FYI, These Are the 20 Best Museums in New York City

Fun fact: The MoMA has the largest collection of contemporary art in the country. So if you’re into all things modern, from paintings by luminaries like Frida Kahlo, to the installation seen here celebrating the works of Picasso, Rousseau, and the Paris Avant-Garde (Gallery 503), this is definitely your spot.

And if you happen to be visiting NYC during the summer, you cannot miss the weekly outdoor music and art party at MoMA’s sister site, MoMA PS1, in Long Island City, Queens. Known as Warm Up, the celebration takes place in MoMA PS1’s courtyard and is always a good time, with performances from incredible musicians and exclusive art installations. If you can’t make the party, no worries—MoMA PS1 also has cool experimental work worth checking out year-round.

Ross Gellar stans, this one’s for you. The American Museum of Natural History is where it all happened for our favorite paleontologist, but of course, the 150-year-old institution is also considered a gem among actual New Yorkers and tourists worldwide. The gigantic 94-foot-long blue whale hanging above the Hall of Ocean Life is unforgettable—not to mention the star of the show in the eyes of New York City children—and the Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs features the bones of an imposing T. Rex and dozens of other dinos.

But as an adult who may or may not be as into fossils as our boy Ross, you might be more drawn to the recently redesigned Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals (pictured above), which is a glittering showcase for the museum’s impressive collection of more than 5,000 gems and minerals sourced from 98 countries.

If you want to learn more about European art history during your visit to NYC, look no further than the sweeping collection of Old Master paintings and European fine and decorative arts at The Frick. Founded by the industrialist Henry Clay Frick in 1935, the museum has works by all sorts of famous European artists, from Rembrandt to Goya to Vermeer. And while its permanent location is at the historic Henry Clay Frick House, in what was the wealthy businessman’s (wildly large) Manhattan home, the museum is currently undergoing renovations until around 2023, so the collection is temporarily housed at Frick Madison on Madison Avenue.

Thanks to architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s impressive work, The Guggenheim is one of Instagram’s most popular museums for its cool modern design alone—and is definitely worth ogling from both the outside and in. The white circular building sort of resembles a spaceship, with an indoor spiral ramp that leads up to a skylight and creates epic bright light all around. Once inside, start at the top and make your way down the circular paths, stopping at paintings and sculptures and, of course, to drop a ‘gram of the view over the massive atrium. Hosting exhibits by artists ranging from Marina Abromovic to Jean-Michel Basquiat through the years, the Guggenheim remains a place to see intriguing and varied art—and some amazing architecture, too.

The Whitney is the premier NYC museum for American art, featuring artists as diverse as Edward Hopper and Mickalene Thomas. In the art world, this museum is most known for its Whitney Biennial, an exhibition of lesser-known, up-and-coming American artists that takes place every two years. As an artist, it’s a huge deal to get into the Biennial—which makes it even more exciting to check out who made the cut.

As it happens, 2022 marks the 80th anniversary of the influential Biennial survey, making this year a perfect time to visit. Plus, the museum’s Meatpacking District location makes it ideal for exploring between brunch at Pastis and a walk on the High Line.

If you’re looking for a breath of fresh air and a quick escape from the hustle of the city, The Met Cloisters—the historic sister site of the Met—is well worth the trek up to Fort Tryon Park, at the tippy-top of Manhattan. Expect stunning gardens and incredible art and architecture from medieval Europe, including the amazing Unicorn Tapestries, a series of seven intricate tapestries that feature unicorns…as well as a bit of mystery. Donated to the Cloisters in 1937, they appear to have been designed in Paris, though no one knows for sure, and they also feature the letters “A” and “E” in multiple places, but no one really knows what they stand for, despite multiple theories. The significance of the unicorns themselves is also TBD, as the mythical creatures had multiple meanings in the Middle Ages. True crime, but make it art!

Located on a quiet tree-lined street in Long Island City, Queens, this under-the-radar museum and sculpture garden celebrates the work of Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi. Filled with the talented sculptor's thought-provoking creations, the Noguchi Museum is truly a serene oasis in NYC that feels like an undiscovered secret.

