Location: Downtown Manhattan (Downtown)
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The 10 Best Museums in Downtown Manhattan (Downtown), New York (NY)
Conquering New York in one visit is impossible. Instead, hit the must-sees – the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art – and then explore off the beaten path with visits to The Cloisters or one of the city’s libraries. Indulge in the bohemian shops of the West Village or the fine dining of the Upper West Side. The bustling marketplace inside of Grand Central Station gives you a literal taste of the best the city has to offer.
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1. Ground Zero Museum Workshop
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2,906 reviews
Ground Zero Museum Workshop: Images & Artifacts from the 9/11 Recovery, in the Meatpacking District near Chelsea Market and the High Line Park. A 5-Star Rated Tour. Want to feel what it was like to be with FDNY Firefighters on the front lines after the 9/11 attacks? Want to educate your kids about this tough subject in a gentle and non-threatening way? Experience the Stunning Images of Official Ground Zero Photographer Gary Marlon Suson. "Rare Photos" (New York Times) are displayed, some in lifelike 3D installations, as well as artifacts & rare video. Rated in Trip Advisor's "Top 25 Museums in the USA" for 2013 and 2014 and in Trip Advisor's "Hall of Fame." Presented in BOSE Surround Sound Audio. 100 Stories. Praised by parents as a "safe" introduction to 9/11 for their young kids. Guests are allowed to pick up rare World Trade Center artifacts. Daily 1.5-hour audio tours from 11am-3pm Wednesday through Sunday include a tour guide and the self-guided audio narration in Dolby Stereo, in English, Italian, French and Spanish. Proceeds shared with Fire Department Charities. Walk-ins welcome. CLOSED MONDAY and TUESDAY. "Incredible Images" says Fox News Channel. Museum is housed in the exact building from where the Official Ground Zero Photographer shot his first images of 9/11. Known worldwide as the "Biggest LITTLE Museum in New York." The "first stop" before heading to visit Ground Zero. On display are "The Frozen Clock" - "The Bible Page" - artifacts such as the largest piece of World Trade window glass in existence and many more well-known images featured on FOX NEWS, BBC and CNN. Small gift area sells books and posters. No graphic footage nor images from morning of 9/11 are shown at GZMW. Tastefully and realistically presented. This award-winning tour is a wonderful prequel to your visit to the National 9/11 Memorial + Museum. Reservations accepted. Handicapped accessible. Private and student tours also available. New 2017 Winter Hours: Closed Monday + Tuesday. Open Wednesday thru Sunday 11am-3pm.
Reviewed By candklow - Houghton-le-Spring, United Kingdom
This museum is like no other and can’t begin to say how highly we’d receommend everyone to visit. Being able to touch some of the recovered artifacts from the tragic 9/11 incident, to seeing in detail the fantastic photography work by Gary Marlon Suson is a very emotionally humbling experience. We were fortunate enough to actually meet Gary personally, which made our visit all the more memorable - although the museum its self is something we wouldn’t forget easily. Not just seeing Gary’s photography, but hearing the emotional passion he had and has for capturing in the most respectful way an uncomprehendable event for us, was the highlight of our NY trip. It’s fairly safe to say the Ground Zero Workshop Museum would be our #1 must do for NY, and we’d certainly visit again when we next come to NY. I’d recommend you book because the museum is fairly small. But the intimacy adds to the experience.
