Some posts on this site contain affiliate links. If you book or buy something through these links, I earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you). Take a look at my privacy policy for more information.
From the big and famous to the tiny and totally obscure, these are some of the coolest museums to visit while you’re in NYC!
One of the things I really love about New York is the sheer number of museums and art galleries in the city. Natural history, gangsters, military history, ice cream, LGBTQ art… whatever you’re into, I’m pretty sure you’ll find a museum for it.
Although I’ve visited several times, I’ve still not been able to see all of the city’s best museums – because there are just too many! So, I asked some top travel bloggers to chip in with their recommendations. All the attractions on this list have been tried and tested by real-life travellers. Enjoy…
21 of the Coolest Museums in NYC
1. American Museum of Natural History
Yes, it’s probably the most famous museum in the city – especially thanks to its starring role in Night at the Museum. But the American Museum of Natural History is still one of the coolest museums to visit!
This is the largest natural history museum in the world. With collections dedicated to exploring human cultures, the natural world, and the known universe, there’s plenty to discover inside!
Ticket Price: $28 for adults (discounts for students and children). There’s a “pay-what-you-wish” policy for NY, NJ, and CT Residents. CLICK HERE to check the latest prices and book.
2. Mmuseumm
From one of the biggest museums in the city to one of the smallest. Mmuseumm is a tiny, lesser-known museum housed inside a freight elevator in Tribeca!
Inside, you’ll find a rather bizarre and utterly fascinating collection of random objects. Some appear to have no reason for being included, while others have some cultural significance. For example, the shoe that was thrown at George W Bush in 2008.
Tickets: $8 suggested donation.
3. Museum of Ice Cream (MOIC)
Recommended by: Heather, Trimm Travels
There are several things that make the Museum of Ice Cream (MOIC) in New York City “cool” (get it?!). This colourful museum is packed with taste tests, fun games, a three-story slide, and the ever-popular “pool of sprinkles” to jump in! All of this is fun for both kids and kids-at-heart!
Tickets: $25-36 (depending on timeslot booked). CLICK HERE to check the prices and availability.
4. Museum of the American Gangster
New York has been the setting of some of the most iconic movies (and video games) about gangsters and organised crime – but the reality is often far grittier. At the Museum of the American Gangster in the East Village, you can discover the dark history of organised crime in New York and learn about some of the city’s most notorious gangsters.
UPDATE: The museum is currently closed. They are fighting to save their home; the historic building at 80 St. Marks Place – more information here.
5. City Reliquary
The City Reliquary is a quirky, non-profit community museum in Williamsburg – although it looks a bit like a second-hand shop! In fact, it’s a treasure trove of New York’s history. The bizarre collection of artefacts ranges from baseball memorabilia to historic signs from some of the city’s most famous buildings.
Tickets: $7 (free for children under 12)
6. Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum
The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum is situated on board an aircraft carrier and offers a seriously up-close look at US military history and science. There’s a huge and varied collection of aircraft, as well as other military vessels.
You can tour the Submarine Growler for a first-hand look at life aboard a submarine, while the space shuttle pavilion offers a look at the Enterprise. There are loads of interactive exhibits, so it’s a great place to learn more about the US military.
Top tip: this is one of the places where you can get free museum tickets with EBT if you receive SNAP benefits.
Tickets: $36 general admission. CLICK HERE to check the latest prices and book.
7. The Tenement Museum
Love nosing through other people’s homes? The Tenement Museum in Lower East Side is perfect for you! It’s a five-storey tenement building dating from 1863, which has been repurposed as a museum offering a glimpse of life through the decades between the 1860s and 1930s.
Inside, you can explore restored apartments – and also interact with “residents” played by actors in costume. The museum brings to life the story of the immigrant experience in New York and affords an insight into what everyday life was life.
Tickets: $30 for a tour. There are several different tours to choose from, so check the online calendar to plan your visit.
RECOMMENDED TOUR: Lower East Side Food and Culture Walking Tour
8. Museum of Street Art
Recommended by: Sue, Travel For Life Now
New York City is home to some of the best street art in the world, including the Bushwick Collective. The Museum of Street Art (MoSA) is a must-see museum which captures an important moment in New York’s street art history:
There was a building in Queens called 5 Pointz covered in wonderful street art. The owner whitewashed the building, then demolished it (a common story in street art). The artists sued the owner and, surprisingly, won. The MoSA murals were painted by 20 of the 5 Pointz artists, spread over 20 floors.
Tickets: free.
Top Tip: Stop by the rooftop bar for great views of the city.
