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Free Museums in NYC

Free museum days, free nights and always-free galleries

🎯 Filters 4 20 listings

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Open / on now17Today×Tomorrow21This weekend31📅 Pick dates
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📍 New York CityManhattan11Brooklyn4Queens3Bronx1Staten Island1Lower New York6Long Island3Westchester & Rockland3📍 Lower ConnecticutNew Jersey5
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🎨 Arts & culture14🌳 Outdoors3🧸 Family & kids2🚶 Tours & walks1
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FreePaid
Lower Connecticut ×New York City ×👨‍👩‍👧 Family (all ages) ×Today ×Clear all

Free museum days, pay-what-you-wish nights and always-free galleries in New York City, from the big Manhattan institutions to borough favorites. Every listing below is checked against the museum’s own page, and the list refreshes on its own as new free days are announced.

100 verified listings right now. Updated automatically.

Happening now
Every Sun, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat · 10 AM–3:30 PM
57°F · Showers And Thunderstorms
✓ Verified Nov 5, 2026
Why this place: Free · pay what you wish · repeats, so you can go another time · at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn · official listing on bbg.org · checked Nov 5
Outdoors

Brooklyn Botanic Garden daytime pay-what-you-wish (through Jan 15)

📍 Brooklyn Botanic Garden · Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Suggested donation · pay what you wish · Daytime admission pay-what-you-wish through January 15 while Lightscape is installed; evenings are separate paid Lightscape tickets
Happening now
Every Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri · 10 AM–4 PM
57°F · Showers And Thunderstorms
✓ Verified Nov 10, 2026
Why this place: Free · repeats, so you can go another time · at Harbor Defense Museum, Brooklyn · official listing on harbordefensemuseum.com · checked Nov 10
Arts & culture

Harbor Defense Museum at Fort Hamilton

📍 Harbor Defense Museum · Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Free
Happening now
Every Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun · 10 AM–5 PM
57°F · Showers And Thunderstorms
✓ Verified Nov 10, 2026
Why this place: Free to enter · kid-friendly · repeats, so you can go another time · at Brooklyn Children's Museum, Brooklyn · official listing on brooklynkids.org · checked Nov 10
Family & kids

Brooklyn Children's Museum

📍 Brooklyn Children's Museum · Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Paid. Official free admission Thursdays 2–5 PM. Last entry 4:50 PM.
Happening now
Every Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri · 10 AM–5 PM
57°F · Showers And Thunderstorms
✓ Verified Nov 10, 2026
Why this place: Free to enter · repeats, so you can go another time · at Museum at Eldridge Street, Manhattan · official listing on eldridgestreet.org · checked Nov 10
Arts & culture

Museum at Eldridge Street

📍 Museum at Eldridge Street · Lower East Side, Manhattan
Paid; children under 5 free. Official pay-what-you-wish admission Mondays and Fridays.
Happening now
Daily · 10 AM–5 PM
57°F · Showers And Thunderstorms
✓ Verified Nov 10, 2026
Why this place: Free · repeats, so you can go another time · at Queens County Farm Museum, Queens · official listing on queensfarm.org · checked Nov 10
Outdoors

Queens County Farm Museum grounds

📍 Queens County Farm Museum · Floral Park, Queens
Free
Happening now
Every Sun, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat · 11 AM–6 PM
56°F · Rain Showers
✓ Verified Oct 31, 2026
Why this place: Free · repeats, so you can go another time · at Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx · official listing on bronxmuseum.org · checked Oct 31
Arts & culture

Bronx Museum of the Arts (Always Free)

📍 Bronx Museum of the Arts · Bronx
Free
Happening now
Every Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun · 11 AM–5 PM
58°F · Showers And Thunderstorms
✓ Verified Nov 10, 2026
Why this place: Free · pay what you wish · repeats, so you can go another time · at Staten Island Museum, Staten Island · official listing on statenislandmuseum.org · checked Nov 10
Arts & culture

Staten Island Museum (suggested donation)

📍 Staten Island Museum · Livingston, Staten Island
Suggested donation; pay what you wish; members free. Last entry 4:45 PM.
Happening now
Every Wed, Thu, Sat · 11 AM–6 PM
57°F · Showers And Thunderstorms
✓ Verified Nov 11, 2026
Why this place: Free · pay what you wish · repeats, so you can go another time · at Studio Museum in Harlem, Manhattan · official listing on studiomuseum.org · checked Nov 11
Arts & culture

Studio Museum in Harlem

📍 Studio Museum in Harlem · Harlem, Manhattan
Suggested donation; pay what you wish; seniors 65+, students; children 16 and under and members free. Tickets are pay-what-you-can.
Happening now
Every Sun, Thu, Fri, Sat · 12 PM–5 PM
57°F · Showers And Thunderstorms
✓ Verified Nov 1, 2026
Why this place: Free · registration required · repeats, so you can go another time · at Hispanic Society Museum & Library, Manhattan · official listing on hispanicsociety.org · checked Nov 1
Arts & culture

Hispanic Society Museum & Library (Free Admission)

