 5 pm | Friday 11 am - 10 pm | Saturday - Sunday 11 am - 5 pm
