Location: Albany
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7 History Museums in Albany That You Shouldn't Miss
A rich 300-year history, a thriving arts community and seemingly endless wilderness make this New York capital city on the Hudson River a great weekend getaway. Outdoor enthusiasts come here to ski, hike, canoe and fish; trout and small-mouth bass fishing is among the best in the U.S. Mountains surround the city, and the tapestry of golds and reds on an autumn day is breathtaking. The city is dominated by an elaborate 10-building complex that includes the State Capitol; the New York State Museum, with life-like dioramas such as American Indian life and an Adirondack logging operation; and the oval-shaped Empire State Performing Arts Center, nicknamed "The Egg." History buffs will enjoy the colonial homes, historic churches and museums, and can tour 18th-century mansions, like the Schuyler, a superb example of pre-Revolutionary War architecture. Whether nature or history is your passion, you'll find an abundance of both in this upstate New York gem.
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1. USS Slater DE-766
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 432 reviews
During World War II 563 Destroyer Escorts battled Nazi U-Boats on the North Atlantic protecting convoys of men and supplies. In the Pacific, they stood first in line to defend naval task forces from Kamikaze attacks. Today only one remains afloat in America. Step back in time. Return to 1945 aboard USS SLATER. See how Sailors worked, hear the sounds of a living ship, touch a piece of American history, and walk the decks where hundreds of Sailors have walked before.
Reviewed By Q5053BDscotta
Having visited most of the WWII museum ships on the east coast (and some on the west), I can say that the USS Slater beat them all in terms of a restoration that made you feel as though you were on the ship when it was in service. My nine-year-old son, who only had a passing interest in WWII, loved the tour, which included tour guide (Austin) demonstrations as to how to get into a top bunk, direct an anti-aircraft gun, and use a signal light. My son particularly liked seeing and holding munitions that were near some of the armament on board because it gave him a greater appreciation for the effort that gun crews needed to expend when defending the ship. The guide answered my son’s many questions that ranged from medical care, living conditions, and general quarters patiently and clearly. My son has already made me promise to take him to see the U.S.S. Massachusetts at Falls River the U.S.S. Intrepid in New York.
2. The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 45 reviews
Engage with the untold story of the Underground Railroad movement in the Capital Region. Learn about the Freedom Seekers who sought refuge at The Myers Residence. Experience the real beginning of the Civil Rights movement led by Black abolitionists. Be in the place history happened. Underground Railroad Education Center researches and preserves the local and national history of the Underground Railroad movement, its international connections, and its legacy for today’s social justice issues, thereby empowering people of all ages to be agents of change toward an equitable and just society.
Reviewed By 147tobyc
This historical site, and the wonderful tour provided by Paul, provide a glimpse of the Underground Railroad quite different from the snippets of information imbedded in the minds of many of us. The house is undergoing repair and renovation but it and the many artifacts on display gave us insight into the life saving efforts of ordinary citizens almost 200 years ago. The foundation’s ongoing summer projects with local students provided us with key historical information. We definitely recommend a visit.
3. Albany Institute of History & Art
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 172 reviews
Step inside one of the oldest museums in North America for a glimpse of what life was like in old Albany and the Upper Hudson Valley through an amazing collection of furniture, clothing, paintings, silver and photographs, all celebrating the importance of this region in American history.
