With $30 admission tickets becoming the new norm at several New York institutions, a new list of museums and cultural spaces offering free or paid admission proves you can still enjoy the lifeblood of the city’s arts scene without sacrificing a day’s salary.
Among the more than 130 spaces on the list released this week by the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) are the American Folk Art Museum, the Leslie Lohman Museum of Art, El Museo del Barrio, the Brooklyn Museum, Queen’s Museum, Socrates Sculpture Park and Drawing Center. Some spaces cater to more niche specialties, such as New York’s Horological Society, which offers free admission to anyone interested in watchmaking, or the Skyscraper Museum, which is also free, as well as free, to anyone interested in watchmaking. and working on high-rise buildings in New York.
DCLA’s list is divided by Borough-Manhattan ahead of more than 45 institutions and venues that have committed to free or recommended admission throughout, with 17 having arranged free or timed slots for free or discounted admission.
Brooklyn ranks second with 13 spaces that always offer free or suggested admission, Queens ranks third, and Staten Island ranks third with five. , while the Bronx is at 3, although the beloved Bronx Zoo and New York Botanical Garden have free days by chance on Wednesday.
The listing also spells out free or recommended admission parameters, such as whether visitors must be New York state or city residents, if they can redeem benefits online or only in person, or if they must pre-book.
DCLA reminds visitors to contact the official website of their intended museum or venue to ensure they have the most up-to-date admissions information. To that point, as of last December, admission to the Whitney Museum of American Art is free for the next three years and beyond.
