Every Free Museum in New York City

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Shutterstock

Since the best art is free art, here's an exhaustive list of every always-free, sometimes-free, and suggested-donation (but still technically free!) museum NYC has to offer.

<a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2013_Federal_Reserve_Bank_of_New_York_from_west.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia/Beyond My Ken</a>

African Burial Ground Memorial Site
Ted Weiss Federal Building, 290 Broadway
Bonus: Ranger-led tours are totally free.

BRIC House
647 Fulton St, Brooklyn

The Bronx Museum of the Arts
1040 Grand Concourse, Bronx

Federal Hall National Memorial 
26 Wall St, New York

The Federal Reserve Bank 
Visitors enter at  44 Maiden Ln, New York
Bonus: Free tours can be reserved Monday and Tuesday at 1pm and 2pm.

General Grant National Memorial
W 122nd St & Riverside Dr, New York

Hamilton Grange
414 W 141st St, New York

The Harbor Defense Museum
230 Sheridan Loop, Brooklyn
Bonus: Guided tours are free! Call to schedule.

The Hispanic Society of America 
Audubon Terrace (Broadway between 155 and 156 Sts), New York
Bonus: Free 45-minute tours of the building and collections.

Irish Hunger Memorial
Corner of North End Ave and Vesey St, New York

Leslie–Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art
26 Wooster St, New York
Bonus: Free tours!

The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology 
227 W 27th St, New York

National Museum of the American Indian
Alexander Hamilton US Custom House, 1 Bowling Green, New York

The New York Public Library
Fifth Ave at 42nd St, New York
Bonus: Free guided tours at 11am and 2pm, Monday-Saturday, and 2pm on Sunday.

New York Transit Museum Annex & Store
Grand Central Terminal, 87 E 42nd St, New York

Queens County Farm Museum 
73-50 Little Neck Pkwy, Glen Oaks

Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America
58 Park Ave, New York

Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden
1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island
Notes: Grounds and botanical garden only.

Socrates Sculpture Park 
32-01 Vernon Blvd, Long Island City

Soldiers and Sailors Monument 
171 Riverside Dr, New York

Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace
28 E 20th St, New York

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamescastle/6269414785/in/photolist-aSMJe6-ay1oAn-8kTvG8-61mF1z-d7fJSb-asfA1D" target="_blank">Flickr/jeremy Seto&nbsp;(Edited)</a>

Museum at Eldridge Street
12 Eldridge St, New York
Hours: 10am to noon
Bonus: Free tours up for up to six people.

<a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brooklyn_Botanic_Garden.JPG" target="_blank">Wikimedia</a>

9/11 Memorial & Museum
Liberty St & Greenwich St, Liberty St and West St, West St and Fulton St
Hours: 5pm to close
Notes: Tickets are not available in advance and are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis at the museum starting at 4pm.

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden
990 Washington Ave, Brooklyn
Hours: Check the schedule for specific free days.

Morgan Library and Museum 
225 Madison Ave, New York
Hours: 3 to 5pm
Notes: McKim Rooms only.

Wave Hill 
W 249th St, Bronx
Hours: 9am to noon

<a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panthera_tigris_at_the_Bronx_Zoo_007.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia/Postdlf</a>

Bronx Zoo 
2300 Southern Blvd, Bronx
Notes: Pay as you wish for grounds access, but special exhibitions -- like the Butterfly Garden, Congo Gorilla Forest, and JungleWorld -- are not included.

Museum of Jewish Heritage
36 Battery Pl, New York
Hours: 4 to 8pm
Notes: Applies to exhibitions only. There may be a separate admission price for public programs.

New York Botanical Garden
2900 Southern Blvd, Bronx
Notes: Free grounds access; does not include entry to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, special exhibitions like the Orchid Show and Holiday Train Show, Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, Rock and Native Plant Gardens, or Tram Tour.

Queens Botanical Garden
43-50 Main St, Flushing
Hours: Regular hours except April through October when it’s 3 to 6pm.

Staten Island Zoo 
614 Broadway, Staten Island
Hours: 2 to 4:45pm

Wikimedia

Brooklyn Children's Museum
145 Brooklyn Ave, Brooklyn
Hours: 3 to 5pm, and until 7pm on the third Thursday of the month.

Museum of Arts and Design
2 Columbus Cir, New York
Hours: Pay what you wish from 6 to 9pm.

Museum of Chinese in America
215 Centre St, New York
Notes: Only the first Thursday of the month.

New Museum 
235 Bowery, New York
Hours: Pay what you wish from 7 to 9pm.

The Drawing Center
35 Wooster St, New York
Hours: Free 6 - 8pm!
 

