Art is for everyone – where is it? In New York, ticket prices for certain museums and institutions raise eyebrows. Last week, the Whitney Museum of American Art announced admission hikes for the first time since 2016, raising general admission tickets from $25 to $30 and senior and student tickets from $18 to $24. The move, which the Whitney attributed to various factors including inflation, makes the museum one of the most expensive in the city, right up there with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which also increased its general admission fee to $30 last summer. (At the Met, however, New York state residents can pay whatever they want, and student and senior tickets are $17 and $22, respectively.)
Naturally, we were wondering what other popular museums in New York are charging these days. We’ve rounded up the most expensive institutions below, based on the general admission prices listed on their websites at the time of publication.
It may come as no surprise, but the museums with the steepest tickets are all located in Manhattan; in particular, the Bronx Museum of ArtTHE Queen’s Museumand the Staten Island Museum are completely free. The same goes for the Brooklyn Museum, but it’s not immediately obvious on its website, where it’s easy to miss the fact that the listed amount of $16 is a “suggested contribution”. (Not to mention that special exhibits are $25.)
There are other caveats. While most of the institutions listed below offer free admission for children, at the American Museum of Natural History – arguably one of the most attractive destinations for young dinosaur enthusiasts – tickets for children aged 3 to 12 will cost you $16 per child if you’re not a resident of New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut (if you are, it’s an a la carte admission policy). In addition, three more expensive museums have been deliberately excluded from this list because admission to these spaces includes access to experiential activities, guided tours or other benefits: the sex museum ($36 for a “basic” ticket); THE Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum ($36 general admission) and Manhattan’s building museum ($30 general admission)
Without further ado, here are the 13 most expensive museums in New York. Note that some of them also offer paid time slots, free days, or discounted entry for veterans, SNAP/EBT cardholders, members, and others; we suggest you visit the official websites of these institutions for the most up-to-date information. Alternatively, you can find a list of museums in New York that offer free admission to this reportand remember that you can visit many art galleries, public works of art, open studiosAnd MFA watch free.
- Whitney Museum of American Art
$30 general admission ($24 for seniors and students; $18 for visitors with disabilities) - The Metropolitan Museum of Art
$30 general admission (pay what you wish for New York State residents and students of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut; $17 for all other students and $22 for seniors out of town) - 9/11 Memorial and Museum
$29 general admission ($23 for young adults, seniors, and students; $17 for youth ages 7-12) - American Museum of Natural History
$28 general admission (pay what you wish for residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut; $22 for all other students and seniors; $16 for children ages 3-12) - guggenheim museum
$25 general admission ($18 for students, seniors, and visitors with disabilities) - modern Art Museum
$25 general admission ($18 for seniors and visitors with disabilities; $14 for students) - New Gallery
$25 general admission ($16 for seniors; $12 for students, educators and visitors with disabilities) - The Frick Collection
$22 general admission ($17 for seniors and visitors with disabilities; $12 for students) - Morgan Library and Museum
$22 general admission ($14 for seniors; $13 for students and visitors with disabilities) - Rubin Museum
$19 general admission ($14 for seniors, students, and visitors with disabilities) - New Museum
$18 general admission ($15 for students, visitors with disabilities and seniors) - International Center of Photography
$18 general admission ($14 for seniors and visitors with disabilities; $12 for students) - jewish museum
$18 general admission ($12 for seniors and $8 for students)
