Since when there's a free admission to the Bronx zoo? AMNH and Met always had free or pay what you can for NYC residents, but the zoo - never.

I used to enter the MET free by telling them I was an artist.

I know for a fact you can go to the MET, give them 1 penny and you'll get a ticket. The price you see posted is a suggested ticket price but in no way shape or form is it enforced.

This is a campaign posted on all sorts of NYC subs, by a woman who has been ticked off at the MET because she didn’t want them expanding near her Fifth Avenue co-op (right across the street from the MET) because it is “historic”.

I’m all for increasing access to the arts and other cultural institutions. But her incessant posting of this, plus her claim of these institutions “ignoring rights” is what makes me suspicious of her motives.

A “Hey, did you know you can get into these places for free?” post is one thing. But this is someone who seems to be looking for “dirt” on these institutions because of some beef in her past.

WELL actually, I saw them for free! I donated blood with the NY Blood Drive or smt and they gave me a voucher for 2 free mets tickets about a month or so ago. The ad popped up on my instagram! I got snacks and a pack of girls scout cookies too. The only conditions were that it was application to games on Monday-Thursday only and most of the seats were in the 400-500 section but it was nice!

And note that the Mets “pay what you want” makes you donate something, they won’t let you in for free. And that they used to make you wait in long lines in-person to do even that.

You can see the Mets for 1¢

Yeah that’s been an improvement. It should still be free for NYers though.

My NYC daughters and their Broadway obsessed friends (as well as reviews) think the Broadway museum is overpriced for what you get.

I'd vote The Cloisters if you haven't been. Simply lovely. I'm DYING to see the Frick as the remodel is finally done. The Tenement Museum experience is top notch. The Whitney or the Guggenheim--check to see what exhibits are going on and what appeals to you most. If the Whitney, you can tie that in with a walk along the Highline. Museum of Moving Pictures if you're a cinephile. Have an amazing lunch/dinner in Astoria after. Honorable mentions: The Morgan Library. Have tea! The Neue Gallerie.P Have lunch in their Bavarian restaurant. Very small, but so lovely. Personal favorite, The Noguchi Museum. Gorgeous space. Worth the trek if that's your vibe.

The Museum of the Moving Image is great. Right by the American Museum of Natural History is the New York Historical Society which has some great art, a collection of Tiffany lamps, and obviously objects that showcase the history of New York. Really interesting!

Tenement Museum Transit Museum Museum of the City of New York

Tenament Museum, especially if your ancestors came via ellis island. Not the main Met, but the Cloisters is absolutely worth it if you like history and haven't been. Not museums per se, but the botanical gardens in the Bronx and Brooklyn - they're like museums of plants!

The African American burial ground down by the FBI building

The Met is pay what you wish for city residents. Numerous museums have a free day each month.

Sightseeing (architecture, monuments) around the city

Walking around exploring neighborhoods, parks, the Brooklyn Bridge

Free events—in the summer there’s NYPhil and opera in the park, a jazz festival in the park, numerous other free concerts. Many free outdoor movies in various parks. Shakespeare in the park.

Winter is harder for free performances/events, but you might look for stuff like bars without a cover that have music or comedy.

Holiday activities—holiday markets, the Thanksgiving day parade and/or balloon filling, Rockefeller xmas tree, Dyker Heights lights

Free activities to meet people—join a meetup group, running or sports club, etc

Free public lectures at universities; readings at book stores; cultural events at embassies

Gallery openings

Edit: List of free/pay what you wish museums and free museum days. https://www.nyc-arts.org/collections/35/free-museum-days-or-pay-what-you-wish

My favorites free/Cheap AF things to do in NYC:

• Museums. some of them are free/pay-as-you-wish once a week, some are pay-as-you-wish for NYC/NYS residents.

