Free and pay-what-you-wish museums

Checked against the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Free and Suggested Admission list and each museum's own site. Policies still change — confirm the morning of.

Always free or always pay-what-you-wish

• Bronx Museum — free, every day.
• National Museum of the American Indian (Bowling Green) — free, Smithsonian.
• Federal Hall and Hamilton Grange — free National Park sites, both quick wins with kids.
• Museum at FIT — free.
• American Folk Art Museum — free.
• MoMA PS1 (Queens) — free with suggested donation.
• Queens Museum and Staten Island Museum — always pay-what-you-wish.
• El Museo del Barrio — always pay-what-you-wish.
• American Museum of Natural History — pay-what-you-wish for NY State residents with ID.
• The Met — pay-what-you-wish for NY State residents and NY/NJ/CT students. Bring ID.
• Brooklyn Museum — pay-what-you-wish for NY State residents; under 19 always free.
• Museum of the City of New York — always pay-what-you-wish for NY residents, and free for everyone on Wednesdays.

Weekly free windows

• Whitney — free Fridays 5–10pm, plus Free Second Sundays (family day, 1–6pm).
• MoMA — free Fridays 5:30–8:30pm for NY State residents; reserve online in advance.
• Guggenheim — pay-what-you-wish Sundays and Tuesdays, 4–5:30pm.
• The Frick Collection — pay-what-you-wish Wednesdays 1:30–5:30pm.
• The Morgan Library — free Fridays 5–8pm.
• The Jewish Museum — free Saturdays and select Jewish holidays.
• Museum of Jewish Heritage — free Thursdays 4–8pm.
• Asia Society — free Fridays.

Monthly

• Brooklyn Museum First Saturdays — free 5–10pm, first Saturday of most months (skips September).
• Noguchi Museum and Neue Galerie — free first Fridays.

Not a museum, but free the same way

• Bronx Zoo — free Wednesdays on a limited-admission basis; must be reserved in advance and they go fast.
• New York Botanical Garden — grounds free Wednesdays all day for NYC residents, and 10–11am for everyone.
• Wave Hill — free Thursdays.

Which ones are actually worth it with kids

• Under 5: skip the free evenings — crowded and late. Go to the always-free small sites instead.
• 5-9: Brooklyn Museum First Saturday (go at 5pm sharp) and the Whitney's Free Second Sunday are the easiest wins.
• 10+: MoMA Friday nights and the Whitney work well if you eat first.

Mom notes

• Free hours almost always still require a timed reservation booked online in advance.
• Coat check lines eat 20 minutes on free nights — wear layers instead.
• Bronx Zoo Wednesday tickets release in advance online; walk-up availability is not reliable.