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New York City is home to myriad must-visit museums, showcasing everything from incredible art to the city’s fascinating history. While museum-going is recommended in any season, it’s an especially good idea during the colder months since it’s not weather-dependent, notes Fora travel advisor Nicole Canal. Most first-time visitors will want to include world-renowned museums like The Met and MoMA on their itinerary, but it’s also worth seeking out underrated destinations such as The New York Historical and Queens County Farm Museum. We consulted travel experts to narrow down our list of the best museums in New York City, featuring spots in all five boroughs.
Tenement Museum
AJ Sharma/Travel + Leisure
“Immigration is such a rich part of our history, especially in New York City,” says Fora co-founder Henley Vazquez. “For an intimate and immersive lesson, head to the Lower East Side’s Tenement Museum, where you’ll see restored tenement apartments and gain insight into immigration, both past and present.” The museum is spread across two historic tenement buildings with recreated 19th- and 20th-century apartments that tell the stories of the people who once lived here.
MoMA PS1
Valerie de Leon/Travel + Leisure
Housed in an old public school building in Long Island City, this contemporary art museum is an offshoot of Manhattan’s Museum of Modern Art and displays bold, experimental works with “a strong focus on community,” says Vazquez. You can easily spend an entire afternoon here perusing the changing exhibitions, be it photographs, paintings, video, or mixed-media installations. The museum also hosts live music performances, plus a handful of community-oriented events.
The Met Cloisters
Valerie de Leon/Travel + Leisure
Established in 1938 as a branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (more on that further down), The Met Cloisters is considered the country’s only museum dedicated to Middle Ages art and architecture; 227 Travel founder Deb Swacker says not to miss the famous Unicorn Tapestries. And while the artifact-filled interiors are incredible, you should carve out enough time to stroll through the enchanting gardens, too. Planted in reconstructed Romanesque and Gothic cloisters, the well-manicured, greenery-filled grounds look as if they’ve been pulled straight out of a beautiful European village.
New York Transit Museum
Black Paw Photo
“The New York Transit Museum is great fun for all ages,” says Swacker. Located in a decommissioned subway station in the heart of downtown Brooklyn, this interactive museum is well-suited for families. “You can walk through old subway cars and sit behind the wheel of a bus,” Swacker shares. Prepare to be dazzled by the museum’s impressive collection of nostalgia-inducing vintage subway cars.
Historic Richmond Town
Courtesy of Historic Richmond Town
A visit to Historic Richmond Town on Staten Island takes you back in time. New York City’s only living history museum offers a firsthand look at what life was like here hundreds of years ago. “There are interactive exhibits [and] people dressed up and ready to answer all the questions,” says Swacker. Check out demonstrations in blacksmithing, broom making, basket making, carpentry, and open-hearth cooking.
Louis Armstrong House Museum
Courtesy of the Louis Armstrong House Museum
Jazz enthusiasts will not want to miss the Louis Armstrong House Museum. Located in the Corona neighborhood of Queens, the home “has been kept as it was when the Armstrongs lived here,” says Fora travel advisor Julia Flood, referring to the great trumpet player and his wife, Lucille. You’ll find a spectacular collection of 1,600 recordings, 650 home-recorded tapes in hand-decorated boxes, 5,000 photographs, five trumpets, 120 awards and plaques, and more in the museum.
The Brooklyn Museum
Courtesy of The Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum spans 560,000 square feet, making it one of the city’s largest museums. You can easily spend an entire morning or afternoon exploring its collection of roughly half a million objects. Check the website to find out what temporary exhibitions will be on during your visit.
American Museum of Natural History
AJ Sharma/Travel + Leisure
For a fun-filled experience that’s great for multiple generations of travelers, head to the American Museum of Natural History. According to Fora advisor Amna Ismail, the museum entertains guests of all ages with its collection of over 33 million specimens and artifacts. Highlights include the massive blue whale model, mind-boggling dinosaur exhibits, and the Richard Gilder Center, which features an insectarium and butterfly vivarium.
