New York is the stronghold of great museums of various styles. Among the multitude of museums there are many “must-see” and some “can see”. But where do you start? Where does one stop? Which museums in New York should not be missed in any case? It’s like a fine wine shop. There are tons of great wines, and you’re not gonna buy all of them. You just have to know which ones you should not leave on the shelf and which ones you can try another time.
Especially in the winter season, New York’s museums are more popular than ever. Do you already know which museums you are going to visit? The special thing about New York’s sightseeing passes is that almost all museums are already included, so you don’t have to buy extra tickets! Just show your matching New York Pass and off you go to the museum. Simple or? In this article, I will introduce you to our TOP 10 museums in New York, which are simply among the absolute highlights in New York.
All other great museums in New York you will find below in the overview!
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
As the name already suggests, the MoMa deals exclusively with modern art. From painting to sculpture, photography, media, and architecture, you will find unbeatable creativity and the Mecca for art lovers in one of New York’s most famous museums. There are real modern classics such as Monet’s famous work “Water Lilies”. For a long time ” The Scream” (Edvard Munch from 1895) was the highlight at the MoMa until it sold for an incredible price of $120 million. The Museum Store is well known and highly recommended. Children are offered their own audio tour.
Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met)
The so-called Met also clearly belongs in our Top 10 of the best museums in New York. It presents the history of art from the beginning of mankind until today. A visit to the Met is a journey into the past: With over two million works of art from more than 5,000 years on an exhibition area of 16 hectares, the Metropolitan Museum is the most visited attraction in New York City. The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents the best of art history from around the world, attracting nearly 6 million visitors of all ages to its exhibitions each year. Special highlight: The Temple of Dendur – an Egyptian temple that has been completely preserved at the Met. It is recommendable to make a plan in advance which departments of the museum want to be visited, as due to its size the museum can hardly be done in one day.
Guggenheim Museum
It is an architectural masterpiece: the Guggenheim Museum on Fifth Avenue. The bizarre building by the American master architect Frank Lloyd Wright is often described by his critics as a “cup of concrete. It is not without reason one of the most famous buildings in the city and one of the most popular museums of modern art in Manhattan.
9/11 Memorial Museum
It is probably also the most moving museum in the city. The 9/11 Memorial Museum takes the visitor back to the events of September 11th – the day that changed New York, probably the whole world. On the grounds of Ground Zero, right next to the world-famous water basins, a place of remembrance, mourning and commemoration of the more than 3,000 victims of 9/11 was created in a construction phase lasting several years.
The completion of the underground rooms, which cover more than 10,000 square meters on seven floors, was delayed by three years. The construction was considerably more expensive than planned and, according to some US media reports, swallowed up about one billion dollars. Passing remnants of the former World Trade Center, fire trucks, a complete plaque with pictures and life stories of the deceased, and a journey along a timeline of the day New York was attacked (including previously unpublished footage, clothing, letters, voicemails, or newspaper clippings), it is a very moving event to visit this museum.
American Museum of Natural History
Natural history museums sound boring at first. But the Museum of Natural History in New York is anything but. On five floors, the world’s most important natural history museum deals with the history of mankind. From the Stone Age to the Space Age, from real dinosaur bones to distant galaxies, it is an interesting journey on an incredible 111,483 square meters, into the past and at the same time a lesson about our life on planet Earth.
It was opened in 1869 and extends over four blocks on Central Park West. Many have certainly seen the museum in the famous film “Nachts im Museum” with Ben Stiller. Located in the heart of Manhattan, the American Museum of Natural History is one of the greatest scientific and cultural institutions in the world. The architecture of the building is as unique as its size, as the museum consists of an incredible 25 interconnected buildings. Similar to the Metropolitan Museum, size is the key factor here. Unfortunately, one day is not enough to see everything. So make a plan beforehand of what you want to see.
Statue of Liberty Museum
On Liberty Island, the new Statue of Liberty Museum has opened. It brings some novelties to Liberty Island to make the experience around the Statue of Liberty even more exciting and interesting for the visitors.
The Whitney Museum
Newly opened in 2015, the Whitney Museum in New York shines in a whole new light. The Whitney Museum has one of the most spectacular collections of contemporary art, that much is certain. Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Edward Hopper, Jackson Pollock, and Robert Rauschenberg are just a few of the names whose paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, and installations are part of the exhibition at the Whitney Museum.
SPYSCAPE Spy Museum
For some years now, the SPYSCAPE Spy Museum has been one of the most popular attractions in midtown Manhattan. Not for nothing, it is the first interactive spy museum in the Big Apple. Get ready for some 5,600 square metres of pure excitement designed by the former head of training of the British Secret Service.
The Frick Collection
Beautifully situated at the southern end of the Museum Mile is the art museum: “The Frick Collection”. The villa in Central Park was once the home of Henry Clay Frick (1849-1919), a wealthy industrialist and art collector who, after his death, opened his prestigious residence to the public as a museum.
Museum of Mathematics
In New York, a museum has been set up for every area and every topic – so there is also one about our “favorite school subject”. The Museum of Mathematics shows its visitors that mathematics can also be fun. From algebra to geometry, everything is covered.