New York City has some of the best museums in the world. They draw huge amounts of tourists and locals every year and is the perfect place to go alone, on a date, or with friends. Below are the five best museums in NYC that you definitely should not miss.
Museum of Modern Art- Founded in 1929, the museum is a massive 630,000 square feet and is one of the most exemplary places to see modern and contemporary art. The six story David and Peggy Rockefellar Building houses the temporary exhibition galleries and the main collection. Contemporary art is housed on the second and third floors. Temporary exhibitions are on the top floor. The Film and Media program is located in the Roy and Niuta Titus Theatres which are located below the lobby level. Modern sculpture and reflecting pools are located in the Abby Aldrich Rockefellar Sculpture Garden, which also houses the patio for The Modern (the museums fine dining restaurant). The eight story Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Education and Research Building holds educational and research activities, the Edward John Noble Education Center houses classrooms, three theatres, and the Cullman Building houses the Library and Archives. The MoMA store offers gorgeous items from watches to mirrors.
Address / Phone:
11 West 53rd Street, btwn. 5th and 6th Avenue
(212) 708-9400
Madame Tussaud’s New York Wax Museum- The museum opened in New York in 2000 and has become one of the hugest destinations for tourists visiting the city. The attention to detail will amaze you. They have the lifelike wax statues of everyone from Jennifer Lopez to Simon Cowell and Rachel Ray. Outside stands a statue of Samuel L. Jackson, which has stopped many a passerby believing for a second that it was the real actor himself! It is certainly a museum not to be missed!
Address / Phone:
42 St. btwn 7th and 8th Aves
(800) 246-8872
Admission:
Adults (13 – 59) $29.00
Children (4 – 12) $23.00 Seniors Discount (60+) $26.00
Children under 4 Free
Hours:
Sun- Thurs 10am-6pm
Fri-Sat 10am-8pm
American Museum of Natural History- The museum was founded in 1869. The architecture alone will make you gasp. Bring sneakers! The museum is spread of several city blocks and is four flours. There are 42 permanent exhibits and several temporary ones. The Rose Center for Earth and Space is a gorgeous modern building that is a clear glass cube. The Sky show, temporary exhibits and the IMAX theatre require extra payment aside from the suggested donation. The dinosaur exhibit is amazing, whether you are a child or an adult.
Address / Phone: Central Park West
at 79th Street
(212) 769-5100
Admission to the Museum and Rose Center
Suggested Donation $10.00
Children $6.00
Students/seniors $7.50
Admission PLUS Space Show
Suggested Donation $19.00
Children $11.50
Students/seniors $14.00
Hours:
Daily 10am-5:45pm
Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum- In 1929 Solomon R. Guggenheim began collecting a large collection of modern paintings. He eventually installed them into his private apartment and eventually amassed into one of the most fabulous museums in New York. The Thannhauser exhibition is ongoing as well as several temporary ones. Several Picasso’s and Kandinsky’s are on display.
Metropolitan Museum of Art- Founded in 1870, it began by American citizens who wanted to expand the love of art to everyone. Three private European collections, made up of 174 paintings, were brought in. The museum moved to its current site in Central Park in 1880 and have greatly been expanded since then. The current entrance structure and present façade along Fifth Avenue were completed in 1926. The Robert Lehman Wing, which houses a collection of Old Masters, Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art, was added in 1975. The Sackler Wing of the Temple of the Dendur was added in 1978, and the American wing was added in 1980. The Michael C. Rockefellar wing was added in 1982 and displays the arts of Oceania, the Americas, and Africa. The Lila Acheson Wallace Wing, added in 1987, houses modern art and the Henry R. Kravis Wing, which houses European sculpture and decorative arts. You can easily get lost for hours upon hours in the museum. It truly is a memorable experience, and is worth every moment you spend there.
Address / Phone:
1000 Fifth Avenue
Fifth Ave at 82nd Street
(212) 535-7710
Admission:
Suggested donation:
Adult $20
Senior (65 and older) $15
Student $10
Members Free
Children (under 12 with adult) Free
Hours:
Mon Closed
Tues-Thurs 9:30am-5:30pm
Fri-Sat 9:30am-9:00pm
Sun 9:30am-5:30pm
Most of these museums have admission discounts that are offered when you buy the New York Pass. Make sure to dress comfortably and research what you can and cannot bring into the museum. No matter which of these museums you visit, you are sure to have an amazing time.