9. The National Museum of Mathematics
Recommended by: Christine Knight. Check out her top things to do with kids in NYC for loads more great tips!
Get excited about the amazing role of maths in the world around us at the National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath). This hands-on science centre is dedicated to mathematics. It explores the role maths plays in our daily lives through interactive exhibits and fun activities.
The museum is spread over two floors, with exhibits exploring concepts including statistics, patterns, velocity, formulas, parabolas and number probability. While the museum is extremely popular with kids, especially school groups, there’s a section on the lower floor that’s geared towards adults, with a series of complex puzzles. So don’t think you need a kid with you to visit!
Tickets: $25 adults (discounts for students and children)
10. Ellis Island
Recommended by: Sage, Everyday Wanderer
Nearly 40% of all Americans have ancestors who arrived into the country via Ellis Island, a small island off the southern tip of Manhattan. After processing 12 million immigrants, Ellis Island closed its doors in 1954, and today it houses the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration.
The museum covers the full story of immigration, from the first Europeans to set foot in North America and the millions admitted through Ellis Island – right through to the immigration challenges facing the country today.
Tickets: Start from $24.50pp. StatueCityCruises.com is the ONLY vendor authorised to provide tickets and transportation to Liberty and Ellis Islands.
RECOMMENDED TOUR: Guided Statue of Liberty Tour & Ellis Island Visit
11. Merchant’s House
Recommended by: Carole, Travels with Carole. Check out her guide to the best restaurants in NYC for more great tips!
Constructed of red brick and white marble in 1832, the fashionable row house that is now the Merchant’s House Museum was once home to a hardware merchant and his family.
A loose-leaf binder is your guide, providing information about each room. It became a museum in 1936 and has been carefully preserved with original furnishings. Today, the neighbourhood that surrounds it is once again fashionable, though now the house is squished between high-rise apartment buildings and condominiums.
Tickets: $15 (or $20 for the guided tour)
12. The New Museum
Recommended by: Stella, Around the World in 24 Hours
The New Museum has an important mission. It’s the only museum in Manhattan exclusively dedicated to contemporary art – and particularly to new/emerging artists. It’s one of the best places to go to discover amazing artists before the rest of the world hears about them.
The building itself, which looks like a series of precariously stacked boxes, is just as exciting as the works inside. Artists who have been showcased in the New Museum include Massimiliano Gioni, William Kentridge, and Andrea Zittel – and all became better known as a result!
Tickets: $18 general admission. Under 18s free.
13. The AKC Museum of the Dog
Recommended by: Candy, boogiethepug.com (a pet travel blog)
If you’re a dog lover, this is the museum for you! The AKC Museum of the Dog celebrates the human-canine relationship, with one of the largest collections of canine-related fine art and artefacts in the world. There’s everything from paintings and drawings to sculptures and ceramics – all dog-related.
Besides their permanent collection, they also feature special exhibitions, interactive experiences, and special events, like painting workshops and doggy meet and greets. While only service dogs and invited demonstration dogs are allowed in the museum, they do open their doors to all dogs on Furrsday – the first Thursday of every month.
Tickets: $15 adults (discounts for students and children)
14. Interference Archive
Recommended by: Megan, Your Brooklyn Guide
The Interference Archive in Park Slope, Brooklyn, is a community-run library, gallery, archive, and collection of historical information and artefacts from activism and social movements throughout time. It’s a huge collection of social movement memorabilia
Tickets: free
15. Museum of Illusion
Recommended by: Eileen, FamiliesGo!
The Museum of Illusions was clearly created with Instagram in mind! Across two compact floors are a series of interactive exhibits which demonstrate different types of illusions. You can photograph your friends appearing to do a handstand on a park bench or with their heads on a platter. There are infinity mirrors and a human kaleidoscope.
There were even a few illusions that my naked eye couldn’t pick up, but my phone camera could, which I found intriguing. You can do it all in 45 minutes to an hour and a half, depending on how busy it is (and how much time you spend taking pictures).
Tickets: $24 adults (discounts for students and children)
16. John Bowne House
Recommended by: Karen, writer at Wanderlustingk and Moon Travel Guides
John Bowne House is one of the city’s least-known museums, hidden away in the heart of Flushing, Queens. This quiet house, first built in 1661, is historically noteworthy because this is where John Bowne helped create religious tolerance in the US!
John Bowne was a practising Quaker who was arrested when New York was still “New Netherland”. He successfully appealed for the right to practice religion as he pleased, which had large implications for the then-Dutch colony as a whole. Today, the house is a museum where you can view period furniture and get a glimpse of what life was like in New York during the Colonial period.
