Beyond the Canvas: Exploring NYC’s Non-Art Museums
- Adam Guy
- 13 minutes ago
- 13 min read
By Adam Guy
According to Ms. Google, there are somewhere between 150-190 “museums” in New York City. I’m not sure what she qualifies as such. Regardless, that’s a lot of museums. The first kind that usually come to mind when people hear museums are art museums. New York City has some great ones, including Metropolitan Museum of Art (the MET), Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), Guggenheim, Frick, Whitney, El Barrio de Museo, Studio Museum, and Cloisters. There are many more.
I wanted to compile a giant list of many of the “OTHER” museums in the city, the non-art ones. It’s not a comprehensive list, but it’s fairly extensive. For this blog, I’ve compiled 48 non-art NYC museums that you might like to visit. Does it mean they are complete devoid of paintings or sculptures? No. But their primary purpose is a different medium. (Don’t pick this apart.)
I have grouped the museums into the following categories (of my own determination): CULTURAL, HISTORICAL, IMMERSIVE, and UNUSUAL. Under each section, I’ve put the museums in alphabetical order with a hyperlink to that institution’s website if it has one. I then offer a one or two sentence blurb about each. Finally, I list the neighborhood and borough in which it’s located and the street address. It’s up to you to check for hours and pricing and directions.
Here’s a COLOR CODED MAP of all of 48 museums!
Have I been to them all? No. I've been to 30 of the 48 but do plan to visit all eventually. This abundance is one of the things that makes NYC so great! There’s always more to do. Have fun exploring the museums, whichever you choose to visit!
CULTURAL MUSEUMS
The Museum is in the oldest seltzer works in New York City, a local, family-run business now in its fourth generation. The experience celebrates the manufacturing of seltzer, the science of seltzer, and seltzer as a cultural force in New York City and the world beyond.
(Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, 474 Hemlock St.)
Dedicated to preserving and interpreting the unique history of the People's Playground, the Coney Island amusement district. The permanent collection features a "treasure chest" of items including antique carousel horses, vintage hand-painted signs, and fragments of early wooden roller coasters. Visitors can interact with authentic mid-century funhouse mirrors, view rare hold-to-light postcards, and explore "Five Cents To Dreamland," a special collaboration with the New York Transit Museum that details how the subway transformed the island.
(Coney Island, Brooklyn, 1208 Surf Ave.)
Best known for its innovation and award-winning exhibitions, the museum has a permanent collection of more than 50,000 garments and accessories dating from the eighteenth century to the present.
(Chelsea, Manhattan, 227 W 27th St.)
An immersive, interactive museum dedicated to the history and impact of Broadway theater. It offers a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of a Broadway show and celebrates the groundbreaking musicals and plays that have shaped the industry.
(Times Square, Manhattan, 145 W 45th St.)
An educational museum that explores how food and drink shape culture, history, science, and society. The experience features interactive, multi-sensory exhibits that can include tasting, touching, and smelling experiences, making food a lens for understanding broader cultural and historical themes.
(DUMBO, Brooklyn, 55 Water St., 2nd Floor.)
The National Museum of Mathematics, commonly known as MoMath, is dedicated to the exploration and celebration of mathematics. It is designed to change the perception that math is dry or intimidating by making abstract concepts tangible and playful. MoMath feels more like a science center or an interactive playground where everything is meant to be manipulated.
(Chelsea, Manhattan, 635 6th Ave.)
Dedicated to the art, history, and technology of film, television, and digital media. The museum features a wide array of interactive displays that trace the evolution of moving image technology, from early optical toys to modern digital special effects. Be sure to check out the great Jim Henson Exhibition.
(Astoria, Queens, 36-01 35th Ave.)
A scientific and cultural institution famous for its massive collections that span the history of the Earth, from the smallest microorganisms to the vastness of the cosmos. Be sure to check out its famous dinosaur collection, Gilder Hall insectarium, and Hayden Planetarium.
(Upper West Side, Manhattan, Central Park West & W 79th St.)
"Part museum, part toy shop" dedicated to the pop culture and everyday items of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. Founded by collectors Phebe Taylor and Jeff Zappala, the space serves as a literal time capsule designed to feel like a childhood basement or family room from decades past.
(Astoria, Queens, 31-27 31st St.)
Dedicated to the history, evolution, and cultural significance of human sexuality. It aims to present adult themes through a lens of scholarship, art, and science rather than pure sensationalism. The museum’s ‘Super Funland ‘is an immersive, “adults-only” exhibit that blends sexual history with a series of X-rated games and amusements created by international artists and designers.
(NoMad, Manhattan, 233 5th Ave.)
A Smithsonian Affiliate dedicated to preserving and celebrating the history and culture of jazz. It serves as a "living museum" that bridges jazz history with contemporary performance.
