By Anna Fader MommyPoppins
Children's Museums, Zoos, and Gardens With Free Times
Museums With Suggested Admission
Museums That Are Always Free
Grown-Up Museums With Free Hours
- 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.
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden – Winter Weekdays (December through February) are pay-what-you can. Children 11 and under are always FREE.
- 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.
- 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.
- New York Botanical Garden – Free grounds admission all day on Wednesdays. Purchase timed-entry tickets in advance.
- 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.
- 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.
- Staten Island Zoo – Free on Wednesdays after 2pm. Timed-entry tickets are required.
- 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
- 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.
- Brooklyn Museum – Timed-entry reservations must be booked in advance.
- The Cloisters – Pay-what-you-wish admission is offered for New York state residents as well as New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut students.
- MoMA PS1 – Timed-entry tickets are required; NYC residents can enter for free or pay-what-they-wish.
- El Museo del Barrio – Timed-entry tickets are recommended.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Pay-what-you-wish for New York state residents as well as New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut students.
- Staten Island Museum – Timed-entry reservations are recommended.
Museums That Are Always Free
- American Folk Art Museum – Timed-entry reservations are required.
- The Bronx Museum of the Arts – Timed-entry reservations are required.
- The Jewish Museum – Timed-entry reservations are required.
- Queens County Farm Museum – The museum does charge admission fees during large, public events.
- Queens Museum – Timed-entry reservations are required.
- SculptureCenter – Timed-entry reservations are required.
Grown-Up Museums With Free Hours
- 9/11 Memorial and Museum – Free on Mondays from 3:30pm to close.
- Asia Society Museum – All admission is currently free; the museum is operating on a reduced schedule and is only open Fridays and Saturdays.
- Guggenheim Museum – Pay-what-you-wish Saturdays from 4-6pm. Timed-entry tickets are available at 10am Fridays. Children under 12 are always free.
- The Morgan Library & Museum – Free on Fridays from 2-5pm. Children 12 and under are free. Reservations are required.
- 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.
- Whitney Museum – Pay what you wish Thursdays from 1:30pm-6pm. Children under 18 are always free. Advance tickets are required.