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From the Met's 2 million objects to a SoHo gallery holding 22,000 works of queer art, New York's best museums for every kind of visitor
New York City stands as America’s capital of the arts, a vibrant hub for fine art, theater, music, dance and countless other forms of human expression. It comes as no surprise that the city holds a bona fide world-class collection of galleries and museums spread across its five boroughs, ranging from sprawling flagship institutions to tiny, single-room galleries tucked into quiet side streets.
The best museums in the city offer something for nearly every traveler, with exhibition spaces scattered across neighborhoods from Brooklyn to SoHo, Washington Heights, the Upper West Side and beyond. Visiting a museum consistently ranks among the top things to do in New York, and the sheer range of institutions available means a visitor will never run short of ways to pass a rainy day or a snowy winter afternoon in the city.
The 10 museums below are featured in Lonely Planet's guide to the best of New York City. They range from sprawling flagship institutions holding millions of objects to tiny, single-room galleries built around a single specific niche, giving visitors genuine range across scale, subject and neighborhood throughout the five boroughs. History, natural science, design and identity all get dedicated space somewhere on this list, and the sheer variety means two travelers could visit the same city and come away with entirely different impressions of what New York’s museum scene actually offers. Timing a visit around opening hours, admission discounts, and seasonal programming often shapes the overall experience just as much as the specific collection itself. A little planning frequently makes the difference between a rushed afternoon and a truly memorable day out in the city, especially during peak tourist season, when lines and crowds at nearly every major institution on this list run considerably heavier than usual.
