December 04, 2006

Free museum hours for fall/winter in New York City

(Update: This list is outdated. Please go to NewYorkology's NY Museums page for the link to the most current list of free museum hours.)

A number of museums and gardens have recently changed the times they are open for free each week, so NewYorkology's rounded up the latest.

Many New York City museums set aside a few hours each week, or sometimes a full day, when the public is allowed in for free. In addition, many museums operate under a not-well-advertised “suggested donation” admission, which allows anyone to pay whatever admission price they like at anytime. (At the Met Museum, you're required to pay only a penny for full access.)

Museums with "suggested donation" policies
Metropolitan Museum of Art - ($20 recommended)
The Cloisters - ($20 recommended)
American Museum of Natural History ($14 recommended)
Museum of the City of New York - ($9 recommended)
Brooklyn Museum - ($8 recommended)
Studio Museum in Harlem - ($7 recommended)
el Museo del Barrio - ($6 recommended)
New York City Police Museum - ($5 recommended)
New York City Fire Museum - ($5 recommended)
P.S. 1 MoMA - ($5 recommended)
Queens Museum of Art - ($5 recommended)
Bronx Museum- ($5 recommended)
Museum of Chinese in the Americas - ($3 recommended)
Staten Island Museum - ($2 recommended)

Museums with free hours or days

Tuesday
Brooklyn Botanic Garden - Tuesdays free for everyone all day, all year (normally $5)
Wave Hill - Free every Tuesday all year (normally $4)

Wednesday
Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust - Wednesdays 4 to 8 p.m. (normally $10)
NY Botanical Garden - Free grounds access all day Wednesdays (normally $6)
Brooklyn Botanic Garden - Free every weekday to everyone from mid-November through February (normally $5)
Wave Hill - Free admission for everyone, every day during December, January and February (normally $4)
Transit Museum - seniors free on Wednesdays (normally $5)

Thursday
Dahesh Museum of Art - First Thursday of each month from 6 to 9 p.m. (normally $10)
el Museo del Barrio - Seniors free all day every Thursday (normally $6)
Brooklyn Botanic Garden - Free every weekday to everyone from mid-November through February (normally $5)
Wave Hill - Free admission for everyone, every day during December, January and February (normally $4)

Friday
Museum of Modern Art - Fridays from 4 to 8 p.m. (normally $20)
Morgan Library & Museum - Fridays 7 to 9 p.m. (normally $12)
Museum of the Moving Image - Fridays from 4 to 8 p.m. (normally $10)
Bronx Museum - Fridays all day (normally $5)
Rubin Museum of Art - Fridays 7 to 10 p.m. (normally $10)
Folk Art Museum - Fridays after 5:30 p.m. (normally $9)
Asia Society - Fridays 6 to 9 p.m. except July 4 through Labor Day (normally $10)
NY Hall of Science - Fridays 2 to 5 p.m. until Memorial Day (normally $11)
Brooklyn Botanic Garden - Fridays free for seniors all day, all year (normally $5)
Brooklyn Botanic Garden - Free every weekday to everyone from mid-November through February (normally $5)
Wave Hill - Free admission for everyone, every day during December, January and February (normally $4)

Saturday
Jewish Museum - Saturdays 11:00 am - 5:45 pm (normally $12)
Brooklyn Museum - First Saturday of each month from 5 to 11 p.m (normally $8)
NY Botanical Garden - Free grounds access from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays (normally $6)
Brooklyn Botanic Garden - Saturdays free from 10 a.m. to noon all year (normally $5)
Wave Hill - Free admission for everyone, every day during December, January and February (normally $4)
Wave Hill - Free Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon all year (normally $4)

Sunday
Museum of the City of New York - Sundays from 10 a.m. to noon (normally $9)
NY Hall of Science - Sundays 10 to 11 a.m.– until Memorial Day (normally $11)
Wave Hill - Free admission for everyone, every day during December, January and February (normally $4)

Museums with "pay-what-you-wish" hours
Bronx Zoo - All day Wednesdays (normally $14)
Museum of Arts & Design - Thursdays 6 to 8 p.m. (normally $9)
Guggenheim - Fridays from 5:45 to 7:45 p.m. (normally $18)
Whitney Museum of American Art - Fridays 6 to 9 p.m. (normally $15)
International Center of Photography - Fridays from 5 to 8 p.m. (normally $12)
The Noguchi Museum - First Friday of each month (normally $10)
Frick Collection - Sundays 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (normally $15)

Other museum discounts
South Street Seaport Museum - admission reduced to $5 on Mondays (normally $8)

Note: Prices listed are for adults only.

Correction: This entry has been updated to indicate both Wave Hill and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden are closed on Mondays.

Image credit: A recent acquistion for the Museum of Modern Art. William Kentridge, "Journey to the Moon," 2003, Gift of Kathy Fuld, Agnes Gund, Marie-Josée Kravis, and David Rockefeller (c) 2003 William Kentridge.

December 4, 2006 10:02 AM in Cheap Stuff, Museums

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