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 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.
Free admission to the grounds from 10 a.m. - 12 p.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.
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 Target Fridays 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
New York Historical Society
The New York Historical Society has holdings that cover four centuries of American history, and include one of the world’s greatest collections of historical artifacts, American art and other materials documenting the history of the United States with a focus on New York City and State.
Free admission Fridays, 6-8 p.m. courtesy of American Express Company.
170 Central Park West between 76th & 77th Street
Phone: 212-873-3400
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
Museum of the City of New York
The Museum has over 1.5 objects and images centered around New York City.
Free admission on Sundays between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.
1220 Fifth Avenue at 103rd St
Phone: 212-534-1672
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
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