📍 Hispanic Society Museum & Library · Manhattan
Free; registration required; Free with a reserved ticket
Happening now
Every Sun, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat · 12 PM–6 PM
57°F · Showers And Thunderstorms
✓ Verified Nov 1, 2026
Why this place: Free · pay what you wish · repeats, so you can go another time · at Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, Manhattan · official listing on leslielohman.org · checked Nov 1
Arts & culture

Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art (Suggested Donation)

📍 Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art · Manhattan
Suggested donation; pay what you wish
Happening now
Every Wed, Thu, Fri · 12 PM–8 PM
57°F · Showers And Thunderstorms
✓ Verified Nov 2, 2026
Why this place: Free · repeats, so you can go another time · at The Museum at FIT, Manhattan · official listing on fitnyc.edu · checked Nov 2
Arts & culture

The Museum at FIT (Always Free, Open Until 8 PM Wed–Fri)

📍 The Museum at FIT · Manhattan
Free
Happening now
Every Sun, Mon, Thu, Fri, Sat · 12 PM–6 PM
57°F · Showers And Thunderstorms
✓ Verified Nov 6, 2026
Why this place: Free · registration required · repeats, so you can go another time · at MoMA PS1, Queens · official listing on momaps1.org · checked Nov 6
Arts & culture

MoMA PS1 (Free Admission)

📍 MoMA PS1 · Long Island City, Queens
Free · registration required · Free admission for all; reserve tickets on the official visit page. Closed Tue, Wed, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day. Saturday opens 10 AM.
Happening now
Every Thu, Fri, Sat · 12 PM–5 PM
57°F · Showers And Thunderstorms
✓ Verified Nov 10, 2026
Why this place: Free · pay what you wish · repeats, so you can go another time · at National Jazz Museum in Harlem, Manhattan · official listing on jmih.org · checked Nov 10
Arts & culture

National Jazz Museum in Harlem

📍 National Jazz Museum in Harlem · Harlem, Manhattan
Suggested donation; pay what you wish.
Happening now
Every Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun · 12 PM–4 PM
57°F · Showers And Thunderstorms
✓ Verified Nov 10, 2026
Why this place: Free · repeats, so you can go another time · at Nicholas Roerich Museum, Manhattan · official listing on roerich.org · checked Nov 10
Arts & culture

Nicholas Roerich Museum

📍 Nicholas Roerich Museum · Morningside Heights, Manhattan
Free
Happening now
Every Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat · 12 PM–6 PM
57°F · Showers And Thunderstorms
✓ Verified Nov 11, 2026
Why this place: Free · repeats, so you can go another time · at The Skyscraper Museum, Manhattan · official listing on skyscraper.org · checked Nov 11
Arts & culture

The Skyscraper Museum

📍 The Skyscraper Museum · Battery Park City, Manhattan
Free
Happening now
Every Thu · 2 PM–6 PM
57°F · Showers And Thunderstorms
✓ Verified Nov 10, 2026
Why this place: Free · repeats, so you can go another time · at Museum of the Moving Image, Queens · official listing on movingimage.org · checked Nov 10
Arts & culture

Museum of the Moving Image Free Thursdays

📍 Museum of the Moving Image · Astoria, Queens
Free at the listed days and hours · Free general admission Thursdays 2–6 PM; no reservation required. Screenings and special events are ticketed separately.
Happening now
THU, NOV 12 · 3 PM–7 PM
57°F · Showers And Thunderstorms
✓ Verified Nov 7, 2026
Why this place: Free · registration required · at National Museum of Mathematics, Manhattan · official listing on momath.org · checked Nov 7
Family & kids

MoMath Free Play (extended evening hours)

📍 National Museum of Mathematics · Flatiron, Manhattan
Free · registration required · Free general admission; register all attendees; first-come, first-served once capacity is reached
Starts in 1h 31m
Daily · 5 PM–6 PM
54°F · Rain Showers
✓ Verified Oct 27, 2026
Why this place: Free · pay what you wish · repeats, so you can go another time · at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Manhattan · official listing on cooperhewitt.org · checked Oct 27
Arts & culture

Cooper Hewitt Pay What You Wish hour

📍 Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum · Upper East Side, Manhattan
Pay what you wish 5–6 PM daily; 18 & under free anytime
Starts in 3h 31m
Every Thu · 7 PM–9 PM
52°F · Rain Showers
✓ Verified Nov 3, 2026
Why this place: Free · pay what you wish · repeats, so you can go another time · at New Museum, Manhattan · official listing on newmuseum.org · checked Nov 3
Tours & walks

New Museum Pay-What-You-Wish Thursday Nights

📍 New Museum · Manhattan
Suggested donation · pay what you wish · Pay what you wish Thursdays 7–9 PM; advance online reservation required; limited onsite tickets not guaranteed.

Questions

How many listings are in this guide?

100 verified listings right now. Updated automatically.

How are these listings checked?

Every listing links to the organizer's own page: the venue, the city agency or park, or the official ticket or RSVP page. We don't copy listings from other event sites.

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