2. The Museum of Interesting Things
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 12 reviews
The Museum of Interesting Things is a traveling interactive demonstration/exhibition of antiques and inventions that goes to schools and events and inspires kids and adults to be curious and to tinker. I like to say it shows kids and adults that their ipods did not pop out of thin air! Like a circus...just no elephants. We have themes that we can even bring to your school or event or you can come to our Secret Speakeasy: "Eureka!" The Invention Show Exploring the industrial revolution and mechanical era, with interactive demonstrations of such items as the steam engine, Thomas Edison cylinder phonograph, windup toys, mechanical door bells and mechanical/gear based household items such as butter churns and apple peelers. Coinciding with the NY/NJ/PA Core Content Curriculum Standards for Science, Social Studies, Technology and STEM/STEAM "I Can See for Miles" The Film & Photography Show Viewing the various methods of capturing a still and moving image throughout history from the camera, to the negative, to the printing methods & options including animation and 3D. Demonstrations are interactive and include box wooden cameras with up to 3 foot bellows, 3D photography from the late 1800’s up to today, albumen prints and tintypes, and glass negatives. Coinciding with the NY/NJ/PA Core Content Curriculum Standards for Visual and Performing Arts And that is just a snap shot of what we have! ;) 16mm vintage film Bouncing Ball Sing-A-Long The Museum of Interesting Things takes over your eyes & ears for a special Circus/Windup toy themed 16mm vintage film bouncing ball sing-a-long party! Remember those bouncing balls films? Well we have them on antique 16mm film! Prepare to sing your heart out! See 16mm films and the Museum will have it's History of Film and Photography exhibition there for you to see and learn about! See 16mm films and the Museum will have it's Windup Circus History of Toys exhibition there for you to see and learn about! Suffragette City The fight to give women the vote lasted over 100 years and spanned the world. This was not just a movement for voting rights, though. The Museum of Interesting Things, through its vast collection that includes actual artifacts from that era, will show you what a bicycle has to do with this. Learn why some men were afraid of women with hats and someone might even get to try on a bustle dress. See how other issues of the times influenced each other and view some of the humorous affirmations and counterpoints to allowing women to vote. By the end, let's see if society as we know it will collapse if the fairer sex enters a voting booth! Coinciding with the NY/NJ/PA Core Content Curriculum Standards for Social Studies
3. Sloomoo Institute
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 6 reviews
Sloomoo Institute is an interactive pop-up experience! Sink your hands into over 30 vats of textured, scented slime. See your brain on slime with an EEG machine. Relax at our ASMR sound station and be immersed in CGI satisfying videos. Tag our slime and repeat wall by smearing slime on it. Design your dream slime at the DIY bar. Take a slime shower and walk through 250 gallons of slime. Come play!
Reviewed By tgecelter - Johannesburg, South Africa
We went with my 3 and 6 year old and had so much fun. We spent 1h30 min and it was brilliant - interactive, current and slimy. It is applicable for all ages - my husband and I had fun too. It’s really worth the visit - best thing yet is to play with slime anywhere but my home ????
4. Tenement Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 6,555 reviews
The Tenement Museum preserves the history of immigration through the personal accounts of those who built lives in the Lower East Side. Visitors can view restored apartments from the 19th and 20th centuries, walk the historic neighborhood, and interact with residents to learn the stories of generations of immigrants who helped shape the American experience. The museum is available by guided tour only. Each tour focuses on a specific theme and takes visitors to different areas of our two historic tenement buildings or neighborhood.
Reviewed By OurThoughts4 - Toronto, Canada
The Tenenment Museum is located in a neighbourhood worth exploring before or after the tour. The bookstore of the Museum is worth spending sometime in. Staff very accessible and informative from the cashiers to the tour guide. Our tour guide for the Hard Times tour was an excellent storyteller and was able to make history come alive as well as make the links to current social issues in a thought provoking and respectful way. The tour was enhanced by having some local New York visitors also on tour and making links to their day to day life now - particularly as it relates to neighbourhoods and homes available. Definitely can be hot on the tour but paper fans are provided and little stools for part of the group to take breaks on. A bit of a challenge not being able to lean against the walls.
5. Judd Foundation
6. Whitney Museum of American Art
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,145 reviews
The Whitney Museum is New York's home for modern and contemporary art of the United States. Located in Manhattan's vibrant Meatpacking District, the Whitney presents the work of living artists alongside perennial favorites by Edward Hopper, Georgia O'Keeffe, Jacob Lawrence, Alexander Calder, and many others. Through August 8 immerse yourself in the abstract world of Julie Mehretu. Featuring more than seventy artworks, including monumental canvases and a new site-specific work inspired by New York City, Julie Mehretu offers the most comprehensive view of the artist’s practice to date. Advance ticketing is required: book timed tickets today and prepare for your trip at whitney.org.