• Anything in Central Park. Walk from Columbus Circle to Bethesda Fountain to Conservatory Garden

• Just hang out in the city, walk from Washington Square Park to Union Square Park, to Madison Square Park, to Bryant Part to Central Park

• Walk the Brooklyn Bridge, from Brkl to the city

• Staten Island Ferry

• Roosevelt Island Tramway (free with your unlimited pass)

• Get a free donut at Krispy Kreme just by showing your vaccination card

• grab a 99 cents pizza

• invest $2.75 in a 90-minute all you can ride NYC Ferry

• $3.00 beer with free hot dog at Rudy's

Go to the NYC public library. It’s amazing. They have a few free tours and you can get a free ticket to the Treasures collection.

the skint, TimeOut and Oh My Rockness are frequently recommended event guides. Also, I’m new in NYC. I ran into feverup.com but I was wondering if anyone can recommend other websites to be in the know of things going on in the city. Thank You! from 4 days ago should be of interest to you and links to similar questions.

Questions around meeting people and making friends are regularly asked of, and answered by, this subreddit. Most recently in Best bars to meet people? from 5 days ago and its link to similar questions.

Ticket is good for 90 minutes, just like they said.

It should be enough time to go out from Pier 11 to pretty much any destination and back down to Pier 11 again.

The Soundview one goes up to the Bronx and goes under almost all the East River Bridges: Brooklyn, Manhattan, W'burg, 59th St., Hell Gate, and Triboro. It also passes close to the approach of runway 22 at LGA.

The Rockaway one goes under the Verrazano and passes by a bunch of other interesting stuff too.

Well worth the price.

You could walk around trying to find cool street art , graffiti, interesting architecture.

I have folders on my phone like “Quebec Street art & murals ‘16 ” “ Philadelphia Graffiti ‘18” “ Evil looking Buildings”

I feel like it gives me a reason to get myself to explore. Also its free lol

The ferry is interesting.

You buy a $2.75 ticket and they scan it when you start your first ride. Then, as long as you get into your last ride within 90 minutes from the start of the first ride you're good to go. When you get off your last ride doesn't count.

There's also an app where you buy your ticket(s) there, then you activate the ticket and you see the 90 minutes countdown.

You usually can get 2 rides, unless you go from Per 11 to Rockaway Beach or vice versa.

Museum of natural History is free everyday, you just need to go online and select the NYC resident option and donate x amount, x can equal $0 if you like. It use to be you had to wait on the cash line and go to the cashier and tell them you want to donate nothing-whatever and it was quite embarrassing cause you felt like a cheap f*ck when in reality you were just poor.

In addition to free resident plans, you can get passes through Culture Pass via your friendly public library. Sign up and get a card, https://www.culturepass.nyc/

Aren’t they free on Wednesdays? Is this regarding something else where you can also enter for free?

Btw since this is a Staten Island sub, the Staten Island zoo is also free on Wednesdays if you want to visit

you can get pay what you wish tickets online for some museums! I know you can for the met & met cloisters

The membership is good because you can use it at the Brooklyn aquarium and queens zoo as well.

The pay-what-wish policies still don't adhere to the original public-private partnership that these institutions were originally founded on. New Yorkers should just be able to get in without being asked to pay an amount. We've also heard from some visitors that pay-what-you wish makes them feel like they have to pay an amount and have felt judged when they've offered a minimum amount. Making it difficult for them to enjoy this option.

I wish I saw this yesterday I just paid 50 bucks for the Bronx zoo

Since OP is just shilling their new subreddit:

American Natural History Museum

Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences

    Brooklyn Botanic Garden

    Brooklyn Academy of Music

    Brooklyn Children's Museum

    Brooklyn Museum

Museum of the City of New York

New York Botanical Garden

New York Hall of Science

Staten Island Museum

Staten Island Zoo

The Metropolitan of Museum of Art

Wave Hill

New York Zoological Society/Wildfire Conservation Society

    Bronx Zoo

    Central Park Zoo

    New York Aquarium

    Prospect Park Zoom

    Queens Zoo

I’ve never had a problem with the Met or AMNH, but I had no idea the zoos/aquarium were included too.

