Free Times at NYC Museums

Don't miss out on taking advantage of all the great museums NYC has to offer just because the admissions are higher than a skyscraper. Our guide to NYC museum free times will give you the inside scoop of when to visit your favorite museums or try out a new one with our listings of which museums are free all the time, donation only, or when they offer free museum hours for all the childrens and general museums in New York City.

Children's Museums with Free Times:

Brooklyn Children's Museum - Free fall early bird admission before 11am on the second weekend of each month (Oct 10 &11, Nov 14 & 15) and Wednesday afternoons free from 2-5pm (Oct 7, 13, 21, 28, Nov 4, 11, 18, 25). (Does not apply to school, camp, or other organized groups.)

Children's Museum of the Arts - Pay what you wish Thursdays 4-6pm.

Children's Museum of Manhattan - Free first Friday each month from 5-8pm.

The Jewish Museum - Free for families Saturdays 11am to 5:45pm

NY Hall of Science - (September through June only) Free on Fridays from 2 – 5 pm and Sundays from 10 – 11am.

Museums that are always suggested donation:

American Museum of Natural History

Bronx Museum of the Arts

Brooklyn Museum

The Cloisters

New York City Fire Museum

New York City Police Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Museum of Biblical Art

Museum of the City of New York

PS 1 Contemporary Art Center

Queens Museum of Art

SculptureCenter

Staten Island Museum

Studio Museum Harlem

 

Always Free:

Forbes Galleries

National Museum of the American Indian

Sony Wonder Technology Lab

First Family Programs:

Several museums offer free times once a month. Sometimes these events require tickets (which are free). Some offer family programs.

Brooklyn Museum - First Saturdays 5-11pm (occasional family programming)

New Museum - First Saturdays for Families 10am (Family Programming)

The Noguchi Museum - Pay what you wish first Fridays (no special programming)

South Street Seaport Museum - Third Fridays 5-9pm (Usually family programming including free harbor sails on tall ship, Pioneer. Find more info here).

 El Museo del Barrio-Third Saturdays  11am-6pm

Grown-up museums with free Friday evenings:

American Folk Art Museum - 5:30-7:30pm

Asia Society Museum - 6-9pm

New York Historical Society - Pay what you wish 6-8pm

Morgan Library - 7-9pm

Museum of Modern Art - 4-8pm

Rubin Museum of Art - 7-10pm

Whitney Museum - Pay what you wish 6-9pm

Grown-up museums with free Saturday evenings:

 Guggenheim Museum - Pay what you wish 5:45 to 8pm

Some other good deals:

Participate in a Saturday Morning family program at the Museum of Modern Art and you are free to enjoy the entire museum after your program ends.

The Bronx Zoo is free on Wednesdays.

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is Free on Tuesdays and Saturdays

The New York Botanical Garden is Free on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

More Information about Free Family Museum Programs:

Cool Stuff at the Queens Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

MoMA

Rubin Museum of Art

Metropolitan Museum of Art

5 Museums You've Never Heard Of

Find more great activities like this in our Indoor Activities Guide.

Find more tips for NYC art and kid shows in our Culture Guide.

[UPDATED ON 10/14/2009]