If you love visiting museums, it may be a good idea to get a membership from your favorites. With a membership, you can enjoy free admission, special events and show your support.
This is a list of NYC museums that offer memberships. Also note that if you’re a student, senior or NYC resident (have an IDNYC card), some of these museums offer special rates.
But first…
Are museum memberships worth it?
Yes, if any of these pertain to you…
- If you plan on visiting more than once, whether you’re a resident or frequent visitor. (If not, check out the days when the museums are free or almost free to visit.
- If you are interested in knowing more about a certain topic. Memberships will extend invitations to special talks, lectures, events and tours so you can go in depth on topics the museum covers.
- If you travel a lot. A lot of museum memberships in a mid tier category will also offer a reciprocal museum membership pass so you can visit other museums around the world for free.
- If you want to show your support of a museum.
- If you’re interested in donating and receiving tax benefits. A certain percentage or the whole price of memberships are tax deductible.
Contents
- Manhattan
- Brooklyn Museums
- Queens Museums
Upper East Side Museums
The Frick Collection
The Frick Collection isn’t just an art museum. The art is housed in Henry Clay Frick’s (an American industrialist) home built in 1913. It contains his personal collection in addition to other acquisitions.
Benefits: Free admission for one year, discounts in the museum shop and on programs, magazine, early previews and morning hours. (See more Frick Collection Membership Levels and Benefits.)
Price: Starting at $75
Address: 1 E 70th St, New York, NY 10021 (on Fifth Ave)
Neue Galerie
The Neue Galerie is the museum for German and Austrian art and famously home to the Woman in Gold painting by Gustav Klimt. It’s also home to a Viennese cafe, Café Sabarsky.
Benefits: Free admission for one year, free entry to concerts, films and lectures, invitation to special evening events for members, advanced ticket sales for events. (See more Neue Galerie Membership Levels and Benefits.)
Price: Starting at $125
Address: 1048 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028 (between 85th and 86th St)
Museum Mile Museums
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met)
There’s over 5,000 years of art from all over the world at the Met. This museum on Fifth Avenue is part of a family of two other museums – The Met Breuer for modern art and The Met Cloisters dedicated to medieval art.
Benefits: Free admission for all three museums for one year, early access to new exhibitions, view select exhibitions before public hours, quarterly bulletin, store discounts, access to the Balcony Lounge at The Met Fifth Ave. (See more MET Member Levels and Benefits.)
Price: Starting at $110
Address: 1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028 (on 80th – 84th St)
Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum
The Cooper Hewitt is a Smithsonian Museum dedicated to design through its collection of design objects from thirty centuries, and is located in the former home of Andrew Carnegie.
Benefits: Free admission for one year, exhibition previews, invitations to special events, discounts at cafe and shop, journal subscription. (See more Cooper Hewitt Museum Membership details.)
Price: Starting at $75
Address: 2 E 91st St, New York, NY 10128 (on Fifth Ave)
Guggenheim Museum
With museums in New York, Venice, Bilbao and Abu Dhabi, the museums are dedicated to modern and contemporary art and the New York location is housed in an iconic Frank Lloyd Wright designed building.
Benefits: Free admission for one year to all Guggenheim museums around the world (except for Abu Dhabi), guest discounts, discounts in the store, restaurant and cafe, special viewing hours. (See all Guggenheim Museum tiers and benefits.)
Price: Starting at $75
Address: 1071 5th Ave, New York, NY 10128 (between 88th and 89th St)
The Jewish Museum
The Jewish Museum is a museum devoted to Jewish culture and art from historic to contemporary and is housed in the 1908 French Gothic chateau style mansion on Fifth Avenue.
Benefits: Free admission for one year, discounted guest passes, exhibition previews, discounts on shop, restaurant, and events savings at local businesses. (See all Jewish Museum benefits here.)
Price: Starting at $75
Address: 1109 5th Ave, New York, NY 10128 (between 92nd and 93rd St)
El Museo Del Barrio
El Museo Del Barrio, or El Museo Is the cultural institution for Latino, Caribbean and Latin American cultures sharing these cultures through exhibitions with film, educational programs, and performing arts.
Benefits: Free admission for one year, guest passes, member’s only previews, discounts at the museum shop, cafe and for events. (See all membership opportunities here.)
Price: Starting at $50
Address: 1230 5th Ave, New York, NY 10029 (between 104th and 105th St)
Museum of the City of New York
Learn all about New York City through collections, exhibitions and events at the Museum of the City of New York.
