We have compiled a list of cultural institutions that have free entry for specific hours or days of each week or month. Please contact each location directly to confirm pricing when planning your visit.
American Folk Art Museum
Always Free
Founded in 1961, the collection includes artwork from over four centuries and nearly every continent, including quilts, sculptures, and paintings. Advanced ticketing is encouraged.
American Indian Museum Heye Center
Always Free
Sitting at the foot of the Wiechquaekeck Trail, an old Algonquin trade route (aka Broadway), the museum shares the Washington, D.C., location’s incredible collection and its commitment to celebrating the diverse history and contemporary voices of Native peoples.
Asia Society Museum
Free Fridays
This museum explores a range of traditional, modern and contemporary exhibitions of Asian and Asian American art.
Bronx Zoo
Wednesday General Admission: Pay-what-you-wish donation.
Recommended donation is $15 per person. Donations support caring for the animals. There are more than 265 acres to explore at the Bronx Zoo and over 10,000 animals.
Bronx Museum of the Arts
Always Free
Founded in 1971, the BxMA is a contemporary art museum that connects diverse audiences of the Bronx and New York City through resonant exhibitions, public programming, educational offerings, and a collection of artworks by artists of African, Asian and Latin American ancestry reflecting the dynamic communities of the Borough.
Brooklyn Children's Museum
Free Thursdays 2 - 5 pm
The Crown Heights museum, opened in 1899, and features interactive exhibits and programs exploring art, music, science and the communities of Brooklyn through kid-sized shops by real neighborhood businesses.
El Museo del Barrio
Pay-what-you-wish donation
Founded in 1969, El Museo celebrates and preserves the art and culture of Caribbean and Latin American people, with particular attention to Puerto Rican artists.
The Hispanic Society Museum and Library
Always Free
The society has the largest collection of Spanish and Portugese art outside of the Iberian peninsula. It includes more than 900 paintings, 6,000 watercolors and drawings, 6,000 decorative art objects, 15,000 prints and more than 300,000 books and periodicals.
Jewish Museum
Ages 18 & under are free Saturdays. Pay-what-you-wish every Thursday from 5 - 8 pm.
The Jewish Museum in NYC is dedicated to the enjoyment, understanding, and preservation of the artistic and cultural heritage of the Jewish people.
Neuberger Museum
Free admission. There is a fee for parking.
The Neuberger Museum of Art is a center of teaching and learning for all stages of life. Experience exhibitions of modern, contemporary and African art and art-inspired events in their Philip Johnson-designed building at the heart of Purchase College, State University of New York.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
NYS residents: pay what you wish in person.
The Met Fifth Avenue presents over 5,000 years of art spanning all cultures and time periods. Since the Museum opened its doors to the public in its current location in Central Park in 1880, its footprint has expanded to cover more than two million square feet. Today, art comes alive in the Museum's galleries and through its exhibitions and events, revealing both now ideas and unexpected connections across time and cultures.
Morgan Library and Museum
Free Fridays 7 - 9 pm
A museum and independent research library located in the heart of New York City, the Morgan Library & Museum began as the personal library of financier, collector, and cultural benefactor Pierpont Morgan.
Museum of the Moving Image
Free Thursdays 2 – 6 pm
The Museum’s mission is to advance the understanding, enjoyment, and appreciation of the art, history, technique, and technology of film, television, and digital media.