Reviewed By 653fayef - New York City, United States
Start at the top floor and start with the Hoppers from the permanent collection.... Work your way down to the unusual modern art....sculpture.... Go out on the terraces and see the interesting sculptures
7. New York City Fire Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 260 reviews
The New York City Fire Museum is the official museum of the FDNY.Occupying a renovated 1904 Beaux‐Arts firehouse at 278 Spring Street in Hudson Square, west of SoHo, the museum is home to a renowned collection of fire‐related art and artifacts from the 18th century to the present; including hand‐pumped fire engines, horse‐drawn vehicles, early motorized apparatus and firefighting tools and equipment.
Reviewed By christopherbO9687MP - Acton, United States
This museum provides an excellent overview of both the NYC Fire Department and its history within the city. There are lots of meticulously restored historic fire engines dating back to the 19th century, and a collection of artifacts related to the various volunteer and eventually professional firefighting organizations that have existed in the city (even before the merger with Brooklyn and other boroughs). There are also specialized displays related to the horses and even the mascot dogs that have populated the fire stations at various times. The 9/11 memorial is poignant, as other the summaries of other major fires that led to losses of life. The museums also coves the social aspects of firefighting organizations; such as how they also served as social clubs and some of the rivalries between them. Also covered is how the desire for better firefighting equipment and even city water pressure led to major civic improvements. A must for anyone interested in NYC's history, as well as firefighting fans.
8. Museum of Chinese in America
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 125 reviews
Founded in 1980, the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) is dedicated to preserving and presenting the history, heritage, culture and diverse experiences of people of Chinese descent in the United States. The greatly expanded MOCA at 215 Centre Street is a national home for the precious narratives of diverse Chinese American communities, and strives to be a model among interactive museums.
Reviewed By UniversalTraversal - Oakville, Canada
Although the west coast of the US may be more associated with Chinese immigration, there is still a thriving Chinese community in New York and this museum showcases its history. The most of the museum covers general information such as the various discriminatory laws that have been invoked and repealed over the years, the demonisation of the Chinese during the "Yellow Peril" scare of the early 20th century, their lionisation during WWII and the current situation of Chinese communities in the USA. There is also an exhibition on the Golden Venture, a ship that brought 300 illegal immigrants from China which ran aground in 1993, and the impressive paper models the immigrants made during their time in custody. The museum is small, but well worth doing in you're in Chinatown and need an informative way to spend an hour or so.
9. Children's Museum of the Arts
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 65 reviews
Founded in Lower Manhattan in 1988, Children’s Museum of the Arts’ unique curatorial program introduces children and families to world-class contemporary art exhibitions and art-making workshops taught by professional artists. The central Cynthia C. Wainwright Gallery displays a rotating series of contemporary artwork by emerging and established artists from New York City and around the world. In addition, CMA’s dual-level Bridge hosts a rotating series of interactive site-specific installations that are thematically linked to the main exhibition in the gallery.
10. Museum at Eldridge Street
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 457 reviews
Historic 130 year old synagogue in the Lower East Side. $14 adults, $10 students/seniors, $8 children. Mondays are Pay As You Wish.
Reviewed By Belgo96 - Brisbane, Australia
This was my third visit to the Museum at Eldridge Street and I enjoyed it just as much as my previous visits. A visit here will give you a rich insight into the history of New York's early Jewish migrants and their lives in the Lower East Side. The synagogue was one of the very first synagogues erected by Eastern European Jews who migrated to the United States in the 1800s. It was built in 1887. The Moorish revival interior and valued ceiling provided a beautiful sanctuary for the migrants of the Lower East Side, especially when compared to the tenements that surrounded it. Sadly it fell into disrepair from 1955 until the 1980s, when a 20 year renovation project was undertaken to lovingly restore it to its former glory. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1996 and really deserves to be seen. The Museum’s most distinctive feature is an incredibly beautiful stained-glass window designed by artist Kiki Smith and architect Deborah Gans. While the restoration remained faithful to historical accounts of the synagogue’s 19th-century interior, the new window represents a bright future for the Museum. You can do a tour (optional) and the guides are passionate locals who add very authentic character to the experience. If you do not wish to join a tour you can wander around and read the information on the history and restoration in the museum, in your own time.