Reviewed By kzsull01 - Windsor, United States
My husband and I visited the Albany Institute of History and Art in Albany, New York on Wednesday March 31, 2021. This museum is about an hour and forty-five minutes from our house, but it has always been worth the long trip, being a nice walk back through time. The exhibits have been consistently interesting, informative and quite educational, being a good lesson in art, history, culture, politics and much more, depending on what is applicable. This time we really enjoyed the Special Exhibit: ‘A Sense of Time: The Historical Art of L. F. Tantillo’. It is a very impressive and excellent representation of historical fine art, truly a great treasure, including numerous marine scenes with a particular focus on New York State, the Albany area and the Hudson River Valley. More details about our experience viewing this exhibit are provided below in the Special Exhibit section. All the exhibits in this museum are nicely curated and have detailed write-ups describing them that are very well done. We have visited this museum multiple times and have always been impressed with its nice mixture of various types of art work, including many beautiful Hudson River School paintings included in the Permanent Collection, which are always nice to see and are another great treasure in the museum. Details about both the Special Exhibits and Permanent Collection are provided below.. Our visit to the museum took about an hour and a half this time. The museum staff member at the front admission desk was very friendly and helpful, providing details regarding where each particular exhibit was located. The write-ups/documentation that he provided to us were also quite helpful. However, the timed tickets that were recommended but not required caused us to delay our visit a couple of times. We prefer more flexibility and not having to be at the museum at a specific time. But we appreciate that the timed tickets applied to an hour span of time. It is great that the museum offers convenient free parking in the museum’s parking lot, which is located behind the museum just before the intersection of Dove Street and Elk Street. We have been lucky to get one of the last parking spaces the times we parked in this lot.. We have parked in both the museum’s parking lot and across the street from the front of the museum on Washington Avenue, which is metered parking that is free on Sundays. Specifically the days that we parked in the museum’s parking lot included a Sunday (around 12:20 PM) and a Wednesday (around 11:00 AM) and both times there was very limited parking available. In the past, our car navigator has led us to the parking lot behind the museum automatically. But this time it led us a different way and we had issues finding the museum. It led us to the front of the building on Washington Avenue. To get to the parking lot from Washington Avenue heading towards the state capital, take a left at the Intersection of Washington Avenue and Dove Street, just before the museum. The parking lot will be your first right. . . Special Exhibits: We highly recommend the Special Exhibit: ‘A Sense of Time The Historical Art of L. F. Tantillo’. This exhibit is really quite inspirational and has a variety of different historical fine art paintings nicely classified under nine different themes, ‘Native People’; ‘New Netherlands’; ‘New Amsterdam’; ‘the English Colony’; ‘A New Nation’; ‘Steam Powers a Nation’; ‘Building Interest’; ‘Technology and Defense’’ and ‘En Plein Air’.. The text/write-ups that accompanies each work were written by the artist, Len Tantillo, are very informative, interesting and educational. The background on the artist is quite impressive, including his reliance on a network of dedicated historians, leading to a consensus on texture and tone in his artwork. Also, his ideas about history, including that: ‘history is all what we share and joins us together’ represents a great perspective. I loved the many boat/marine scenes, including the steam ships; the Fort Orange scene showing how Albany looked in 1635; the ‘Siege of Fort William Henry, 1757’ scene, depicting the historic battle that took place on the banks of Lake George, New York in 1757; the section on ‘Plein Air’ painting; as well as the artist speaking about his work in the background. This exhibit is definitely well done and we are glad to have had the opportunity to view it during our visit at the museum this time. The Special Exhibit: ‘Fellow Citizens: Dewitt Clinton (1769 – 1828) Broadsides of the Early Republic’ has a lot of material to read but is of historical significance, providing good context to American life at the time the broadsides were created. Included in the exhibit is details about the background of Dewitt Clinton, the sixth governor of New York and about his Uncle George governor of New York for seven terms. Political Broadsides related to the elections of 1789, 1792, 1795, 1798 and 1801 are on display with information about each gubernatorial race, including: the candidates running for governor, lieutenant governor, party, number of votes and percentage of votes. Information about Albany and a very historic map of the city; the New York State Constitution of 1777 and Voting Rights is also on display. Interesting information on the parties of the elite Federalists and Democratic-Republicans of more moderate means, who promoted equal opportunity for all men, equal rights and free markets, is also provided. This exhibit is quite interesting and definitely a good lesson in history. The Special Exhibit: ‘A Fresh Look at Eighteenth Century Portraits’ is quite interesting, especially from the perspective of the methods and procedures for conserving works of art that are three hundred years old and which have undergone earlier restoration and conservation treatment. The exhibit helped me really appreciate this type of art and the efforts required for its conservation and preservation. The preserved versions of the artwork on display looked great!! Permanent and On-Going Exhibits: The gallery of Hudson River School paintings on display in salon