Is IDNYC the same as my drivers license or do I need a separate ID card for free access?

The full list is pinned on our subreddit: r/NYCFreeAdmission

The Brooklyn botanical garden…? Free?

If you get the real id nyc or whatever it is called you can get free membership to the Bronx zoo

Huh? I've been to both The Met and the AMNH recently and had the option to pick my donation for entry. I've never selected a $0 donation, but I'm relatively certain that that is an option an has been for a long time.

When I lived in NYC about 10 years ago, I walked to the met from my place and realized when I arrived that I had forgotten my wallet. I had the same interaction - you have to donate something but any amount more than $0 is okay. So I walked to the fountain in front and grabbed a penny out of it that someone had used to make a wish. I then turned around and saw a huge group of Chinese tourists cracking up and taking pictures of me. Haters gonna hate. They accepted my penny donation and I got into the museum.

I’ve never experienced any difficulty getting into the three listed institutions free of charge with NY state ID.

Yeah I have a NY drivers license. Will that get me into the aquarium for free? Lol

MoMa is free for everyone fridays from 5:30-9:00. Whitney used to be 'pay what you want' on friday evening. Met is 'pay what you want' for residents and students of NY, Nj, CT or a member can take 1 penson for free.

Just so you know, the free nights at museums are typically extremely crowded shitshows. At least they were pre-covid, not sure if there are still stricter capacity limits.

As a tourist—some stuff is ‘pay what you want’ entry, but I think you should budget some money towards paying entry. They don’t acquire art, staff and clean themselves magically with no funds.

Entry prices for museums will be nothing compared to the accommodation and food budget.

Brooklyn Museum is pay what you want (aside from special exhbits), so yeah basically free.

Brooklyn Botanical Garden is not, but they have "Winter Weekdays" (December–February) that is pay what you wish.

Culture pass has free museum tickets if you have a Brooklyn library card

This list seems pretty comprehensive. Most of the “pay what you wish” places will tell you the suggested price and then it’s up to you to tell them what you will pay. Some of them require that you give at least a penny.

The Met is "free", entry is a "suggested donation". Pay as little as you want.

Most galleries are free as well but not all keep hours open for the public so you'd have to check which ones are open to the public.

Brooklyn botanical garden is free if you click on community tickets

Saturdays at the Guggenheim are "pay as you wish" from 5-8 pm.

Here's a good listing of free/reduced entry fee museums.

Pro tip: Be a good person and donate money to the museums anyway. They need it.

I'm really looking forward to the Frick Collection reopening! I hope their renovations of the new spaces are worth the wait. tho I'll probably give it a few months to let the crowds subside.

and I've been meaning to make uptown to the Hispanic Society but haven't yet! has anyone been before? they were also closed for quite a while iirc.

also highly recommend The Cloisters for ppl who like medieval stuff, and the grounds are beautiful.

And please don't forget The New York Historical — New York's first museum!! They have an absolutely jaw dropping collection of Tiffany lamps among other great things to check out. It's right next to Natural History, just look for the Abe Lincoln statue.

My favorite current exhibits there are: Pets in The City, Pride and Protest, Real Clothes, Real Lives: 200 Years of What Women Wore. The latter is within the Center for Women's History (an absolute must see for any BWT).

The Whitney museum is my favorite in the city.

This is an incredible list!!! I love the transit museum. We all gripe about the MTA but it is actually so fascinating that these tunnels dug over a century ago are getting modern day people to jobs that those late 1800s - early 1900s workers couldn't even conceive of.

Also big fan of the tenement museum for similar reasons. I love seeing what things have changed so dramatically and what things have stayed surprisingly the same. I've only been once but would love to go again soon for one of their other tours!

Saving this list! Going to the NY Historical Society this week!