Wikimedia

Asia Society 
725 Park Ave, New York
Hours: 6 to 9pm, September through June

Historic Richmond Town 
441 Clarke Ave, Staten Island
Hours: 1 to 5pm

Japan Society
333 East 47th St, New York
Hours: 6 to 9pm

Morgan Library and Museum 
225 Madison Ave, New York
Hours: 7 to 9pm

Museum of Modern Art 
11 W 53rd St, New York
Hours: 4 to 8pm

Museum of the Moving Image
36-01 35th Ave, New York
Hours: 4 to 8pm

New York Aquarium 
602 Surf Ave, Brooklyn
Hours: Pay what you will from 3pm to close; 4pm to close in summer.

New York Hall of Science 
47-01 111th St, Corona, NY
Hours: 2 to 5pm, September through June

The New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West, New York
Hours: Pay what you wish 6 to 8pm

Rubin Museum of Art 
150 W 17th St, New York
Hours: 6 to 10pm

Children’s Museum of Manhattan 
212 W 83rd St, New York
Hours: 5 to 8pm
Notes: Only the first Friday of every month!

Neue Galerie
1048 5th Ave, New York
Hours: 6 to 8pm
Notes: Only the first Friday of every month!

The Noguchi Museum
9-01 33rd Rd, Queens
Hours: 10-5pm
Notes: Only the first Friday of every month!

Wikimedia

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden 
990 Washington Ave, Brooklyn

The Jewish Museum 
1109 5th Ave, New York
Hours: 11am to 5:45pm

New York Botanical Garden 
2900 Southern Blvd, Bronx
Hours: Free grounds pass from 9 to 10am

Guggenheim Museum 
1071 5th Ave, New York
Hours: Pay what you wish from 5:45 to 7:45pm

Wave Hill 
W 249th St, Bronx
Hours: 9am to noon

Brooklyn Museum 
200 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn
Hours: 5 to 11pm
Notes: Free only the first Saturday of the month!

El Museo del Barrio 
1230 5th Ave, New York
Hours: 11am-6pm
Notes: Free every third Saturday of the month for Super Sábado.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/familyclan/15697242046/" target="_blank">flickr/David McSpadden&nbsp;(Edited)</a>

Frick Collection 
1 E 70th St, New York
Hours: Pay what you wish from 11am to 1pm.

The Morgan Library and Museum 
225 Madison Ave, New York
Hours: 4 to 6pm
Notes: McKim Rooms only.

New York Hall of Science 
47-01 111th St, Corona, NY
Hours: 10 to 11am, September through June

Queens Botanical Garden 
43-50 Main St, Flushing, NY
Hours: 4 to 6pm, April through October

Shutterstock

Brooklyn Botanic Garden 
990 Washington Ave, Brooklyn
Hours: Free on weekdays, November through February

Queens Botanical Garden
43-50 Main St, Flushing
Hours: Free Tuesday to Sunday, November through March

Brooklyn Museum 
200 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn
Hours: The Garden is free on weekdays during the winter

Wikimedia

The following museums are pay-as-you-wish all the time, which technically means you don't have to pay more than a dollar. But don't be a jerk -- donation money helps to keep these things free!

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 5th Ave, New York
Suggested price: $25, $17 for seniors (65 and older), $12 for students

The Cloisters
99 Margaret Corbin Dr
Suggested price: $25, $17 for seniors (65 and older), $12 for students

The Museum of Natural History
Central Park W & 79th St
Suggested price: $22, $17 for seniors/students with ID, $12.50 for children (2-12)

Brooklyn Museum of Art
200 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn
Suggested price: $16

El Museo del Barrio
1230 5th Ave, New York
Suggested price: $9 adults, $5 for students and seniors

MoMA PS 1
22-25 Jackson Ave at the intersection of 46th Ave, Long Island City
Suggested price: $10, $5 for students and seniors

Museum of the City of New York
1220 5th Ave, New York
Suggested price: $14, $10 for students and seniors
Notes: The “I’m a neighbor” policy waves the fee entirely if you live close to the museum.

Queens Museum
New York City Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens
Suggested price: $8 for adults and children over 12, $4 for students and seniors

SculptureCenter
44-19 Purves St, Long Island City
Suggested price: $5, $3 for students

Staten Island Museum
75 Stuyvesant Pl, Staten Island
Suggested price: $5

Studio Museum in Harlem
144 W 125th St
Suggested price: $7

Tibet house
22 West 15th St
Suggested price: $5

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Carrie Dennis is an associate editor for Thrillist Media Group and always pays the suggested donation. Follow her on Twitter @CarrrieDennnis.