Make Sure the Big Apple Doesn’t Take a Bite out of Your Wallet
Even though New York City is one of the more expensive cities in the United States, there are a wealth of things you can do in the Big Apple without opening your wallet.
From exploring world-class museums to enjoying relaxing time outdoors to taking in stunning views of the city skyline, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite free things to do in NYC to keep you entertained and making the most of the big city.
Browse the following attractions for inspiration and save your cash to splurge on a Broadway show or dinner out in a nice restaurant.
Free Museums and Free Museum Days
New York City is home to a wealth of world-class museums. Some of them charge fairly hefty entrance fees, but others are always free or offer certain free days each month.
MOMA
Even though the world-renowned Museum of Modern Art usually charges a $25 USD admission fee, the museum has free admission every Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. You can also visit the sculpture garden for free any morning you wish from 9:30 to 10 a.m.
Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum, one of the city’s largest art museums, is free on the first Saturday of every month (excluding September). It is also free from 5 to 10 p.m. each Thursday.
Sony Wonder Technology Lab
The Sony Wonder Technology Lab in midtown Manhattan is a great place to visit if you have kids. The four-story museum is always free, however the museum is quite popular and tickets require a reservation. So, even though you might luck out and score a ticket as a walk-up guest, you’d be better off to call and reserve ahead of time.
Botanical Gardens
The stunning 52-acre Brooklyn Botanical Garden is free on Fridays before noon (and always for kids under 12). The park includes a zoo, conservatory, gallery and other interesting attractions.
If you are looking for a bit of outdoor fun and don’t mind the weather, the Queens Botanical Garden is free in the off-season (November to March). Note that it is closed on Mondays, however.
Other Museums
Other museums that are always free include the Bronx Museum of the Arts, the American Folk Art Museum, the National Museum of the American Indian, the Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology and the Socrates Sculpture Park, so there are plenty of ways to get your culture fix without spending a penny.
Other museums in New York also offer free or pay-as-you-wish days, so just do a Google search for the name of the museum you’d like to visit and “free days” and see if you happen to be lucky enough to be visiting the city when these free days are offered.
Stroll Along the High Line
The famous elevated park built on a former New York Central Railroad line always has free admission. The best way to experience everything the High Line has to offer is to simply stroll through and discover as you explore.
Along the way you’ll find interesting site-specific artwork, water features in the summer months, beautiful plants, various viewpoints and nice places to sit and soak it all in.
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Learn a New Skill at Bryant Park
Bryant Park is a beloved year-round attraction and is one of the best things to do in NYC for free. The park is famous for its lush gardens and is home to a plethora of free activities at all times of the year. Check out the calendar on their website to find everything from fitness classes and poetry slams to language classes and free tours of the park, and much more!
Take a Ride on the Staten Island Ferry
Taking a ride on the Staten Island Ferry is a fun way to experience a historic relic of the city and some of its fantastic views. The Ferry is one of many that used to transport people between Manhattan and other parts of the city before the bridges were built.
The Ferry is one of the best places to get a good look at the Statue of Liberty for free and it also offers nice views of the lower Manhattan skyline and Ellis Island. The ride takes approximately 25 minutes and is always free, but can get pretty crowded during rush hour, so plan accordingly.
Browse Art at the Galleries in Chelsea
Chelsea is a neighborhood in Manhattan that is famous as one of the city’s epicenters of art. There are, by some estimates, more than 300 art galleries in this neighborhood alone. You’ll find most of them between West 14th Street and West 29th Street at around 10th to 11th Avenue.
The art galleries are always free to visit and you’ll find loads of museum-quality exhibitions happening all the time. If you happen to be visiting during opening night of the exhibits, you’ll often find the galleries serving free snacks and drinks. Some of the highlights include David Zwirner, Andrew Kreps Gallery, Ricco Maresca Gallery, Pace, Fergus McCaffrey James Cohen Gallery and many others.
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Enjoy a Day at the Beach
When it comes to free things to do in New York in the summer, you can’t go wrong with the beach. New York City Parks maintains 14 miles of life-guarded beaches that are open seasonally for swimming.
Brighton Beach is one of the most popular. It’s right next door to hugely popular Coney Island and sees tons of visitors all year long who come to enjoy the sand and the water. If you are a fan of Eastern European cuisine, the surrounding neighborhood dubbed “Little Odessa” should be right up your alley.
Manhattan Beach located just to the east is a bit calmer and is very family-friendly. It’s the perfect place to go for a picnic or family barbecue in the summer.
If you are into surfing, Rockaway Beach in Queens is worth a trip as it is the only legal surfing beach in the city. There are also playgrounds, concessions and other activities available so everyone in your family is sure to find something they enjoy.
Read a Book at the New York Public Library
It’s free to visit and have a look around one of New York’s most significant architectural gems, the Schwarzman Building, but there’s often interesting free events happening as well. Attend an exhibit of historic photographs, take a guided tour of the building or attend an author talk for an even fuller visit.
