Free and Suggested Admission - DCLA

NYC Cultural Affairs


Free and Suggested Admission

Summer 2024 Culture Programming
COVID-19 Coronavirus Resources
> Reopening Resources
> Arts Education Resources

Summer 2024 Culture Programming

COVID-19 Coronavirus Resources

> Reopening Resources

> Arts Education Resources


New York City Cultural Organizations with Free and Suggested Admission

Photo by Tagger Yancey IV/NYC Tourism + Conventions.

New York City is home to hundreds of galleries, theaters, dance companies, museums, concert halls, zoos, botanical gardens and more, which together form a cultural ecosystem that strengthens our communities, drives our economy, and makes our city the cultural capital of the world.

The Department of Cultural Affairs supports more than 1,000 cultural nonprofits across the city, many of which offer free, low-cost, and family friendly programming so that New Yorkers from all walks of life have the opportunity to engage with our city’s extraordinary cultural assets. Below, you will find that this list has been categorized by borough and by which venues offer free or suggested admission every day and which have free admission on certain days and hours, all for New York City residents.

The admissions policies summarized below are subject to change, so please confirm details directly with the host organization before planning your visit.

Note that even at organizations with free or suggested admission, special programs and exhibitions often include a separate, required admission charge. Admissions policies often vary for visitors based on a number of factors including place of residence, age (e.g. discounts for seniors), and other factors. The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs is not responsible or liable for the delay and/or cancellation of events or modification of admission policies at the institutions listed below.

Last Updated: January 2025

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Bronx

Always Free or Suggested Admission

Bronx Museum | Free Admission

Longwood Art Gallery | Free Admission

Van Cortlandt House Museum | Free Admission (for Bronx residents)

Venues with Free Hours or Days

Bronx Zoo | Wednesdays

Free access on a Limited Admission basis; must be reserved in advance

New York Botanical Garden | Wednesdays

Grounds Admission is free to NYC residents all day and to all other visitors between 10:00 AM ‒ 11:00 AM

Wave Hill Cultural Center | Thursdays

Free admission does not apply to organized groups

Brooklyn

Always Free or Suggested Admission

The Agnes Varis Art Center at UrbanGlass | Free Admission

BRIC House Exhibitions | Free Admission

Brooklyn Museum | Suggested Admission (not applicable to ticketed exhibitions; pay-what-you-can tickets must be purchased in person)

Brooklyn Central Library | Free Admission

Center for Brooklyn History | Free Admission

Coney Island History Project | Free Admission

Five Myles | Free Admission

Green-Wood Cemetery | Free Admission

Kentler International Drawing Space | Free Admission

Lefferts Historic House Museum | Free Admission

Pioneer Works | Free Admission

Waterfront Museum | Free Admission

Weeksville Heritage Center | Free Admission

Venues with Free Hours or Days
Unless otherwise noted, the organizations below offer free admission during hours or days listed.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

December - February: Pay-What-You-Wish Winter Weekdays

Community Tickets: A portion of each day’s tickets are available free of charge to those who need them.

Brooklyn Children’s Museum | Thursdays after 2:00 PM

New York Aquarium | Wednesdays after 3:00 PM

Must be reserved in advance

Manhattan

Always Free or Suggested Admission

9/11 Memorial | Free Admission (the 9/11 Museum offers free admission on select days; see below for details)

Abrons Art Center | Free Admission

African Burial Ground National Monument | Free Admission

American Folk Art Museum | Free Admission

American Museum of Natural History | Suggested Admission (NY State residents with valid identification can pay what you wish for four general admission tickets)

The Arsenal Gallery | Free Admission

The Arts Center at Governors Island - Lower Manhattan Cultural Council | Free Admission

Castle Clinton National Monument | Free Admission

Center for Architecture | Free Admission

Center for Book Arts | Suggested Admission

CUE Art Foundation | Free Admission

David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Free Admission

The Denny Farrell Greenhouse and Education Center of the Horticultural Society of New York | Free Admission

The Drawing Center | Free Admission

Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts | Free Admission

Federal Hall National Memorial | Free Admission

General Grant National Memorial | Free Admission

The High Line | Free Admission

Hispanic Society of America Museum & Library | Free Admission

Hamilton Grange | Free Admission

Horological Society of New York | Free Admission

NYU Institute for the Study of the Ancient World | Free Admission

Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and Museum | Free Admission

Columbia University Lenfest Center for the Arts | Free Admission

Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art | Suggested Admission

Little Island | Free Admission

Metropolitan Museum of Art / The Cloisters | Suggested Admission (NY State residents and students from NY, NJ, and CT: the amount you pay is up to you, but you must pay a minimum of $0.01 per ticket)