Whitney Museum of American Art
AJ Sharma/Travel + Leisure
“The Whitney is perfect for art lovers and non-art lovers alike,” says Fora travel advisor Michelle Zelena. The 220,000-square-foot space houses a permanent collection of over 26,000 works from the 20th and 21st centuries, including paintings, sculptures, drawings, photos, films, and more. The pieces were made by more than 4,000 artists, including American icons Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol. Don’t leave without checking out the rooftop cafe, which offers incredible city views.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Valerie de Leon/Travel + Leisure
New York City’s largest museum contains over 1.5 million pieces of art, some dating back thousands of years. “No matter how many times you’ve been to The Met, you’ll see something new,” says Fora travel advisor Elise Cocozzo. Since the venue’s sprawling size and seemingly endless assortment of awe-inspiring works can be overwhelming, Cocozzo recommends taking one of several free tours, which are led daily. “They’re quick (one hour), the guides are predictably wonderful, and it’s a great way to learn a bit, see a bunch, and not get lost,” she adds.
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
AJ Sharma/Travel + Leisure
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is housed in an eye-catching Frank Lloyd Wright–designed building that is a masterpiece in and of itself. In addition to its program of large-scale exhibitions displayed in the soaring spiral rotunda, the museum has a permanent collection that includes works by artists like Jackson Pollock, Degas, and Van Gogh. “They also have performances, such as musicals and ballets, so check the calendar of events,” suggests Canal.
Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration
Valerie de Leon/Travel + Leisure
Ellis Island welcomed more than 12 million immigrants to America between 1892 and 1954, and you can learn more about the site’s significance—and immigration overall—by visiting Ellis Island’s National Immigration Museum. In addition to browsing photographs and artifacts, you might retrace your family heritage. Head to the second floor to visit the Registry Room (also known as the Great Hall), where some 5,000 people once filed through each day for legal and medical examinations.
The Bronx Museum of the Arts
John Lamparski / WireImage via Getty Images
This contemporary art museum highlights 20th- and 21st-century works from American artists. The robust, 1,800-plus-piece collection includes everything from photographs by Jamel Shabazz and sculptures by John Ahearn to portraits painted by Henry Taylor. The museum also hosts events like film screenings and panels.
Staten Island Children’s Museum
Nataki Hewling
Located on the grounds of Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, the Staten Island Children’s Museum offers 12 indoor and outdoor exhibits, dance and arts workshops, science and story times, and many other hands-on experiences for children ages one and up. Kids can build block houses, climb a rock wall, and crawl through a human-sized ant hill while observing the museum’s collection of insects.
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Elliot Goldstein/Smithsonian Institution
Design lovers are sure to marvel at this magnificent museum on the Upper East Side’s Museum Mile. Housed in the elaborate, 64-room Andrew Carnegie Mansion, which was completed in 1902, it has a permanent collection of more than 215,000 design objects. Visitors will find everything from ancient Roman marble and Renaissance drawings to contemporary pieces like 3D-printed works. Spend time on the Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden, too.
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum
Alessandra Amodio/Travel + Leisure
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum features 60,000 artifacts—a mix of physical evidence, first-person testimonies, and historic records—from the September 11, 2001 and February 28, 1993 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Salvaged structural remnants are also on display, including the “Survivors’ Stairs” (which, at the time of the 9/11 attacks, were located at the edge of the World Trade Center Plaza) and the “Last Column,” the final piece of steel from the World Trade Center to be removed from Ground Zero. After spending a few hours inside the museum, head outside to the memorial, which is free and open to the public. The names of every person who died in these two attacks are inscribed on the edge of the two reflecting pools.
Statue of Liberty Museum
Courtesy of National Park Service
The Statue of Liberty has been synonymous with freedom, equality, and democracy since its 1886 unveiling. You can visit Lady Liberty’s crown, and you can also check out the 26,000-square-foot museum. The venue highlights the national monument’s creation, significance, and history, and the postcard-worthy skyline views from the venue are icing on the cake.
Queens County Farm Museum
Courtesy of Queens Farm Museum
Think of this 47-acre site as one part interactive museum and one part working farm. Centered on an 18th-century farmhouse, it still grows a wide range of crops, including veggies, flowers, herbs, and more. Explore the growing fields, pastures, and wooded areas via a scenic hay ride. Children enjoy visiting the farm’s resident animals, which include sheep, goats, alpacas, pigs, and hens. There’s also an on-site apiary, and honey is available for purchase in the farm store, as are fresh eggs. The museum offers fun seasonal events, too.
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