Visit New York City’s only museum focused on art by self-taught artists. The American Folk Art Museum offers great insight into more overlooked creatives who brought their visions to life without any formal training. There’s a lot to see, since the museum features more than 7,000 pieces spanning four centuries. The museum’s collection also goes beyond traditional paintings to include furniture, books, textiles, and more. For some fun and offbeat finds, try browsing the gift shop.

If you’re short on time but still want to learn about local culture, you can explore the entirety of the Queens Museum in a few hours. While it technically offers pay-what-you-wish admission, the museum grants free entry to several different communities—a great option for a family-friendly, affordable museum in New York. The museum’s location in Queens also offers a peaceful escape from the city.

The Bronx Museum of the Arts is a hidden gem of a museum in New York. It focuses on contemporary art and reflects its culturally diverse borough through its special exhibitions and permanent collection. The museum also offers all of its exhibitions in English and Spanish. Make a whole day out of your visit to the Bronx by heading to the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) afterward.

BRIC House offers a great way to access New York’s arts and culture for free. As an arts organization based in Brooklyn, BRIC often hosts free cultural events, performances, and exhibitions. Check out the calendar on the organization’s website to confirm what’s happening on any given day. Aside from BRIC's special events, the main gallery usually features contemporary art exhibitions by emerging local artists.

The National Museum of the American Indian–New York, part of the Smithsonian Institution, includes a vast collection of Indigenous art and artifacts from across the Americas that are worth seeing and learning more about. Essential to any list of New York City museums you can visit for free, it’s located inside the Alexander Hamilton US Custom House, a beautiful beaux-arts building near Manhattan's Battery Park.

Get some fresh air at the outdoor Socrates Sculpture Park, which offers views of the East River. Many New York museum guides might overlook this park, but unlike most crowded museums, you can stroll around the grounds peacefully with a coffee or treat in hand. Here, you can enjoy seasonal public art installations that are largely built on-site—if you’re lucky, you might see some of the art being made.

History buffs will enjoy the opportunity to explore the childhood home of the 26th US president, who was also the first president to be born in New York. This free admission museum in New York is a replica of the brownstone where Theodore Roosevelt grew up in the Flatiron District, with galleries that include artifacts and a collection of political cartoons.

Although it’s not technically a museum, the New York Public Library (Main Branch) in Midtown Manhattan is one of the best free attractions in New York City. It’s home to a vast collection of treasures, including the popular Rose Main Reading Room, where you can admire the beautiful beaux-arts space with its stone arches and murals depicting blue skies and clouds.

The Museum at FIT is a great way to brush up on fashion history and be inspired by creative student designs from the Fashion Institute of Technology. With a permanent collection of more than 50,000 items of clothing and accessories dating back as far as the 18th century to pull from, the rotating exhibitions are always inventive. If you can’t make it in person, you can also browse some of the collections online.