Top 5 Museums in NYC
There are lots of amazing museums in New York, from art galleries to historic collections, from natural history to science and technology. With so many great museums to choose from it can be very difficult to decide which ones to visit. Our American Holidays New York City travel experts have put together their vast collective knowledge of New York and agreed on the following as the top 5 museums in NYC.
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) is located in midtown Manhattan and features a permanent collection of world renowned paintings by some of the most celebrated artists of the modern era. There are also regular exhibitions, featuring renowned artists such as Picasso and Van Gogh, as well as cutting-edge photography, film, design, and performance.
It’s worth knowing that admission is free for all visitors every Friday evening from 4:00p.m. to 8:00p.m. To avoid long lines, visitors are strongly encouraged to arrive after 6:00p.m. The queue for Free Friday tickets begins at the Museum’s 54th Street entrance. Children aged 16 and under are free at all times.
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side welcomes almost 5 million visitors per year. The exhibitions include earth and space halls, fossil halls, animal halls, environment halls and human and culture halls; these halls chronicle virtually all known animal and human history. Experience an incredible journey through space and time with a visit to the Hayden Planetarium or the thousands of live butterflies in the Butterfly Conservatory. Kids and adults will love the whales and the dinosaurs on display throughout the museum.
Jewish Museum
The Jewish Museum is located in in the landmark Warburg mansion on New York City’s Museum Mile. The Jewish Museum explores the history of the Jewish people starting more than four thousand years ago. The museum showcases both art and artefacts of cultural and historical significance. Tours of the galleries are available and audio guides can be downloaded free of charge to your phone.
Lower East Side Tenement Museum
The Lower East Side Tenement Museum at 97 Orchard Street is well worth a visit. It showcases the history of the immigrants who flocked to Manhattan’s Lower East Side, America’s iconic immigrant neighbourhood, to make a life for themselves and their families in the land of opportunity. Visit the landmark Tenement Building, home to 7,000 people from 20 different countries between 1863 and 1935. 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).
Inside the museum, visitors take guided tours of apartments, while ‘residents’ in period costume help explain what life would have been like in the tenement in the 19th and 20th centuries. Walking tours around the Lower East Side highlight how life was for immigrants on the Lower East Side and how the neighbourhood has changed over time thanks to their influence.
The New Museum
The New Museum, a contemporary art museum, is located on the Lower East Side. The building itself is a work of art, it looks like a stack of boxes towering over the Bowery. The New Museum dedicates itself to presenting the work of living artists, particularly artists who have not had mainstream public exposure. The New Museum also hosts a wide range of events and installations and has curated an extensive digital archive. Free public tours of the New Museum’s current exhibitions are highly informative. The tour departs from the Museum lobby, meet five minutes prior to the tour start time.
New York Travel Advice
To get great advice on the best museums in New York City speak to one of our New York travel experts. There are lots of great museum tour packages available, including exclusive special offers on tickets. Our experts happy to advise you on the best options for you and will tailor make a great holiday to New York just for you.