El Museo del Barrio | Suggested Admission

Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology | Free Admission

Museum of Chinese in America | Suggested Donation

Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space | Suggested Admission

Museum of the City of New York | Suggested Admission (for NY State residents)

National Museum of the American Indian | Free Admission

Nicholas Roerich Museum | Free Admission

Print Center New York | Free Admission

Rose Museum at Carnegie Hall | Free Admission

Salmagundi Club (Public Galleries) | Free Admission

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture | Free Admission

Sheila C. Johnson Design Center | Free Admission

The Skyscraper Museum | Free Admission

South Street Seaport Museum | Pay What You Wish

The Stephen A. Schwarzman Library Building | Free Admission

The Swiss Institute | Free Admission

Taller Boricua | Free Admission

Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace | Free Admission

Wallach Art Gallery | Free Admission

White Columns | Free Admission

Venues with Free Hours or Days
Unless otherwise noted, the organizations below offer free admission during hours or days listed.

9/11 Museum | Mondays 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM

Asia Society Museum | Fridays

The China Institute Gallery | Thursdays and Fridays 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum | Pay What You Wish 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM Daily

Guggenheim Museum | Pay What You Wish Mondays and Saturdays 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM

Reservations must be made online

International Center of Photography | Third Thursday of Every Month 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Japan Society Gallery | First Friday of Every Month 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

The Jewish Museum | Saturdays and select Jewish holidays

The Morgan Library and Museum | Fridays 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM (through May 4, 2025)

Must be reserved in advance

The Museum at Eldridge Street | Pay What You Wish - Mondays and Fridays

Museum of Jewish Heritage | Thursdays 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Must be reserved in advance

Museum of Modern Art | Fridays 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM

For NY State residents

Must be reserved in advance

The Neue Galerie | First Fridays of the month 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM

The New York Historical | Fridays 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Pay what you wish

Poster House | Fridays

The Public Theater | Free Shakespeare in the Park (Summer Season Only)

Whitney Museum of American Art | Free Fridays and Second Sundays

Fridays 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Second Sunday of every month

Queens

Always Free or Suggested Admission

Flushing Town Hall Gallery | Free Admission

Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning Gallery | Free Admission

King Manor Museum | Free Admission

Materials for the Arts Gallery | Free Admission

MoMA PS1 | Free Admission (for NY State residents; suggested donations for others)

Queens County Farm Museum | Free Admission (except for ticketed admission dates)

Queens Museum | Suggested Admission

Sculpture Center | Free Admission

Socrates Sculpture Park | Free Admission

Venues with Free Hours or Days

Museum of the Moving Image | Thursdays 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM

New York Hall of Science | Fridays 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

The Noguchi Museum | First Friday of Every Month

Reservations are recommended

Queens Botanical Garden | Seasonal

December 16 – March (Free Admission)

April – December 15 (Free Admission on Wednesdays from 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM and on Sundays from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM)

Staten Island

Always Free or Suggested Admission

Alice Austen House Museum | Suggested Admission

Fort Wadsworth | Free Admission

The Noble Maritime Collection | Pay What You Wish

Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden | Free Admission

Staten Island Museum | Suggested Admission

Venues with Free Hours/Days

Historic Richmond Town | Thursdays 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Free Admission Hours are offered from May - December only

Staten Island Zoo | Wednesdays after 2:00 PM

Multi Borough Arts & Culture

Always Free or Suggested Admission

ChaShaMa | Free Admission

ChaShaMa is an arts organizations dedicated to providing creative space for artists to work while also hosting and supporting a variety of events and exhibitions throughout the city.

Creative Time | Free Admission

Creative Time commissions and presents art installations around New York City, the country, and the world. Check back regularly to see what’s in store.

NYC Percent for Art 40th Anniversary Map | Free Admission

The City of New York's Percent for Art program commissions permanent, site-specific artworks for a wide range of public facilities. Explore 40 public art projects across the five boroughs with the celebratory 40th anniversary map.

NYC Parks – Art in the Parks | Free Admission

Through collaborations with a diverse group of arts organizations and artists, NYC Parks brings to the public both experimental and traditional art in park locations across the five boroughs.

Public Art Fund | Free Admission

Public Art Fund is dedicated to installing dynamic artworks around New York City for all to experience.

Free Access Initiatives

Culture Pass

Explore New York City’s museums and attractions with Culture Pass. If you have a library card, you can reserve free passes to 100+ participating cultural institutions.

IDNYC

IDNYC is a card for all New Yorkers, regardless of their immigration status. Free for all New Yorkers, this identification card for residents provides access to a wide variety of services and programs, including benefits and discounts offered by cultural institutions.

Do you have comments, edits, or something you think should be added here? Email us at pr@culture.nyc.gov.