This post is all about free museum days in NYC.
When you think of New York City, “affordable” is probably not the first word that comes to mind. But, having lived in the Big Apple for nearly five years, I’ve discovered that there are so many affordable and yes, even free activities to take advantage of. One of my top favorites is free museum days!
There are nearly 200 museums in the city, and a large number of them offer free admission or “pay-as-you-wish hours” on certain days. I love to plan for a new museum visit every month, but definitely get more visits in during the cold winter months.
So today, I’ve rounded up a list of free museum days in NYC.
A Tip for New York Residents
Before we jump into the list, I need to shout out the Culture Pass program through the New York Public Library that gives any New York resident free access to 100+ museums and cultural institutions. All you need is a library card which allows you to reserve tickets online to many museums. The offerings have much more availability than the free admission days listed below and usually include admission for 2-4 visitors. I highly recommend checking it out!
50+ Free Museum Days in NYC
Museums That Are Free Everyday
Here is a list of museums in New York City that offer free admission every day.
- Tuesday-Friday, 12pm–4pm
- Saturday, 11am–4pm
- Tuesday-Sunday, 11:30am-6pm
- Wednesday-Sunday, 11am-6pm
International Print Center New York
- Tuesday-Saturday, 11am-6pm
- Tuesday-Saturday, 12pm-4pm
- Thursday-Sunday, 12pm-5pm
- Sunday, Monday, Thursday, and Friday, 12pm-6pm
- Saturday, 12pm–8pm
The Museum at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology)
- Wednesday-Friday, 12pm-8pm
- Saturday and Sunday, 10am-5pm
- Wednesday-Saturday, 11am-6pm
- Sunday, 11am-4pm
National Museum of the American Indian
- Daily, 10am-5pm
- Daily, 10am-5pm
- Thursday–Monday, 12pm–6pm
Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Gardens
- Free admission for gardens and grounds daily from dawn to dusk
- Daily, 9am-sunset
Pay-What-You-Wish Museum Days
Here is a list of museums in New York City that offer “pay-what-you-wish” admission.
American Museum of Natural History (for New York residents)
- Daily, 10am-5:30pm
- Pay what you wish during winter weekdays, Monday-Friday from November to January
- Daily, 5pm-6pm
- Monday and Saturday, 4pm-5:30pm (advance time ticket required)
International Center of Photography
- Thursday 6pm-9pm
The Met Cloisters (for New York residents and students in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut)
- Thursday-Tuesday, 10am-4:30pm
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (for New York residents and students in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut)
- Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, 10am-5pm
- Friday and Saturday, 10am-9pm
- Monday and Friday, 10am-5pm
- Thursday-Sunday, 11am-5pm
- Thursday 7pm-9pm
- Friday, 5pm-8pm
- Wednesday-Sunday, 10am-5pm
- Wednesday-Sunday, 11am-5pm
Free Museum Days
Here is a list of museums in New York City that offer free admission on specific days of the week.
- Friday, 6pm-9pm
- Thursday 2pm-5pm
- Free admission on the first Saturday of the month between February-June, August, and October, 5pm-11pm
- Wednesday (advance ticket required)
- Daily, 4pm-6pm
- Thursday, 2pm-4pm between May-August (advance time ticket required)
- Saturday, 11am-6pm
Museum of the City of New York
- Free admission on Wednesday, 10am-5pm
- Every other day is pay what you wish for New York residents: Monday-Friday, 10am-5pm, and Saturday-Sunday, 10am-6pm
- Thursday, 4pm-8pm (advance time ticket required)
- Free admission on the first Friday of the month for New York residents, 4pm-8pm (advance ticket required)
- Thursday, 4pm-6pm
- Friday, 5pm-8pm (advance ticket required)
- Free admission on the first Friday of the month, 5pm-8pm (more information)
- Wednesday afternoon (advance ticket required)
- Free grounds admission for New York residents Wednesday, 10am-6pm
- Free grounds admission for all other guests Wednesday, 10am-11am
- Friday, 2pm-5pm (advance ticket required)
- Free admission on the first Friday of the month (advance ticket required)
- Wednesday, 3pm-6pm
- Sunday, 9am-11am
- Wednesday, 2pm-4:45pm
- Sunday, 12pm-6pm
- Thursday, 10am-4:30pm
- Friday, 5pm-10pm (advance ticket required)
- Second Sunday of the month (advance ticket required)
- Free admission on the first Monday of the month for New York residents, 5:30pm-7pm (advance ticket required)
That concludes this list of free museum days in NYC.
And there you have it, 50+ museums that offer free admission. Feel free to save this list for a cold or rainy day and let me know if you visit any!