NYC’s Best Museums FREE
One day per year, many of the museums along Museum Mile, spread along 23 city blocks, allow free access to over 50,000 attendees. Fifth Ave is closed to traffic and lined with live bands, art and entertainment. This year marks the 45th year of the Annual Museum Mile Festival!
Tuesday, June 13, 2023, 6pm-9 pm
Rain or Shine
Fifth Ave, 82nd to 105th Streets
NYC Insider Tip – pick your favorite Museum, maybe 2 at the most, and choose the ones that usually have an admission fee, not a suggested donation.
The institutions participating in this highly successful collaboration this year are located on Fifth Avenue from 84th Street to 109th Street: The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Neue Galerie New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; The Jewish Museum; Museum of the City of New York; El Museo del Barrio; and The Africa Center.
Please check each museum’s websites to learn more about their programming, which will include musical performances and activities for families and adults.
2023 Museum Mile Festival Participating Museums:
- The Africa Center
- El Museo del Barrio
- Museum of the City of New York
- The Jewish Museum
- Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution
- Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
- Neue Galerie New York
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
More Info: elmuseo.org/event/museum-mile-festival-at-el-museo-del-barrio/
Read More: New York City Museums and NYC Museums Free Days Calendar
Upper East Side NYC
The Upper East Side is an upscale, residential neighborhood and home to Museum Mile, some uber-upscale shopping and Gracie Mansion. The homes on Fifth Avenue, along Central Park, are some of the most exclusive in all of Manhattan. You’ve likely seen the Upper East Side on Gossip Girl, Sex and the City, The Real Housewives of New York, I Love Lucy, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and dozens of other times on your screens.
- Explore: Upper East Side
- To Do: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Guggenheim Museum, Museum Mile, Central Park, Gracie Mansion, Upscale Shopping
Luxury Hotels Upper East Side
If your dreams of a NYC vacation conjure images of strolling Museum Mile, views of Central Park, shopping along the famed Fifth Avenue, rubbing elbows with socialites and celebrities and dining at some of New York's best restaurants, then Luxury Hotels Upper East Side are exactly where you want to book.
- The Surrey - private rooftop garden, Café Boulud (photo)
- The Pierre - favorite of the Vanderbilts, Astors, Chryslers and E.F. Hutton
- The Carlyle - Travel + Leisure's World's Best Hotel
See More: Premier Luxury Hotels Upper East Side
Back to Top Annual Museum Mile Festival NYC
More Summer NYC Events
100 Free Things to Do in New York in Summer
Free things to do in New York in Summer are everywhere, every day and every night! Kids, adults, outdoors, indoors, active, lazy...you name it! Free summer activities in NYC include concerts, movies, sports and fitness, arts and culture, museums, tours. So whether you want free tennis, an outdoor concert, a movie under the stars or free opera outdoors in the park, we have you covered with over 100 FREE things to do in NYC this summer.
New York City Events June
New York City June Events are packed with amazing outdoor culture and adventures, along with tons of free things to do in June.
Our must-do events include Shakespeare in the Park, New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks, Lincoln Center Summer for the City, Free Outdoor Concerts and Movies, Museum Mile Festival, Pride Week, Belmont Stakes, Puerto Rican Day Parade, Taste of Times Square. More Info:
New York City Events July
New York City Events July include July 4th Fireworks, Met Museum Roof Martini Bar, Restaurant Week, Central Park SummerStage, Lincoln Center Social Dance, NYC Summer Restaurant Week, Bryant Park Movie Nights, Yankees & Mets.
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Best New York City Hotel Rooftops
NYC Hotel Rooftops offer some of the best skyline views in the whole City, along with cocktails and food, views, pools, cabanas, sundecks and retractable roofs. Our top picks for the most surreal views and cocktails include:
- Ink48 Hotel - right next to the Intrepid Museum and my ALL time favorite rooftop!
- The Ready @ Moxy NYC East Village - all-season rooftop with an amazingly eclectic vibe and great skyline views. (photo)
- The Empire Hotel - year-round indoor/outdoor rooftop with seasonal pool and cabana rentals
See More: Best New York City Hotel Rooftops
New York City Museum Guides
- All NYC Museum Guides
- NYC Museums FREE Days and Times
- NYC Museums FREE Days Download Chart
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- 9-11 Memorial & Museum
- Statue of Liberty Museum
- Museum of Natural History
- Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum
- Museum at Eldridge Street
- Whitney Museum of American Art
- Museum Sleepovers NYC
Best New York City Museum for Kids
Best NYC Attractions Pass for Museums
|
Sightseeing Pass |
New York Pass |
Go City New York |
CityPASS |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| 9/11 Museum | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ 9/11 or Intrepid |
| Natural History | ✔ Admission | ✔ Admission | ✔ Admission | ✔ Admission ✔ Planetarium |
| Guggenheim | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ TOTR or Guggenheim |
| Intrepid | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ 9/11 or Intrepid |
| MET | X | X | X | X |
| MoMA | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Liberty/ Ellis | ✔ Cruise ✔ Grounds ✔ Ellis Island/Immigration ✔ Secret Tour |
✔ Cruise ✔ Grounds ✔ Ellis Island/Immigration |
✔ Cruise ✔ Grounds ✔ Ellis Island/Immigration ✔ Secret Tour |
✔ Ferry/Grounds or Circle Line |
| Whitney | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
New York City Museum Events Calendar
- Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) Rooftop
- Museum Mile Festival
- Kids Week at the Intrepid
- Night At The Museums
- UNIQLO Free Fridays @ MoMA
- Free NYC Museums for Military Families
- Intrepid Museum Summer Movie Series
- Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day
- All NYC Museum Guides
- NYC Museums FREE Days and Times
- Museum Sleepovers NYC