To really soak it in and experience the ambiance of the building, choose a seat and sit down to read a good book for a while.
Grand Central Station
Grand Central Station, one of the most famous and busiest train stations in the world, is worth a visit even if you aren’t catching a train. Stepping inside the historic train station will instantly transport you to old New York.
It doesn’t cost anything to walk through on your own and free walking tours are available which shine a bit more light on the various historic elements and secrets of the building.
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Central Park
Central Park is one of Manhattan’s most famous landmarks and is its largest park. Free and open to the public, it’s a beautiful and relaxing place to spend the day. While the park entree is always free, certain attractions such as the Central Park Zoo have an admissions fee attached if you wish to visit.
Just strolling down the park’s various walking paths, alongside ponds and lakes, and through the wildlife sanctuary is a nice experience that you can do all on your own. However, there are also free guided tours available that cover various themes if that’s more what you are looking for.
Pay Your Respects at the 9/11 Memorial
The National September 11 Memorial and Museum sits on 8 of the 16 acres that was formerly the World Trade Center. The memorial and museum honor those who died in the terrorist attacks that occurred here in 1993 and 2001.
The museum has an entrance fee ($26 for adults), but admission is free for survivors of the 9/11 attacks and their families. The outdoor memorial is always free for everyone. The memorial features two reflecting pools with bronze parapets surrounding them that list the names of every person who died in both the 1993 and 2001 attacks.
Walk Across the Brooklyn Bridge and Relax at Brooklyn Bridge Park
Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, which connects Manhattan and Brooklyn, is a favorite activity among visitors especially those who are looking for cheap things to do in NYC. There’s a pedestrian walkway elevated above the car traffic which makes the trip safe for walking and the walk offers great views of the Manhattan skyline.
The Best View
If you are only going to walk one direction, we’d recommend taking the subway to the Brooklyn side and walking toward Manhattan as this direction offers the best skyline views, but walking either direction is nice. You can alternatively walk halfway one direction and then turn around to experience both views.
How to Access the Walkway
On the Brooklyn side, you can access the Brooklyn Bridge Pedestrian Walkway at the intersection of Boerum Place and Tillary Street, or by using the underpass on Washington Street which leads to a stairway up to the walkway. On the Manhattan side, the entrance is just across from City Hall Park’s northeast corner.
How Long to Give Yourself
We’d suggest setting aside about an hour to walk the Brooklyn Bridge if you want to move at a relaxed pace, enjoy the skyline and take photos. If you’d like to make the trip a bit quicker, there’s also a dedicated bike lane.
Visit Brooklyn Bridge Park
Before or after you walk across the bridge, enjoy a relaxing picnic in or stroll around the Brooklyn Bridge Park, which is also free. The park occupies 85 acres on the Brooklyn banks of the East River and includes several historic buildings, the Fulton Ferry Landing, and a variety of unique plantings and cultural installations. There are frequently family-friendly activities happening, many of which are free. The park is also a great place to snap a fantastic photo of the bridge itself.
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Window Shop on Fifth Avenue
If you are traveling on a budget, you most likely won’t be doing much actual shopping in the flagship stores along Fifth Avenue. However, window shopping doesn’t cost a penny and browsing the shop-fronts along Fifth is a uniquely New York experience.
You’ll find the best shops between 29th and 60th Street in the middle of Manhattan. The shops range from the top designer labels down to more approachable stores such as H&M or the perennial children’s favorite, the World of Disney Store.
Free Walking Tours of NYC
In addition to free tours of places such as the Conservatory Garden in Central Park and the Federal Reserve Bank, there are a large number of other free walking tours in New York City where you’re only asked to tip if you enjoyed the experience.
Companies such as Free Tours By Foot, NYCgo, and New Europe Tours (among others), offer tours of virtually every neighborhood in the city. There’s sure to be something for everyone. Some of the tours are even offered in languages other than English to accommodate even more visitors.
The companies are usually staffed by locals who know the city’s secrets unlike anyone else and are a great way to learn about the history and culture of New York City in an enjoyable and laid-back way.
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Take a Free Tour of the Brooklyn Brewery
A favorite activity among beer enthusiasts whenever they go on vacation is taking a brewery tour. In New York City, The Brooklyn Brewery offers visitors the chance to take a free tour of one of the largest and most well-known craft breweries in the country. You’ll join a group tour where you’ll learn about the history of the brewery, get a look at the behind-the-scenes operations of the brewery, and enjoy a guided tasting of four of the beers they produce.
The tours take approximately 45 minutes. Monday through Friday, tours are only offered by reservation and cost $18 (booking dates open 60 days in advance). However, tours are completely free on the weekend. On Saturdays and Sundays, the brewery offers drop-in tours limited to 40 people every half-hour.
The tours are only open to those 21 years of age or older, but they do allow children come along with their parents. They also frequently host public events in their Tasting Room (think games, food vendors, live music) so checking the calendar during your trip could be well worth it.