There's no shortage of museums in New York City making it difficult to decide which to visit on your next trip. We’ve put together this guide of the best museums in New York City to simplify your vacation planning. You'll find collections of art on display at the museums on the Museum Mile in Manhattan's Upper East Side, including El Museo del Barrio, the Guggenheim Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. However, you aren’t just limited to art on the Upper East Side. New York City boasts many history museums too. You’ll find museums that focus on the history of New York City as well as United States history and culture.
With all the things to do in New York City, choose to add some of these renowned museums to an itinerary. No matter your interest, or which area or areas of the city you plan to visit, we’ve got you covered in this guide to the best museums in NYC.
1. American Museum of Natural History
Location: 200 Central Park W., Upper West Side, Manhattan
Time need: Minimum of 3 hours
The American Museum of Natural History has a collection of thousands of objects and covers a wide range of topics. The Insectarium is all about insects and why they matter to Earth. Learn all about dinosaurs in the Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs, and marvel at the towering Tyrannosaurus rex fossil. Become an ocean explorer in the Hall of Ocean Live, where you'll see the massive 94-foot-long blue whale model. And learn about the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast Hall.
The museum also hosts specially ticketed exhibitions, so check ahead to see if the showings interest you or your travel companions. For free guided museum tours, check in at the first-floor information desk in the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall.
Accessibility: The museum is wheelchair accessible, and all public areas are accessible by elevator. Accommodations are available to people who are deaf and hard of hearing as well as blind or partially sighted people. Specially designed tours are also available; email the museum at accessibility@amnh.org at least two weeks in advance to schedule a tour. Families traveling with autistic children can attend the special tours on select Sundays. Advance registration is required; phone (212) 769-5200.
2. Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration
Location: Ellis Island. Get there via the Statue City Cruises ferry that departs from The Battery.
Time need: Allot 2-4 hours to see the museum, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty
Off the coast of New York City is Ellis Island, where from 1892-1954, immigrants came to be processed to enter the United States. Whether it was to escape poverty, war or famine, immigrants came to the United States to seek a better life. Even though it's been more than 50 years since the processing center has been active, Ellis Island is still synonymous with immigrants seeking to achieve the American Dream.
Today, the processing center is now the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, where visitors can see the baggage room, registry room and dormitory as well as learn about how the immigration process worked and the stories of those who came to the U.S. Upon arrival, stop at the information desk to pick up an audio guide that greatly enhances the experience. If you'd like to go on a ranger-led guided tour, inquire at the information desk for daily tour times. Ranger-led tours typically run 35 to 40 minutes.
Accessibility: The ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island is wheelchair accessible, and the museum has elevators. The museum has print versions of the audio tour available at the information desk for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Contact the museum at least two weeks in advance to schedule a guided tour in American Sign Language. Visitors with blindness or low vision can access tactile models at the information desk to enhance the experience. Contact the Statue of Liberty National Monument for additional questions about accessibility or to arrange accommodations.
3. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Location: 1000 Fifth Ave., Upper East Side, Manhattan
Time need: 3-5 hours
Originally opened in New York City in 1870, the Metropolitan Museum of Art offers a huge collection of art. On display, you can expect to find art ranging from works created by people in sub-Saharan Africa and the Pacific islands as well as European paintings, sculptures and decorative arts. Also within the collection, you'll find art and artifacts from Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. Wander through the Arms and Amor collection for examples of armor, swords and firearms. The Met's large collection helps put it on the list of best museums in NYC.
If you like museum tours, check out the tours on offer for the day of your visit. Guided museum tours included with museum admission range from the highlights tours to hour-long, collection-specific tours, and an hour-long tour that will take you through much of the museum.
Accessibility: The Metropolitan Museum of Art is wheelchair accessible and has elevators that reach all floors of the museum. They also have wheelchairs available to borrow for use within the museum. Printed materials are not available in the museum; download the museum map onto your phone or other device before visiting.
4. Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
Location: 11 W. 53rd St., Midtown Manhattan
Time need: 2-4 hours
The Museum of Modern Art, also known as MoMA, originated in 1929 with the purpose of creating a new museum with the sole purpose of housing and showing modern art. In 1939, MoMA moved into the building that it currently uses today, though it's been vastly expanded since then.
You'll find exhibits that explore movements within Modern art as well as art that represents reactions to world events. The Cubist Salon is an exhibit displaying works in Cubism. Living in the Age of Machines reflects artists' reactions to the industrialization and mechanization of the early 20th century, while Responding to War explores views of Naziism and World War II in the 1930s and 40s. And Divided States of America displays art that challenged political powers in the 1960s and '70s.
Other exhibits feature works by Matisse, Monet and other renowned artists. The MoMA has a collection of 200,000 pieces that rotate through ever-evolving exhibits, so even if you've been to the Museum of Modern Art before, you are likely to see something new on a return visit.
Accessibility: MoMA is wheelchair accessible. Wheelchairs and portable stools are available to borrow, and wheelchair users and physically disabled people may skip the entry line by notifying of security guard or guest assistant. People with blindness or low vision can schedule a touch-and-description tour with a minimum of two weeks’ notice.
Specially designed programs also are offered for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the deaf and hard of hearing, and people with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. To register for programs or inquire about accessibility and accommodations, email AccessPrograms@moma.org or call (212) 408-6447.
5. New York Transit Museum
Location: 99 Schermerhorn St., Brooklyn
Time need: 2-3 hours
The New York Transit Museum, located in a decommissioned subway station active between 1936 and 1946, started as a pop-up exhibit created by New York City transit employees and has been a museum since 1976. Today, it's the best museum in NYC to learn about this slice of New York City history.
The museum's displays and exhibits detail how the subway system was built, highlighting the workers who did the tunneling, excavating and other labor-intensive jobs required to make New York City's subway system a reality. You can tour subway and elevated train cars — the oldest dating back to the early 1900s.
If you're in New York City in September, see if your travel dates coincide with the museum's Parade of Trains when the vintage train cars are taken out and run between Brighton Beach and Kings Highway. You can participate for the cost of a subway fare.
No matter when you plan to visit New York City, you can enjoy a guided tour on Saturday when the museum offers an hour-long highlights tour.
Accessibility: The New York Transit Museum's main entrance requires visitors to walk down stairs. Wheelchair users and people unable to navigate stairs can use the accessible entrance at the corner of Schermerhorn and Court streets. Email the museum ahead of your visit to arrange the use of the elevator to expedite service
Sign language interpreters are available upon request for all museum programs. Tours for people with blindness or low vision are available each Saturday with at least two weeks' notice. Tactile guides with raised graphics and braille are also available. Email access@nytransitmuseum.org or call (718) 694-1823 to inquire further or arrange accommodations.
6. 9/11 Memorial and Museum
Location: 180 Greenwich Street, Lower Manhattan
Time need: 2 hours
Sept. 11, 2001, was one of those days in American history when those who were alive remember where they were and what they were doing — much like the 1969 moon landing broadcast on live TV or the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The United States hadn't experienced an attack of the sort since Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941. It was a tragic and somber day known from then on as 9/11.
The museum portion of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum is made up of three major exhibits. The Historical Exhibition uses media, artifacts and oral recordings to recount not only the day of the terrorist attacks but also the events that led up to each as well as the aftermath. The Memorial Exhibition serves to honor and remember the 2,977 people who were killed in in the Twin Towers and the Pentagon as well as Somerset, Pennsylvania, where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed. The third exhibition area is used for temporary displays.
The memorial outside of the museum is also a quiet, contemplative space. The square pool, featuring a waterfall draining into in a hole with no visible bottom, is a place for loved ones, family members and museum visitors to pay their respects to the lives lost.