Benefits: Free admission for one year, shop and cafe discounts, evenings hours, advanced ticket sales and invitations for special programs. (See all Museum of the City of New York membership levels and benefits.)
Price: Starting at $80
Address: 1220 5th Ave, New York, NY 10029 (between 103th and 104th St)
Midtown Manhattan Museums
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
Home to over 200,000 works of modern and contemporary art including The Starry Night by Van Gogh and The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali, the MoMA has another location, MoMA PS1 in Queens.
Benefits: Free admission to both museums for one year, discounted guest tickets, exclusive viewings and previews, store and cafe discounts.
Price: Starting at $100
Address: 11 W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019 (between 5th and 6th Ave)
The Morgan Library & Museum
The Morgan Library & Museum was Pierpont Morgan’s personal library of original manuscripts, drawings and many books. The museum stands on his former residence and has since been expanded to include a Renzo Piano designed space.
Benefits: Free admission for one year, discounts at the shop, advance notice of special events – lectures, concerts and new exhibitions. (See all Morgan Library membership levels.)
Price: Starting at $75
Address: 225 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 (between 36th and 37th St)
Read More: A Bibliophile’s Guide to the Best Bookstores in NYC
Lower Manhattan Museums
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum
The National September 11 Memorial Museum honors those who were killed in the 2001 and 1993 attacks. Learn and remember the story of 9/11 through artifacts and stories.
Benefits: Free admission for one year, free audio guide, guest passes, store and cafe discounts, member only events. (See all membership levels.)
Price: Starting at $75
Address: 180 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10007
Hell’s Kitchen Museums
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
The Intrepid Museum was started when the USS Intrepid aircraft carrier was acquired in 1982, which served in World War II and the Vietnam War. It’s also home to the world’s first space shuttle, Enterprise and other restored aircrafts.
Benefits: Free admission for one year, discounted guest tickets, invitations to members only events, store and restaurant discounts.
Price: Starting at $100
Address: Pier 86, W 46th St, New York, NY 10036
Upper West Side Museums
New-York Historical Society
This is the oldest museum in the city founded in 1804, home to decorative arts, drawings artifacts, paintings, sculptures and an ongoing gallery of Tiffany lamps filled with over 100 lamps.
Benefits: Free admission for one year, member only hours, advance ticket sales for events, special event invitations, discounts at the museum store, cafe and restaurant. (See all New-York Historical Society membership levels here.)
Price: Starting at $100
Address: 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024 (between 76th and 77th St)
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History is known for its scientific collections including dinosaurs and exhibitions about Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Lucy (the most complete skeleton from 3 million years ago), African elephants, Galapagos tortoises and more. The Night at the Museum movies were based on this museum.
Benefits: Free admission for one year, free admission to special exhibitions, member entrance, exhibition previews, free and discounted tickets for films.
Price: Starting at $115
Address: 200 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024 (between 77th and 81st St)
Meatpacking District Museums
The Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art is dedicated to 20th century contemporary American art, focusing on works by living artists.
Benefits: Free admission for one year, guest ticket discounts, member nightsm, preview days and early access, discounts at the shop, cafe and restaurant. (See all Whitney membership levels and benefits.)
Price: Starting at $90
Address: 99 Gansevoort St, New York, NY 10014
Brooklyn
Brooklyn Historical Society
Learn all about the borough of Brooklyn at the Brooklyn Historical Society. The museum is dedicated to preserving Brooklyn’s 400 year history and has a second location in DUMBO.
Benefits: Free admission for one year to both locations, invitations to special events, early access and discounts on programs, reciprocal memberships to other museums and store discounts.
Price: Starting at $75 (See all Brooklyn Historical Society membership levels here.)
Address: 128 Pierrepont St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Brooklyn Museum
One of the oldest and largest art museums in the US with art collections ranging from American art to African, Islamic, Asian, contemporary art and much more.
Benefits: Free admission for one year, members only hours, discounts on dining, shopping and tours, limited complimentary parking passes. (See all Brooklyn Museum membership benefits here.)
Price: Starting at $75
Address: 200 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY 11238
Queens
Queens Museum
The Queens Museum is located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, the home of the US Open and houses exhibitions and collections related to New York City.
Benefits: Free admission for one year, limited guest passes, invitations to special events and openings, discounts at the shop.
Price: Starting at $50 (See all Queens Museum membership levels.)
Address: New York City Building at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, NY 11368
[…] can also check out this guide to NYC Museum Memberships for free admission for a year and other benefits if you’re a frequent museum […]