Covid-Friendly Museums to Visit in NYC
photo c/o daria castro
One of the most amazing parts about NYC is the many different museums that the city offers. Most museums have reopened under covid guidelines, but they each have their own approach and method to making your experience as safe as possible. While most museums are offering timed-tickets (if you’re without a membership), some have different approaches (aside from, of course, social-distancing and mask-wearing) so we’ve rounded up a list of some of the best NYC museums and everything you need to know to plan for your next visit.
The MET Museum
photo c/o 6sqft
The MET Museum is a New York staple and something you must visit if you haven’t had the chance to yet. Its location in Central Park houses more than 2 million pieces of art, so a visit at $25 a ticket for general admission is a bargain for the experience. You can purchase tickets online in advance on their website when you reserve a time slot that is available (note that they are closed Tuesday and Wednesday). In addition to limited capacity, social distancing, and mask-wearing, most features of the museum are available with covid restrictions, just at a smaller capacity for safety guidelines.
The Brooklyn Museum
photo c/o the brooklyn museum
The Brooklyn Museum is the third largest museum in New York, boasting an expansive collection of Egyptian, African, Oceanic, and Contemporary art, with an entire wing devoted to the latest in feminist art, including work from Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party. The museum is at 25% capacity, so make sure to reserve a $14 general admission adult ticket online here before you secure your plans to browse the amazing art offered at this museum.
The MoMa Museum
photo c/o the moma museum
The MoMa is an iconic museum, filled with modern and contemporary art that has been around since 1929 and is home to world-renowned pieces like Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh. MoMa tickets can be purchased online here for $25 a ticket for adult general admission. Tickets are encouraged to be purchased online as they have limited availability and capacity with COVID restrictions. From October 1, 2020, through September 30, 2021, healthcare professionals who work in New York City’s five boroughs receive free daily admission, made possible by UNIQLO.
The Museum of Natural History
photo c/o debora pardes
If you didn’t know, the Night at the Museum was based on the Museum of Natural History, located at 200 Central Park West in the Upper West Side. This museum is home to over 33 million pieces in the museum’s exclusive collection, with 3 percent of those artifacts on display for your viewing. You can reserve your tickets online here at $23 a ticket.
Museum of Arts and Design
c/o museum of arts and design
You can find the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) at Columbus Circle in Midtown, Manhattan and you should make it a priority to visit this museum ASAP. The MAD’s mission is “to collect, display and interpret objects that document contemporary and historic innovation in craft, art, and design.” They are open to visitors with timed ticketing and you can purchase tickets online here. Tickets are $18 each for non-members general admission.
The Guggenheim
photo c/o google
The Guggenheim is truly a surreal adventure, a place where art and architecture meet, located off of Fifth Avenue. The Guggenheim is dubbed a monument to modernism, a unique forum for the presentation of contemporary art. All visitors, including children, and members, must reserve timed tickets in advance. The Guggenheim will host Pay What You Wish on Saturdays from 4 pm–6 pm. Timed tickets are released on a rolling basis. Adult non-members general admission tickets are $25 each.
The Whitney Museum of American Art
photo c/o silman
Born in 1932, The Whitney Museum was born out of a desire for an alternative to stuffy museum exhibitions curated by academics and art-snobs. The Whitney has offered an exhibition of 15,000 pieces by nearly 2,000 artists. Head over to the Meatpacking District in Lower Manhattan to visit the underrated and mad-cool Whitney Museum after snagging your tickets online in advance here.
Adult non-members general admission tickets are $25 each.
The New Museum
photo c/o wayne tang
The New Museum is Manhattan’s only museum dedicated to contemporary art-making it an internationally respected museum for the scope of its unique, contemporary art. Named an “eclectic collection of interesting and weird modern art” in the middle of the Bowery district in Lower Manhattan, the New Museum is a fun, exciting museum to visit on a weekend if you’re needing a spark of creative inspiration. The museum is currently closed for an installation, but they have a series of really cool art offerings available online here - a fun way to view art from the comfort of your own bed during COVID.
The Museum of Sex
photo c/o museum of sex
If you’re wanting a museum visit out of the ordinary, add the Museum of Sex to your list. Named “a museum you never knew you were missing” by the Wall Street Journal, a single trip to the Museum of Sex is all you need to have the experience you never knew you longed for inside of a museum. Tickets are usually $53 a person, but you can snag them right now for $29 online here.
The Museum of the Moving Image
photo c/o the museum of the moving image
The Museum of the Moving Image is an interactive, engaging museum experience with a fantastic Jim Henson exhibition, making the trip out to Queens more than worth the travel if you’re coming from the city. If you’re a film or a movie lover, you should add the Museum of the Moving Image to the top of your list to visit ASAP. While the physical museum is currently closed, you can experience some incredible things through their online programs that are available here.
