Free Times to Visit NYC Museums, Gardens, and Zoos

By Anna Fader MommyPoppins

Children's Museums, Zoos, and Gardens With Free Times

1. The Bronx Zoo – General admission is free on Wednesdays, but reservations are required. The Wednesday Ticket Store opens at 5pm on Mondays. Total Experience activities cost extra.
2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden – Winter Weekdays (December through February) are pay-what-you can. Children 11 and under are always FREE.
3. Brooklyn Children's Museum – Pay-what-you-wish Sunday afternoons during the final Play Session time slot, from 5:30pm-7:30pm. Reservations should be booked in advance.
4. New York Aquarium – Pay-what-you-wish Wednesday afternoons from 3pm to last entry, which varies by season. Reservations are required and the Wednesday Ticket Store opens at 3pm Monday.
5. New York Botanical Garden – Free grounds admission all day on Wednesdays. Purchase timed-entry tickets in advance.
6. New-York Historical Society – Pay-what-you-wish on Fridays from 6-8pm. Admission to the on-site DiMenna Children's History Museum is included. Purchase timed-entry tickets in advance.
7. Queens Botanical Garden – Free admission daily November through March. Free admission Wednesdays from 3-6pm and Sundays from 9-11am the rest of the year—except on festival days.
8. Staten Island Zoo – Free on Wednesdays after 2pm. Timed-entry tickets are required.
9. Wave Hill – Free on Thursdays from 10am-4:30pm. The garden also hosts special free arts events throughout the year. Check the calendar for more info.

Museums With Suggested Admission

1. American Museum of Natural History – Pay-what-you-wish admission is available to residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, but timed-entry reservations must be booked in advance.
2. Brooklyn Museum – Timed-entry reservations must be booked in advance.
3. The Cloisters – Pay-what-you-wish admission is offered for New York state residents as well as New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut students.
4. MoMA PS1 – Timed-entry tickets are required; NYC residents can enter for free or pay-what-they-wish.
5. El Museo del Barrio – Timed-entry tickets are recommended.
6. The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Pay-what-you-wish for New York state residents as well as New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut students.
7. Staten Island Museum – Timed-entry reservations are recommended.

Museums That Are Always Free

1. American Folk Art Museum – Timed-entry reservations are required.
2. The Bronx Museum of the Arts – Timed-entry reservations are required.
3. The Jewish Museum – Timed-entry reservations are required.
4. Queens County Farm Museum – The museum does charge admission fees during large, public events.
5. Queens Museum – Timed-entry reservations are required.
6. SculptureCenter – Timed-entry reservations are required.

Grown-Up Museums With Free Hours

1. 9/11 Memorial and Museum – Free on Mondays from 3:30pm to close.
2. Asia Society Museum – All admission is currently free; the museum is operating on a reduced schedule and is only open Fridays and Saturdays.
3. Guggenheim Museum – Pay-what-you-wish Saturdays from 4-6pm. Timed-entry tickets are available at 10am Fridays. Children under 12 are always free.
4. The Morgan Library & Museum – Free on Fridays from 2-5pm. Children 12 and under are free. Reservations are required.
5. The Noguchi Museum – Free on the first Friday of every month from 10am-5pm. Children under 12 are free as are all NYC public school students. Advance tickets are required.
6. Whitney Museum – Pay what you wish Thursdays from 1:30pm-6pm. Children under 18 are always free. Advance tickets are required.
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