Free Things To Do In
New York City

New York City can be an expensive place to visit, especially when you need to purchase admission to shows or attractions for a family of four. Well, if your budget is stretched to the limit just from the hotel stay alone, here are some great ideas on how you can have a fantastic time in New York City all for FREE!

Free Visitors Information

The Big Apple Greeters
Have a native New Yorker show you around his neighborhood, explain how to use public transportation and more.

Historical Sites

Federal Hall
At Federal Hall, you can stand on the spot where George Washington was sworn in as America's first President. There are also numerous exhibits tracing New York's role as America's capital.

Always Free - Monday thru Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
26 Wall Street
Phone: 212-825-6990

Grant's Tomb
General Grant National Memorial is the largest tomb in North America. Grant's Tomb (as it is commonly called) is not only the final resting place of the General, but a memorial to his life and acomplishments.

Always Free - Monday thru Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
122nd Street and Riverside Drive in Manhattan
Phone: 212-666-1640

Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge

Walk across the Manhattan Bridge. There isn't a better view of the Brooklyn Bridge and Downtown Manhattan then from the Manhattan Bridge.

Parks, Gardens & Zoos

Visit Central Park

Brooklyn Botanical Garden
The Brooklyn Botanical Garden is a 52-acre living museum where beauty, romance, and fun blossom among world-class plant collections and specialty gardens.

Free admission all day on Tuesdays and from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. on Saturdays
1000 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
Phone: 718-623-7200

New York Botanical Garden
This 250 acre park features 50 gardens and plant collections, along with a landmarked conservatory.

Grounds admission is free to everyone all day on Wednesdays and from 9 a.m.–10 a.m. on Saturdays.
Bronx River Parkway and Fordham Road, Bronx, NY
Phone: 718-817-8700

Museums

The American Folk Art Museum
This wonderful museum has more than five thousand pieces of artwork that spans three centuries of Folk Art from around the country.

Free Admission on Fridays from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
45 West 53rd Street
Phone: 212-265-1040

Asia Society and Museum
The Museum's collection has objects from cultures across the world that date from the eleventh century BCE to the nineteenth century CE, with particular strengths in Chinese ceramics of the Song and Ming periods, Chola-period Indian bronzes, and Southeast Asian sculptures.

Free Admission on Fridays from 6-9 p.m. from September through June
725 Park Ave. at 70th St.
Phone: 212-288-6400

The Morgan Library & Museum
The Morgan Library began as the private library of financier Pierpont Morgan (1837–1913) and now, over the years, The Morgan Library & Museum has continued to acquire rare materials as well as important music manuscripts, early children's books, Americana, and materials from the twentieth century.

Admission is free on Fridays from 7-9 p.m.
225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street
Phone: 212-685-0008

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
The Museum of Modern Art is dedicated to being the foremost museum of modern art in the world.

Free Admission on UNIQLO Free Friday Nights from 4 - 8 p.m.
11 West 53 Street
Phone: 212-708-9400

Museum of the Moving Image
Museum of the Moving Image advances the public understanding and appreciation of the art, history, technique, and technology of film, television, and digital media.

Free to gallery Fridays from 4 - 8 p.m.
(does not include film screenings)
35 Avenue at 36 Street in Astoria, NY
Phone: 718-784-0077

The Brooklyn Museum of Art
The Brooklyn Museum, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the country. Its world-renowned permanent collections range from ancient Egyptian masterpieces to contemporary art, and represent a wide range of cultures.

Evening admission (5-11 p.m.) on the first Saturday of every month is free.
Includes most exhibits, music and movie screenings. 200 Eastern Pkwy Brooklyn, NY 11238-6052
Phone: 718-638-5000

The Jewish Museum
The preeminent museum in the United States devoted exclusively to 4,000 years of art and Jewish culture with a collection of over 27,000 items.

Free admission on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5:45.
1109 Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street (between Fifth and Madison)
Phone: 212-423-3200

Studio Museum of Harlem
The Studio Museum in Harlem is the nexus for black artists locally, nationally, and internationally, and for work that has been inspired by black culture.

Free Admission on Sundays (12-6 p.m.).
144 West 125th Street
Phone: 212.864.4500