Tickets: $10 adults (discounts for students and children)
John Bowne House is open every Wednesday from 1pm to 4pm
17. Transit Museum
Recommended by: Allison, New York Revealed
If you’re looking for a quirky museum in New York that’s fun for all ages, be sure to check out the New York Transit Museum. This museum showcases the history of New York’s public transit system. Exhibits include many real-life vehicles, such as several antique subway cars from several decades ago – complete with the original advertisements and postcards.
They also have photographs explaining the development of the city’s transit system (bus, rail, and more) as well as original buses and signs. The goal of the museum is to showcase the technological innovation that enabled New York to grow and become one of the world’s most important metropolises.
Tickets: $10 adults (discounts for students and children). Free for MTA Employees.
18. Cooper Hewitt Design Museum
Recommended by: Dale, Wander Her Way. Check out her review of the New York Pass.
Located on the Upper East Side, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum is one of the lesser-known options on Museum Mile, especially as it’s so often overshadowed by the more popular Met and Guggenheim.
However, Cooper Hewitt is definitely worth a visit. It’s dedicated to design and decorative arts, and encourages interactivity between visitors and the museum’s collections through interactive features like the Immersion Room and Interaction Lab.
Tickets: $15 adults (free for under 18s). This museum is one of the attractions included in the Go City NYC Pass, which could be a great way to save money if you plan on visiting a lot of attraction on your visit.
19. SPYSCAPE
Recommended by: Lindsey, Seven Day Weekender
If you’ve always wondered what it’s like to be a spy, SPYSCAPE is a unique “only in NYC” experience that must go to the top of your list! Your espionage adventure begins the moment you walk in and receive your digital wristbands.
SPYSCAPE features a multitude of exhibits, as well as real-life stories, Spy Role and Spy Challenge experiences. All of which are recorded on your wristbands so you can track everything. You’ll walk in intrigued and walk out (through a hall of digital mirrors which reveal your “spy identity”) knowing where you fit into the world of espionage.
Tickets: price depends on which experience you book. The “All Access Pass” for all experiences is $44 for children and $58 for adults. SPYSCAPE is included on the Go City Explorer Pass, which could be a great way to save money on your trip.
20. Leslie Lohman Museum of Art
Previously the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art, the LLM is a visual art museum focused on visual arts created by LGBTQ artists, as well as art about LGBTQ themes and issues.
It was founded during the sixties, when Charles Leslie and Fritz Lohman held an exhibit of gay artists in their SoHo loft. Today, the collection has over 30,000 objects, and the museum hosts at least six major exhibitions a year.
Tickets: suggested donation of $10
21. Museum of Sex
New York’s Museum of Sex is a lot kinkier than the other places on this list. But it’s just as educational, and very eye-opening! The museum offers an interesting (and playful) look at one of our most basic physiological needs. Alongside the exhibitions and information, they have a few fun installations, such as the boob-filled bouncy house.
Tickets: Starting at $36. The Museum of Sex is one of the many attractions on the Go City NYC Pass, so check that out to save some money.
Map & Quick List
- American Museum of Natural History
- Mmuseumm – NYC’s smallest museum
- Museum of Ice Cream (MOIC) – mainly for photo ops!
- Museum of the American Gangster
- City Reliquary – non-profit community museum
- Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum – US military history
- The Tenement Museum – life as an immigrant between 1860s to 1930s.
- Museum of Street Art
- The National Museum of Mathematics – hands-on science centre
- Ellis Island – history of immigration.
- Merchant’s House – preserved historic house.
- The New Museum – contemporary art by up-and-coming artists.
- The AKC Museum of the Dog – canine-related fine art and artefacts
- Interference Archive – activism and social movements
- Museum of Illusion – fun photo ops!
- John Bowne House – preserved historic house.
- Transit Museum – public transport.
- Cooper Hewitt Design Museum – design and decorative arts.
- SPYSCAPE – all about spies!
- Leslie Lohman Museum of Art – LGBTQ art.
- Museum of Sex – a playful look at the world of sex.
Read More
15 Really Cool Things to do in NYC
Know any more cool museums in NYC that should be added to this list? Scroll down to leave me a comment!
Oh I want to visit New York so bad.. eversince watching gossip girl LOL.
It has so many cool museums…these all sound interesting. And I want to visit MOMA too!
Great list of cool museums in NYC, Thanks for having us be part of this. I also like the Rubin Mueum.
Thanks so much for taking part Sue!
Night at the Museum was my favorite movie when I was a kid!!!
Glad to read all the fun and informative facts from you. This made my day for sure. :)
Oh thanks so much for reading! Great movie :)
Great post
Thank you :)