(Harlem, Manhattan, 58 W 129th St.)
The hand-on museum features over 450 exhibits that allow visitors to explore physics, biology, and chemistry through direct interaction rather than just observation. It also has Rocket Park, which displays genuine NASA rockets and capsules from the Space Race era, and Design Lab, a large space where visitors can engage in "maker" activities, using real tools and materials to solve engineering challenges and build their own inventions.
(Corona, Queens, 47-01 111th St.)
Dedicated to preserving and celebrating the history of New York City's commercial signage. It is located within the working studio of Noble Signs, where contemporary signs are still handcrafted using traditional methods. The collection includes over 150 items, featuring 40+ full-scale storefront signs that once defined the city’s streets.
(East New York, Brooklyn, 2465 Atlantic Ave.)
Housed in the historic New York City Building from the 1939 World's Fair. Queens Museum is widely recognized for its focus on social issues, local history, and its deep connection to the diverse communities of Queens. Its famous Panorama of the City of New York exhibit is a massive, scale model of all five boroughs, featuring nearly every building constructed before 1992.
(Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York City Building)
Dedicated to the global history and design of posters. The institution explores how posters serve as both historical documents and powerful tools of mass communication, persuasion, and public art. The museum maintains a growing archive of over 15,000 items, ranging from late 19th-century Art Nouveau masterpieces to contemporary political propaganda and digital advertisements.
(Chelsea, Manhattan, 119 W 23rd St.)
The museum explores the history and future of tall buildings, examining how skyscrapers have shaped the skyline of New York and other global cities. Displays range from intricate scale models of famous towers like the Empire State Building to technical blueprints, historical photographs, and multimedia presentations on urban planning. Admission is FREE!
(Battery Park City, Manhattan, 39 Battery Pl.)
HISTORICAL MUSEUMS
A deeply moving site that honors the victims of the September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993 terrorist attacks. It serves as both a place of solemn remembrance and an educational institution that documents the events and aftermath of the attacks. The outdoor memorial occupies eight of the sixteen acres of the World Trade Center site and is designed to be a contemplative space within the busy city. The museum, located primarily underground within the bedrock of the original World Trade Center, the museum tells the story of 9/11 through a massive collection of artifacts, narratives, and media.
(Financial District, Manhattan, 180 Greenwich St.)
Built around 1784, it is the only remaining Dutch Colonial farmhouse in Manhattan and serves as a vital link to the borough's rural and agricultural past. It was originally part of a 250-acre farm owned by the Dyckman family, who occupied the land for generations before donating the house to the City of New York in 1916.
(Inwood, Manhattan, 4881 Broadway)
A historic landmark, often called the "Birthplace of American Government." The current building, completed in 1842, stands on the site of the original 1703 City Hall where George Washington took his oath of office as the first U.S. President. The museum displays the original Bible used by George Washington during his inauguration ceremony. Rotating displays cover the history of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the development of the American presidency.
(Financial District, Manhattan, 26 Wall St.)
Located in the upstairs levels of Fraunces Tavern restaurant, the museum is dedicated to the events and historic figures people who visited the Tavern. It is famously known as the site where George Washington bid an emotional farewell to his officers in 1783, and today it serves as a portal to Revolutionary-era New York. Be sure to grab a drink while you there.
(Financial District, Manhattan, 54 Pearl St.)
A cultural institution dedicated to documenting the history, struggles, and myriad contributions of Italian immigrants and their descendants in the United States. The collection includes a wide array of personal memorabilia, historical documents, and artifacts that tell the personal stories of the neighborhood's residents over the last century.
(Nolita, Manhattan, 151 Mulberry St.)
An immersive educational space that chronicles the life of the legendary trailblazer Jackie Robinson as an athlete, activist, and entrepreneur. Its extensive collection features over 4,500 artifacts and 40,000 historical images, highlighted by Robinson’s original National Baseball Hall of Fame plaque, his 1947 Rookie of the Year award, and an interactive 3D model of Ebbets Field.
(Hudson Square, Manhattan, 75 Varick St.)
Dedicated to the legacy of Lewis Howard Latimer (1848–1928), a brilliant African American inventor, draftsman, and humanist. His former home, now a museum, showcases Latimer’s inventions and scientific contributions, which include the carbon filament for the light bulb, the blueprints for Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone patent application and an early precursor to the modern air conditioner.
(Flushing, Queens, 34-41 137th St.)
The preserved home of the legendary jazz trumpeter Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong and his wife, Lucille. The house is a "time capsule"—it looks exactly as it did when the Armstrongs lived there, offering an incredibly intimate look at the man behind the music. The museum includes the Louis Armstrong Center directly across the street, which houses Armstrong’s archives, showcases memorabilia from his life, and has a 75-seat space for live jazz and community programs.
