New York City museums that are always free or free on specific days of the week or free for select hours.
Note that this takes into account general admission only; certain events and special exhibitions may still require a fee.
Always Free
African Burial Ground Memorial Site
BRIC House
The Bronx Museum of the Arts
Federal Hall National Memorial
The Federal Reserve Bank
General Grant National Memorial
Hamilton Grange
The Harbor Defense Museum
The Hispanic Society of America
Irish Hunger Memorial
Leslie–Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art
The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology
National Museum of the American Indian
The New York Public Library Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
New York Transit Museum Annex & Store, Grand Central Terminal
Queens County Farm Museum
Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden (grounds and botanical garden only)
Socrates Sculpture Park
Soldiers and Sailors Monument
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace
Sometimes Free
These museums have admission fees but have free days —though, some do charge for specific events or sections. Consult their websites or call ahead if you hope to see a specific exhibition.
Mondays
Museum at Eldridge Street (10am to noon, tours)
Tuesdays
9/11 Memorial & Museum (5pm to close)
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Morgan Library and Museum (McKim Rooms only, 3 to 5pm)
Wave Hill (9am to noon)
Wednesdays
Bronx Zoo (pay what you can for grounds access; not on special exhibitions, Butterfly Garden, Congo Gorilla Forest and JungleWorld)
Museum of Jewish Heritage (4 to 8pm)
New York Botanical Garden (free grounds access; not on the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, special exhibitions like the Orchid Show and Holiday Train Show, Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, Rock and Native Plant Gardens or Tram Tour)
Queens Botanical Garden (April through October, 3 to 6pm; all day rest of year)
Staten Island Zoo (2 to 4:45pm)
Thursdays
Brooklyn Children’s Museum (2 to 6pm)
Museum of Arts and Design (pay what you will, 6 to 9pm)
New Museum (pay what you will, 7 to 9pm)
First Thursday of the Month
Museum of Chinese in America
Fridays
Asia Society (September through June, 6 to 9pm)
Historic Richmond Town (1 to 5pm)
Japan Society (6 to 9pm)
Morgan Library and Museum (7 to 9pm)
Museum of Modern Art (4 to 8pm)
Museum of the Moving Image (4 to 8pm)
New York Aquarium (pay what you will, 3pm to close; 4pm to close in summer)
New York Hall of Science (2 to 5pm)
The New-York Historical Society (pay what you will, 6 to 8pm)
Rubin Museum of Art (6 to 10pm)
First Friday of the Month
Children’s Museum of Manhattan (5 to 8pm)
Neue Galerie (6 to 8pm)
The Noguchi Museum
Saturdays
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden (10am to noon)
The Jewish Museum
New York Botanical Garden (free grounds pass, 9 to 10am)
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (pay what you will, 5:45 to 7:45pm)
Wave Hill (9am to noon)
First Saturday of the Month
Brooklyn Museum (5 to 11pm)
Third Saturday of the Month
El Museo del Barrio
Sundays
The Morgan Library and Museum (McKim Rooms only, 4 to 6pm)
New York Hall of Science (10 to 11am)
Queens Botanical Garden (April through October, 4 to 6pm)
Studio Museum in Harlem (Every Sunday)
Seasonal
Brooklyn Botanic Garden (November through February, weekdays)
Queens Botanical Garden (November through March, Tuesday through Sunday)