Accessibility: All levels of the museum are wheelchair accessible and can be reached by elevator and escalator. Wheelchairs are also available to borrow. Induction loops are used throughout the museum for people with compatible hearing aids or cochlear implants. An ASL video guide for people who are deaf and an audio description guide for those with blindness or low vision are available. ASL interpretation for guided tours and programs must be requested two weeks in advance. Sighted guides are available upon request, and guided verbal description tours are available if requested three weeks in advance. For additional questions on accessibility or to arrange accommodations, email the museum at access@911memorial.org.
7. El Museo del Barrio
Location: 1230 5th Ave. at 104th Street, Manhattan, in El Barrio (aka East Harlem and Spanish Harlem)
Time need: 2 hours
El Museo del Barrio was founded in 1969 with the purpose of preserving and displaying art by Puerto Rican, Latin American and Caribbean people in the Americas. Today, the museum's collection spans 800 years of art and includes pieces created by pre-Columbian Taíno people in addition to contemporary pieces. On display, you'll find paintings, sculptures, drawings and pottery that represent everyday life and traditions as well as responses and commentary on major events and political figures. The curators at this thought-provoking museum put together artistic exhibits that represent facets of these communities with creative works from various periods and artistic movements.
Accessibility: The wheelchair-accessible entrance to El Museo del Barrio is to the right of the stairs at the 5th Avenue entrance. Wheelchairs and stools are available to borrow. Also, the museum’s theater is equipped with an infrared assistive listening system; headphones can be borrowed from the front desk.
8. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Location: 1071 Fifth Ave., Upper East Side, Manhattan
Time need: 2-3 hours
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, opened in 1959, houses and displays Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary art. Even the museum building itself is a work of art designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the later portion of his career. Inside the museum is a spiral ramp that encircles the rotunda and leads to every floor with art hanging on the wall the whole way up. At the top of the museum is a domed skylight. Today the building is a National Historic Landmark and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Guggenheim Museum's permanent exhibit is the Thannhauser Collection, which includes works by Edgar Degas, Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and many other artists. The museum also has temporary exhibitions that explore different styles of art, use of materials and artists.
Accessibility: All floors of the Guggenheim Museum are accessible by elevator, and wheelchairs are available to borrow. ASL interpretation is available on public tours with two weeks' notice. Assisted listening devices for guided tours are available upon request. The museum also provides a sensory map that locates quiet spaces. A program for people with blindness or low vision is held monthly; attendees must register at least one week in advance. Verbal descriptions of art are available on the website. Call (212) 423-4355 or email access@guggenheim.org for additional questions on accessibility or to arrange accommodations.
9. Tenement Museum
Location: 103 Orchard St., Lower East Side, Manhattan
Time need: 1-2 hours
The Tenement Museum is unique in that most house museums are the homes of wealthy people (like the Biltmore Estate), while the Tenement Museum represents the homes of immigrants and migrants alike who came to New York to escape persecution, poverty or famine. The way this museum gives insight into the very normal lives of people who immigrated to the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries puts it on the list of best museums in NYC.
The New York tenements were apartment buildings constructed to house the urban poor. The apartments were small, and families lived in cramped spaces. Today, you can take a guided tour of the tenement building to see the apartments refurbished and designed to appear as they would have through 100 years of New York City's tenement housing.
The museum is accessible by guided tour only, and each tour focuses on a different time. You'll be taken through a few apartments, and you'll learn about real people who lived in tenement housing. Depending on the selected tour, you can learn the stories of Black New Yorkers who migrated from elsewhere in the U.S., Jewish immigrants who came in the early 1900s, Irish immigrants who emigrated after the Irish famine, or Jewish Holocaust survivors in the 1950s. In addition to the tenements, the museum also offers guided walking tours of the Lower East Side, providing a look into the past and giving historical context to the buildings in the neighborhood.
Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible tours are available, but some motorized scooters may not be able to navigate the narrow spaces. Contact the museum at least one day in advance of your tour if you need to borrow a wheelchair. Some tours include tactile objects for people with blindness or low vision. The museum also offers a tactile orientation before the start of tours; contact the museum at least two weeks in advance to request an orientation. Contact the museum by phone, (877) 975-3786, or email, LESTM@tenement.org, for questions on accessibility or accommodation arrangements.