- Best All-Around Museum: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s a case of more is more; the largest museum in the Western Hemisphere is also the finest museum-going experience in New York. How could it not be with the variety of treasures this fabled institution holds, from an actual ancient Egyptian temple to murals from a Pompeian villa, to masterworks by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Van Gogh, and on and on.
- Best History Museum: The Tenement Museum. Usually historic sites tell the tales of the rich and powerful. This tiny museum recalls a more moving story: that of immigrants who made their first “New World” homes in this actual tenement. Visiting here is an emotionally powerful experience.
- Best Art Museum that People Outside New York Love to Tell You They Love the Most: The Frick Collection. The Frick is stately, restrained, elegant, and humble. It’s also home to an unrivaled collection that focuses on quality over quantity—making visitors feel like they discovered a secret art haven. (Note: The Frick is under renovation, with its collection temporarily being shown at the Frick Madison).
- Best New York Museum about New York: The Museum of the City of New York. This savvy museum uses the lense of biography to tell the story of the city and its vibrant people. Through artifacts, state-of-the-art interactive panels and a gangbusters half-hour long film, you’ll meet the men and women, famous and obscure, who shaped the city into the vital force it is today.
- Best Museum for Hipsters: PS 1 Contemporary Art Center. The Queens offshoot of the Museum of Modern Art not only displays the most adventurous of contemporary art, it holds a groovy series of outdoor parties each summer. Coming here is always an adventure.
- Best Home Posing as a Museum: The Louis Armstrong House Museum. This unassuming house in Queens was Satchmo’s home for almost 30 years, and it’s been preserved almost exactly as it was when he died in 1971. A memorable and moving visit.
- Best Museum for Learning About Today's World: In 2023, the American Museum of Natural History debuted a game-changing new building (the cave-like architecture of the lobby is awe=inspiring), which houses fiercely smart exhibits exploring our planet's ecosystems, and the effects climate change is having.
-Pauline Frommer
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.