Free Museums in Manhattan

Lower East Side · Manhattan

466 Grand St, New York, NY 10002

Henry Street Settlement's arts center, with free gallery shows alongside theater and dance.

East Harlem · Manhattan

1280 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10029

Cultural center on Museum Mile presenting African art, film, food and ideas.

Civic Center · Manhattan

290 Broadway, New York, NY 10007

National monument honoring the largest known colonial-era African burial ground in the U.S.

Washington Heights · Manhattan

633 W 155th St, New York, NY 10032

Art and literature exhibitions at historic Audubon Terrace.

Upper West Side · Manhattan

2 Lincoln Square (Columbus Ave at W 66th St), New York, NY 10023

Self-taught and folk art from the 18th century to today, across from Lincoln Center.

Upper West Side · Manhattan

200 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024

Dinosaurs, the blue whale and the Gilder Center at one of the world's great science museums.

Upper East Side · Manhattan

680 Park Ave, New York, NY 10065

Latin American and Caribbean art exhibitions in a Park Avenue townhouse.

Central Park · Manhattan

830 Fifth Ave (at E 64th St), New York, NY 10065

NYC Parks' gallery on the third floor of the 1851 Arsenal in Central Park.

Governors Island · Manhattan

110 Andes Rd, Governors Island, New York, NY 10004

Artist studios and exhibitions in a former Army warehouse on Governors Island.

Battery Park · Manhattan

Battery Park, New York, NY 10004

An 1811 harbor fort in Battery Park, now a national monument.

Greenwich Village · Manhattan

536 LaGuardia Pl, New York, NY 10012

AIA New York's galleries on architecture and the city.

West Village · Manhattan

225 W 13th St, New York, NY 10011

Nonprofit art space showing contemporary art and research-driven exhibitions.

NoMad · Manhattan

28 W 27th St, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10001

Exhibitions of artists' books, letterpress and papermaking.

Union Square · Manhattan

15 W 16th St, New York, NY 10011

Rotating exhibitions on Jewish history from five partner archives.

Chelsea · Manhattan

137 W 25th St, New York, NY 10001

Chelsea nonprofit giving solo shows to under-recognized artists.

SoHo · Manhattan

35 Wooster St, New York, NY 10013

The only U.S. museum dedicated entirely to drawing.

East Harlem · Manhattan

1230 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10029

Latino, Latin American and Caribbean art on Museum Mile.

Garment District · Manhattan

323 W 39th St, New York, NY 10018

Free exhibitions at the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts' artist studio building.

Financial District · Manhattan

26 Wall St, New York, NY 10005

Site of George Washington's 1789 inauguration, with exhibits on the nation's founding.

Morningside Heights · Manhattan

W 122nd St & Riverside Dr, New York, NY 10027

The largest mausoleum in North America, resting place of Ulysses S. Grant.

Upper East Side · Manhattan

47 E 60th St, New York, NY 10022

America's oldest society of book lovers, with free exhibitions on books and printing.

Hamilton Heights · Manhattan

414 W 141st St, New York, NY 10031

Alexander Hamilton's restored 1802 country home in St. Nicholas Park.

Washington Heights · Manhattan

613 W 155th St, New York, NY 10032

Spanish and Latin American masterpieces, including Sorolla's murals, at Audubon Terrace.

Midtown · Manhattan

20 W 44th St, Suite 501, New York, NY 10036

Clock and watchmaking society with a timekeeping exhibit in Midtown.

Upper East Side · Manhattan

132 E 68th St, New York, NY 10065

Hunter College's galleries for contemporary art and student exhibitions.

Hell's Kitchen · Manhattan

726 11th Ave, New York, NY 10019

Irish arts center with a free gallery in its Hell's Kitchen home.

Midtown · Manhattan

365 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10016

CUNY Graduate Center's gallery for exhibitions linked to research and ideas.

Lower East Side · Manhattan

280 Broome St, New York, NY 10002

The only Romaniote (Greek Jewish) synagogue in the Western Hemisphere, with a small museum.

SoHo · Manhattan

26 Wooster St, New York, NY 10013

The world's first museum dedicated to LGBTQ+ art.

Fort Tryon Park · Manhattan

99 Margaret Corbin Dr, New York, NY 10040

Medieval European art, architecture and gardens in Fort Tryon Park.

Upper East Side · Manhattan

1000 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10028

Five thousand years of art from around the world on Museum Mile.

Chelsea · Manhattan

227 W 27th St, New York, NY 10001

Fashion exhibitions drawn from FIT's collection of more than 50,000 garments and accessories.

Chinatown · Manhattan

215 Centre St, New York, NY 10013

Chinese American history and culture, in a space designed by Maya Lin.

East Village · Manhattan

155 Avenue C, New York, NY 10009

Museum of the Lower East Side's squats, community gardens and grassroots activism.

East Harlem · Manhattan

1220 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10029

The story of New York City, from Lenape Manhattan to today.

Harlem · Manhattan

58 W 129th St, New York, NY 10027

Jazz history exhibits, listening sessions and programs in Harlem.

Financial District · Manhattan

1 Bowling Green, New York, NY 10004

Smithsonian museum of Native American art and culture in the Beaux-Arts Custom House.

Upper West Side · Manhattan

319 W 107th St, New York, NY 10025

Paintings by Nicholas Roerich in an Upper West Side townhouse.

Upper East Side · Manhattan

15 E 84th St, New York, NY 10028

NYU's gallery of ancient-world art in an Upper East Side mansion.

Chelsea · Manhattan

535 W 24th St, New York, NY 10011

Nonprofit dedicated to contemporary prints and printmaking.

Greenwich Village · Manhattan

47 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10003

Historic artists' club with free exhibitions in a Fifth Avenue brownstone.

Greenwich Village · Manhattan

66 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10011

Parsons School of Design's galleries for design and art exhibitions.

Battery Park City · Manhattan

39 Battery Pl, New York, NY 10280

Exhibits on high-rise architecture and the building of New York's skyline.

East Harlem · Manhattan

1680 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10029

Puerto Rican artists' collective and gallery, founded in East Harlem in 1970.

Flatiron · Manhattan

28 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003

Rebuilt brownstone birthplace of Theodore Roosevelt.

Upper East Side · Manhattan

2 E 79th St, New York, NY 10075

Ukrainian art and culture in the Gothic-style Fletcher-Sinclair mansion on Fifth Avenue.

Manhattanville · Manhattan

615 W 129th St, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10027

Columbia University's art gallery in the Lenfest Center for the Arts.

West Village · Manhattan

91 Horatio St, New York, NY 10014

New York's oldest alternative art space, founded in 1970.