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NYC Children's Museums, Zoos, and Gardens Offering Free Museum Days

The Bronx Zoo – General admission is free on Wednesdays, but reservations are required. The Wednesday Ticket Store opens at 5pm on Mondays. Total Experience activities cost extra.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden – Winter Weekdays (December through February) are pay-what-you-can. Children 11 and under are always free.

Brooklyn Children's Museum – Free hours on are held on Thursday afternoons from 2pm-5pm. Reservations should be booked in advance.

The Jewish Museum – Saturday admission is free. Timed-entry reservations are recommended.

Museum of the Moving Image – Free admission is offered on Thursdays from 2pm-6pm. Timed-entry tickets are recommended.

New York Aquarium – Pay-what-you-wish Wednesday afternoons from 3pm to last entry, which varies by season. Reservations are required and the Wednesday Ticket Store opens at 3pm Monday.

New York Botanical Garden – Free grounds admission for NYC residents all day Wednesdays. Non-NYC residents can enter for free from 10-11am on Wednesdays. Book timed-entry tickets in advance.

New-York Historical Society – Pay-what-you-wish Fridays from 5-8pm. Admission to the on-site DiMenna Children's History Museum is included. Purchase timed-entry tickets in advance.

NYSCI – Free admission on Fridays from 2-5pm. Reserve tickets online in advance beginning Thursday mornings at 9am.

Queens Botanical Garden – Free admission daily from mid-December through March. Admission is free on Wednesdays from 3-6pm and Sundays from 9-11am the rest of the year.

Staten Island Zoo – Free on Wednesdays after 2pm. Timed-entry tickets are recommended.

Wave Hill – Admission is free all day on Thursdays. The garden also hosts special free arts events throughout the year.

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Make a donation of your choice at the American Museum of Natural History. Photo by Jody Mercier

Museums in NYC with Suggested Admission

American Museum of Natural History – Pay-what-you-wish general admission is available to residents of New York, but timed-entry reservations must be booked in advance. Special exhibitions require paying full price.

Brooklyn Museum – General admission prices are suggested; pay what you wish. For special exhibitions, you must pay the full price, which also includes general admission. Timed-entry reservations are recommended. Admission is free during its First Saturdays programs.

The Cloisters – Pay-what-you-wish admission is offered for New York state residents as well as New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut students.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Pay-what-you-wish for New York state residents as well as New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut students.

MoMA PS1 – New York state residents can enter for free; it's pay-what-you-wish for all other visitors.

El Museo del Barrio – Timed-entry tickets are recommended. Admission is pay-what-you-wish.

Museum at Eldridge Street – Pay-what-you-wish admission is offered on Mondays and Fridays.

Museum of the City of New York – Pay-what-you-wish at all times for New York state residents. Everyone under the age of 18 is free at all times. Wednesdays are free for everyone.

Staten Island Museum

Queens Museum – Timed-entry reservations are required.

NYC Museums with Free Admission Hours at All Times

American Folk Art Museum – Timed-entry reservations are encouraged.

The Bronx Museum

The Museum at FIT

National Museum of the American Indian

SculptureCenter

The Skyscraper Museum – Museum admission is free; timed-entry tickets are required.

Socrates Sculpture Park

Queens County Farm Museum – The museum does charge admission fees during large, public events.

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Kids can contemplate larger-than-life sculptures at the Noguchi Museum for free. Photo by Jody Mercier

Grown-up Museums with Free Admission Hours

9/11 Memorial and Museum – Free on Mondays from 5:30pm to close; reservations are available on Monday mornings beginning at 7am.

Cooper-Hewitt Museum – Pay-what-you-wish admission daily from 5-6pm.

Guggenheim Museum – Pay-what-you-wish on Mondays and Saturdays from 4-5:30pm. Children under 12 are always free.

The Morgan Library & Museum – Free on Fridays from 5-7pm. Children 12 and under are free. Reservations are strongly encouraged.

The Noguchi Museum – Free on the first Friday of every month from 11am-6pm, with reservations released two weeks prior at noon. Children under 12 are free as are all NYC public school students. Advance tickets are required.

Whitney Museum – Pay-what-you-wish Fridays from 5-10pm. Everyone under 25 is always free. Advance tickets are required.

This article was first published in September 2012; it has been updated for 2023.