(Corona, Queens, 34-56 107th St.)
A "time capsule" offering a rare, authentic look at 19th-century domestic life. Built in 1832, it was home to the prosperous hardware merchant Seabury Tredwell and his family for nearly 100 years. The family's youngest daughter, Gertrude, lived there until her death in 1933 and meticulously preserved the home. It remains virtually unchanged, complete with original furnishings, clothing, and personal belongings.
(NoHo, Manhattan, 29 E 4th St.)
Originally built in 1906 as the private library of financier J.P. Morgan, it has evolved into a world-class research center and museum that blends Gilded Age opulence with modern architectural design. The museum holds more than 350,000 objects, including some of the most significant literary and historical treasures in existence. These include three copies of the 15th-century Gutenberg Bible, handwritten works by authors Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Henry David Thoreau, and Charlotte Brontë, and original scores by Mozart and Beethoven.
(Murray Hill, Manhattan, 225 Madison Ave.)
Built in 1765, the Morris-Jumel Mansion is the oldest surviving house in Manhattan. In 1776, the mansion served as the headquarters for General George Washington during the Battle of Harlem Heights. And in 1810, it was purchased by the wealthy Eliza and Stephen Jumel. After Stephen's death, Eliza married the infamous Aaron Burr in the mansion’s front parlor. In the 20th century, the house sat at the heart of the Harlem Renaissance, eventually becoming a public museum in 1904.
(Washington Heights, Manhattan, 65 Jumel Terrace)
The institution is dedicated to preserving and presenting the 200-year history and diverse experiences of people of Chinese descent in the United States. Its core exhibition, "With a Single Step: Stories in the Making of America," traces the Chinese American journey from the 19th-century "Bachelor Society" and the Transcontinental Railroad to modern-day cultural influence.
(Chinatown, Manhattan, 215 Centre St.)
Opened in 1887, Eldridge Street Synagogue, now the Museum at Eldridge Street, was the first grand house of worship built in the United States by Eastern European Jewish immigrants, serving as a bold statement of their religious freedom and success in America. The stunning rose window is a “must-see.”
(Lower East Side, Manhattan, 12 Eldridge St.)
Dedicated to educating visitors about Jewish life before, during, and after the Holocaust. Opened in 1997, it serves as both a historical museum and a solemn memorial.
(Battery Park City, Manhattan, 36 Battery Pl.)
The Museum of the City of New York explores the city’s past, present, and future through exhibitions on its people, neighborhoods, and defining moments. Its collection includes photographs, paintings, decorative arts, costumes, maps, and ephemera that document New York’s social life, architecture, politics, and cultural evolution.
(East Harlem, Manhattan, 1220 5th Ave.)
The New York Transit Museum tells the story of the city’s public transportation system and its role in shaping urban life. Its collection features vintage subway cars, buses, historic signage, photographs, maps, tokens, and engineering artifacts that trace the development of mass transit in New York.
(Downtown Brooklyn, 99 Schermerhorn St.)
The South Street Seaport Museum explores New York City’s maritime history and its origins as a global port. Its collection includes historic ships, ship models, navigation instruments, photographs, maps, and archival materials that document life along the waterfront and the city’s seafaring past.
(Seaport, Manhattan, 12 Fulton St.)
The Tenement Museum brings New York City’s immigrant history to life by telling the real stories of families who lived on the Lower East Side. Through guided tours of restored apartments and interactive exhibits, visitors experience what daily life was like for past residents and how their struggles and contributions shaped the city.
(Lower East Side, Manhattan,103 Orchard St.)
This landmark is the childhood home of the 26th U.S. President. Its collection features five meticulously restored period rooms filled with original Roosevelt family furnishings, including the President's personal desk, family portraits, and artifacts from his time as a "Rough Rider" and naturalist.
(Flatiron, Manhattan, 28 E. 20th St.)
IMMERSIVE MUSEUMS
ARTE Museum New York is an immersive digital art experience where massive projections, sound, and scent transport visitors into surreal nature-inspired worlds. Blending cutting-edge technology with cinematic visuals, the museum turns art into a fully sensory journey that feels more like stepping inside a living dream than viewing an exhibit.
(Chelsea, Manhattan, 61 9th Ave.)
ARTECHOUSE NYC is a cutting-edge digital art space where art, science, and technology collide in mesmerizing, floor-to-ceiling installations. With ever-changing, interactive exhibitions powered by immersive visuals and sound, it turns each visit into a dynamic, future-forward experience.
(Chelsea Market, Manhattan, 439 W 15th St.)