Originally founded in 1980 with just four small rooms on Mulberry Street in Chinatown, this museum—known as MOCA—spent the next 25 years collecting and documenting Chinese American history. Today, it’s located in a much larger space on Centre Street in Chinatown, and has more than 85,000 artifacts and works to celebrate the living history of the Chinese experience in America. The museum has grown so much that it recently announced its plans to open a new HQ in 2025 designed by world-renowned architect Maya Lin, in partnership with Ralph Appelbaum Associates, a leading museum design firm.

If you're obsessed with design, you'll love the Cooper Hewitt, one of just three Smithsonian Museums in NYC—and the sole museum in the country entirely devoted to historical and contemporary design.

Opened by three granddaughters of industrialist Peter Cooper in 1897, the sisters were the directors of the museum until 1930. It’s been in its current location inside the Andrew Carnegie Mansion on the Upper East Side since 1970. Past exhibitions have included everything from designer Lilly Pulitzer’s prints to American style during the Jazz Age of the 1920s to an exploration of the science of color.

Known amongst locals simply as El Museo, this Upper East Side museum focuses on Latin American and Caribbean multimedia art, particularly works by Puerto Rican artists. Founded by artist, activist, and educator Raphael Montañez Ortiz in 1969 as a way to celebrate Puerto Rican art and culture, it’s one of the city’s top museums today, known for hosting impressive exhibitions in its extensive space. This image is from the current exhibition, Raphael Montañez Ortiz – A Contextual Retrospective, which is dedicated to the founder.

If you’re a fan of old Hollywood glam, head to Astoria, Queens, to visit this fascinating museum devoted to the art, history, technique, and technology of film, television, and digital media. The museum has tons of old Hollywood relics on display—130,000 pieces, to be exact—like the early projectors pictured in this image. Other exhibits are devoted to Hollywood legends like Jim Henson and Barry Jenkins, and there are ongoing film series screenings with themes like “Disreputable Cinema” and animation.

Dedicated to the culture and art of the Himalayan regions, this museum displays art from Asian countries including India, Tibet, and Nepal. Highlights include the incredible Buddhist and Hindu sculptures and paintings, and the interactive Mandala Lab that invites you to consider the power of your emotions. Pro tip: The museum offers free exhibition tours at 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

Although it’s painful to relive the memories of 9/11, doing so is the best way to honor those we lost in the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center—so visiting the memorial is a powerful and impactful thing to do on your visit to NYC.

The moving tribute is made up of two massive fountains on the imprints of where the towers stood, and there’s a museum adjacent to the memorial that delves into the 9/11 attack and its continued impact on the world through media, narratives, and a collection of monumental and authentic artifacts. Prepare to be moved by the emotional personal stories of victims and survivors.

Perhaps most famously known for being inside the building notorious grifter Anna Delvey wanted to lease for her foundation (“I’m trying to build something!”), Fotografiska is highly worth visiting in its own right. It’s also NYC’s newest museum (it opened in 2020 right before the pandemic shutdown) and it follows the original Fotografiska in Sweden in its mission and vibe.

Devoted to photography, Fotografiska is more than just a museum that displays art; it also hosts a multitude of events, has a buzzy restaurant and bar, and functions as a community gathering place amid evocative photography by diverse artists from across the globe. Pictured here is the installation view of Ellen von Unwerth’s Devotion! 30 Years of Photographing Women, from the inaugural exhibition.

If you want to try out the Brooklyn life while you’re in NYC, Brooklyn Museum has to be on your list. Located alongside the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, the central branch of the Brooklyn Library, and the Grand Army Plaza entrance of Prospect Park (i.e. the Central Park of Brooklyn), the Brooklyn Museum is an institution. The museum, which has hosted landmark exhibits by artists as diverse as Georgia O’Keefe, Frida Kahlo, Marilyn Minter, and Christian Dior, is also the home of feminist artist Judy Chicago’s Dinner Party, which is worth the price of admission alone.