"If you're bored in New York, it's your own fault." Even those who are difficult to please should be able to find something to do - whether it be in the fine arts, theater, concerts (all genres), sporting events, museums, national monuments, parks, gardens, skyscrapers, fine dining, shopping, and recreation. You can literally give yourself a cultural overload.
Below are links to most of the city's major attractions. Take note of the "Free" and "Pay-what-you-wish" hours that are available at more than 25 institutions.
Well known attractions such as the Metropolitan Museum, Statue of Liberty, and Central Park are definitely worth visiting. But you should also consider some the lesser known pearls such as Wave Hill in Riverdale, the American Museum of the Moving Image, the PS1 Contemporary Art Center, or the tour of Governor's Island.
In most cases, the links are to the official web page of the organization, so you will get first hand information. Also note that some places are closed either due to construction work or security concerns. Closed attractions are moved to the bottom of this screen.
(NOTE: These change periodically. Please verify on the official site before going to visit the attraction.)
Yeshiva University Museum: Free Mondays, 3:30PM-7:30PM Wave Hill: Free daily during Dec, Jan, Feb; Mar-Nov: Free Tuesdays (all day off peak months; 9AM-noon peak months) and Saturdays 9AM-noon (year round) Brooklyn Botanic Garden: Free Tuesdays (all day, except holidays) and Saturdays until noon; mid Nov-Feb: Free weekdays New York Botanic Garden: Free Wednesdays (all day) and Saturdays 10AM-noon Bronx Zoo: Free Wednesdays Staten Island Zoo: Free Wednesdays after 2PM Museum of Jewish Heritage: Free Wednesdays 4PM-8PM Van Cortlandt House: Free Wednesdays New Museum: Free Thursdays 7PM-10PM Museum of Arts & Design: "Pay as you wish" Thursdays 6PM-8PM Dahesh Museum:Free first Thursday each month 6PM-9PM NY Hall of Science: Free on Thursdays and Fridays 2PM-5PM and Sundays 10AM-11AM from 09/01-06/30 MOMA: Free Fridays 4PM-8PM Whitney: "Pay what you wish" Fridays 6PM-9PM Guggenheim: "Pay what you wish" Fridays 5:45PM-[last ticket issued at] 7:15PM Pierpont Morgan Library: Free Fridays 7PM-9PM International Center of Photography: Voluntary contribution Fridays 5PM-8PM New York Aquarium: "Pay what you wish" Fridays starting 3PM American Museum of the Moving Image: Free Fridays 4PM-6:30PM Asia Society Museum: Free Fridays 6PM-9PM Bronx Museum of the Arts: Free Fridays New York Historical Society: Free Fridays 6PM-8PM Isamu Noguchi Sculpture Garden: "Pay what you wish" first Friday each month American Folk Art Museum: Free Fridays after 5:30PM Children's Museum of Manhattan: Free first Fridays of the month 5PM-8PM Jewish Museum: Free Saturdays 11AM-5:45PM, interactive exhibits/electronics turned off and cafe closed for Sabbath Brooklyn Museum of Art: Free the 1st Saturday of every month from 5PM-11PM Museum of the City of New York: Free Admissions Sundays 10AM-12noon Frick Collection: "Pay as you wish" Sundays 11AM-1PM Studio Museum in Harlem: Free Sundays 12PM-6PM Brooklyn Children's Museum: Free hours change seasonally; check website.
Museums with Suggested Admission
The following museums have "suggested admission" at all times. They suggest what you should pay, and you can pay what you want. At the AMNH, you do have to pay the full requested amount for extra features such as the planetarium or IMAX shows.
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge (Broad Channel, Queens)
Floyd Bennet Field (Flatbush Ave South, Brooklyn)
Fort Wadsworth (Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island) Forbes Magazine Gallery(62 5th Ave/12th St)
Free Weekly Guided Tours (Please verify the tour on the official website before going!)
Grand Central Terminal(Wednesdays, 12:30PM, Grand Central Terminal Main Concourse Information Booth)
The High Line(West Chelsea, first section expected to open June 2009)
Attractions That Have Closed
The following attractions and tours have either closed or are suspended. They are kept here partly for historical reasons, but also because there is a chance of some of these reopening/resuming.
Historic 34th Street(Thursdays, 12:30PM, 5th Avenue entrance to the Empire State Building - presently posponed until further notice)
The Late, Great Pennsylvania Station(4th Monday of each month, 12:30PM, 34th St. Partnership Kiosk in Penn Station - presently postponed until further notice)