fashion is beautiful. It was very nice to have been provided with documentation at the front admission desk that included the title of each numbered painting on display along with other information describing the painting. There were 83 paintings included on the list of paintings on display. The document also included a quick guide to scan to get more information about the paintings on view. The overview about the paintings in the middle of the gallery gives good background information, including historic context for these paintings. The overview provides a good comparison of Hudson River School landscapes and Impressionist landscape styles. The paintings in this gallery are nostalgic and show the country during decades of transformation from small farms to a nation of industry and cities with rapid westward expansion and social and political turmoil that reshaped the nation’s identity and cultural outlooks. The on-going exhibit on Ancient Egypt, has a great collection of nice artifacts and curios, including mummies, jewelry, as well as a good display on ‘Animals in Ancient Egypt’. This exhibit has nicely done write-ups providing good background information covering such topics as ‘Gods and Goddesses’; ‘The Afterlife’ ‘Crafts and Professions’; ‘Samuel W. Brown: The Man Who Bought the Albany Mummies’; ‘Ankhefenmut and His World’; and ‘Ankhefenmut as a Sculptor and Priest’.. The on-going exhibit on ‘Traders and Culture: Albany and Shaping of American Identity’ is a good lesson in history. It provides interesting details on how the values, culture and character of current Albany and the Upper Hudson Valley have been shaped by the diverse people of colonial Albany and the objects that reflect the early inhabitants’ interests, values, and interactions. The diverse people who shaped colonial Albany and the objects that reflected their interests and values are nicely illustrated. Also, the ways that Albany’s cultural identity evolved from the commercial and social interactions of its people, in the process constructing a unique culture and values that define us today as Americans is well depicted. Subject areas included in this exhibit were Life and Work; Trade, Commerce and Conflict; Traders and Culture; Social Identity; and Albany’s social economic, political and cultural connections to the Netherlands We recommend visiting this museum. We enjoyed it and hope that you have the opportunity to visit it and enjoy it as well. An added bonus to the museum are all the interesting dioramas scattered throughout the museum!!
4. Schuyler Mansion
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 121 reviews
Georgian style home of American Revolutionary War Major-General Philip Schuyler and his family. In general, tours begin at 11:00 a.m., are offered on the hour, with the last tour at 4:00 p.m. Site is currently CLOSED for the 2019 season and will re-open for general visitation May 2020. For information about special events, please visit https://parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/33/details.aspx or find us on Facebook.
Reviewed By R4252TRfranks - Brunswick, United States
This gives one a real good insight into the history of the Dutch and their importance to this area. Our guide Ian was great and provided a lot of information not heard in other sources.
5. New York State Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,092 reviews
Under the leadership of the New York State Education Department, this museum and research center preserves New York State's artistic, social, historical and environmental legacies through such exhibits as "Native Peoples of New York," "The Cohoes Mastodont" and "Black Capital: Harlem in the 20s."
Reviewed By GypsyJules1111 - Albany, United States
We always enjoy visiting the NY State Museum, from the vast selection of exhibits, children’s play/ learning room, cafe & the top floor carousel, there is always more than enough to see & do to capture the interest & attention of my young son & his mom too! We highly recommend visiting here!
6. American Italian Heritage Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 15 reviews
The American Italian Heritage Museum is the largest Italian American Museum in the east. Ten rooms of exhibits and a gift shop (3,800 sq. ft.). The mission of the museum is to honor the Italian immigrants, tell their story and the contribution of Italian Americans. All of our staff are volunteers. In addition to our regular hours we are open by chance and advance appointment. Prof./Cav. Philip J. DiNovo is the founder and president. In 1994 he was knighted by the Italian government for his years of outstanding service to the Italian American community. On the second floor of the museum is the Italian Cultural Center which includes a hall, library, classroom, art gallery, chapel, small kitchen and a meeting area. The following are offered: Italian language, cooking, and genealogy classes are offered. Also cultural, concerts, movies and Italian celebrations take place. We publish a 20 page bi-monthly newsletter in English, we have a website, and a email newsletter.
7. The Irish American Heritage Museum
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 30 reviews
Reviewed By 979jeannel
The museum has moved this year, from its former site on Broadway to Quackenbush square and the change is amazing! The museum is hosting a wonderful and touching exhibit from the Quinnipiac Famine museum. Sculptures, paintings and photographs depicting the Great Famine are beautifully and artistically displayed. Although the Covid-19 virus has halted the installation of some of the exhibits, the reconstructed Irish cottage and other areas are fascinating. For those wanting to learn more about Irish history in American and in Ireland this is the place. In addition their website describes the lectures and events that are available. The parking lot is located in the metered lot behind the Albany Pump Station and a short walk to the left of the Station to the museum. The location is perfect for dining outdoors at the Pump Station or the Old Quackenbush House. We had a delightful afternoon!