Color Factory NYC is a joyful, immersive playground of color-filled rooms designed to spark creativity and wonder. Inside, visitors can interact with hands-on installations, take playful photos, jump into the famous ball pit, and enjoy sweet treats that make the experience both artistic and fun.
(SoHo, Manhattan, 251 Spring St.)
The Intrepid Museum is an action-packed destination where history comes alive aboard a legendary aircraft carrier on the Hudson River. Visitors can explore the flight deck, step inside real aircraft and submarines, experience immersive simulators, and discover hands-on exhibits that showcase aviation, space exploration, and naval history.
(Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan, Pier 86, W 46th St.)
Mercer Labs is an immersive museum of art and technology located in the former Century 21 department store building in Lower Manhattan. The experience features fifteen experimental exhibition spaces that utilize high-tech projections, spatial sound, and robotics to blend digital art with sensory exploration.
(Financial District, Manhattan, 21 Dey St.)
The Museum of Ice Cream is a vibrant, interactive attraction in SoHo designed to celebrate the joy of ice cream through multisensory installations. The experience features twelve imaginative exhibits, including a three-story slide, a pink "Celestial Subway," and the world-famous giant sprinkle pool where visitors can actually swim.
(SoHo, Manhattan, 558 Broadway)
Museum of Illusions The experience at Museum of Illusions - New York Click to open side panel for more information features over 70 mind-bending exhibits, including gravity-defying tilted rooms, infinite mirrors, and immersive holograms designed to deceive the human eye.
(West Villlage, Manhattan, 77 8th Ave.)
SPYSCAPE offers two distinct ways to test your undercover skills: the SPYSCAPE Museum, a brain-teasing journey through historic galleries where you uncover your unique spy profile using MI6-designed psychological challenges, and SPYGAMES, a high-adrenaline, team-based "proving ground" focused on physical agility and collaboration. While the museum focuses on code-breaking, surveillance, and lie detection, the SPYGAMES experience ups the intensity with field-inspired missions created by CIA and Special Ops experts to test your speed and strategy.
(Midtown, Manhattan, 928 8th Ave.)
UNUSUAL MUSEUMS
WOOF! The museum “dog-houses” one of the world's largest collections of canine-themed fine art and artifacts. The experience blends traditional galleries of paintings and sculptures with high-tech interactive stations where visitors can find their dog breed look-alike or virtually train a digital puppy.
(Murray Hill, Manhattan, 101 Park Ave.)
The Bone Museum specializes in the preservation and display of osteological specimens. Its collection features an extensive array of ethically sourced animal skeletons, skulls, and intricate bone carvings from around the world, alongside immersive workshops on the art of bone cleaning and articulation.
(East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 255 McKibbin St.)
Daredevil Tattoo doubles as a premier tattoo parlor and a museum dedicated to the history of the art form in New York City. The experience showcases a vast private collection of antique tattoo memorabilia, including vintage "flash" art, original tattoo machines, and rare photographs that trace the craft's roots back to the Bowery.
(Lower East Side, Manhattan, 141 Division St.)
Tucked into a converted freight elevator in a Lower Manhattan alleyway, Mmuseumm is one of the city's smallest and most unconventional cultural institutions. It is dedicated to "Object Journalism," using seemingly mundane artifacts to tell profound stories about modern humanity and global events.
(Tribeca, Manhattan, 4 Cortlandt Alley)
An interactive museum (inside the apartment of curator Denny Daniels) that brings antique inventions and curiosities to life through a private collection of historical artifacts. The experience is highly hands-on, allowing visitors to touch and operate vintage items like phonographs, 16mm films, and early cameras while a curator shares the quirky stories behind their creation.
(Greenwich Village, Manhattan, Georgetown Plaza, 60 E 8th St., appointment-based)
Pretty good list, huh? A reminder that there are plenty more that could be added. This is a pretty good start. Get through all of these and maybe I’ll make a list of the next 48 non-art museums.
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Where will you begin on your museum adventure? Maybe put the names of each museum into a hat and pick one. That seems like a good way to start. Whatever you do, my advice is to keep exploring this amazing city. There are gems like these, great statues, historic landmarks, bakeries, sporting events, Broadway shows, and many art museums! You can attempt to conquer it all. (Spoiler alert: You never will.) It’s tons of fun to try.
How can I help? I Know A Guy NYC Tours offers private, personal, and fun adventures around the city for small groups, including lots of families with kiddos. Many have enjoyed the experience. See what they had to say!
Check out what tours are like by following I Know A Guy NYC Tours Facebook or Instagram. You’ll completely get the vibe.
Thanks for reading this blog! If you would like to chat about your upcoming trip and possible tour ideas, please contact me at aguy@iknowaguy.nyc or 404-915-9901 I'm quite friendly!
© All photos by Adam Guy
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