Mind. Blown. Discover the best museums in New York

When it comes to New York museums… start as you mean to go on. Stepping inside the cavernous halls of the American Museum of Natural History is about as close to actual time travel as it’s possible to get; your very own Night at the Museum adventure, if you will. Set on the western edge of Central Park, this blockbuster behemoth contains a mind-blowing collection of ancient artifacts that chart nothing less than the entire history of life on Earth. Plenty, in other words, to goggle at. 

Of course you’ll want to seek out the big-ticket showstoppers – prehistoric mammals frozen in time, a 34-ton section of the Cape York meteorite, a 122-foot Titanosaur skeleton – but there’s delight to be found in the smaller specimens, too. Watch leafcutter ants go about their business in the insectarium, seek out the surreal beetle (said to be a Banksy artwork) hidden in the library, and see how many tiny critters you can spot hiding among the rainforest dioramas.

Pro-tip: Hands-on activities, VR encounters and bold, interactive displays will keep even the most energetic little explorers enthralled in The Discovery Room.

Do you feel the need… the need for speed? The Intrepid Museum serves up adrenaline-fueled adventures aboard the historic aircraft carrier Intrepid, docked on the Hudson River in Hell’s Kitchen. The vibe here is pure Top Gun: wind in your hair, stealth jets around every corner, and heart-swelling tales of wartime derring-do. In short: you’d be (hem) plane crazy to miss it.

Must-see highlights of the collection include the mid-century design icon that is the Bell helicopter, plus a still-gleaming British Airways Concorde, a Cold War-era cruise missile submarine that you can clamber around inside, and – for those who like their transport big (like, really big) –  the mighty space shuttle Enterprise.

Pro-tip: Afterwards, get a different perspective on the hulking Intrepid from the dizzying heights of the nearby Edge observation deck, or on board a classic Circle Line cruise.

The Met ain’t just any old museum: it’s an ever-evolving repository for awe-inspiring feats of human creativity. You’ll find in the heart of Museum Mile on Central Park’s eastern edge where, inside its palatial halls, you’ll time travel from Ancient Egyptian temples to dazzling Rembrandt, Monet and van Gogh masterpieces, via secret Japanese gardens and galleries crammed with medieval armor.

Every visit to the Met is a choose-your-own-adventure: spend an hour gazing wistfully at van Gogh’s Wheat Field with Cypresses, scout out jousts toted by 14th-century knights, or get a glimpse into Cleopatra’s world via the magnificent Temple of Dendur, shipped here brick by painstaking brick from the banks of the Nile itself.

The two-million-strong collection here is made for wandering, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself losing a whole day (or maybe even longer) among its cavernous interiors.

Pro-tip: Pair with a cycling tour of Central Park for the best on NYC’s indoor/outdoor culture.

Perhaps the most important museum of modern and contemporary art on the planet, Midtown’s MoMA contains a veritable trove of artistic treasures from the last 150 years (give or take). There are pieces you’ll know, pieces you won’t, and pieces you don’t know you know. It’s a claim that will make far more sense when you actually visit and find yourself surrounded by instantly recognizable masterworks like Warhol’s Campbell's Soup Cans, Monet’s Water Lilies, Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d'Avignon and Dali’s Persistence of Memory, plus many many more pieces from the likes of Picasso, Pollock, O’Keeffe, Kahlo, Rothko, Lichtenstein and more; all guaranteed to make your Insta pop – and keep on popping.

Pro-tip: you’re just a hop and a skip from Top of the Rock and Times Square here, meaning you can easily tick off multiple bucket-list NYC attractions in one day. Plan your perfect sightseeing itinerary with the Go City New York pass.

Next on our list is a museum guaranteed to move you deeply, offering space for reflection and remembrance. Built on the site of the former World Trade Center, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum focuses on the human stories behind the events of September 11, 2001. Expect moving first-hand testimonies, interactive multimedia presentations and key artifacts including surviving sections of wall and staircase, and even a pear tree that somehow withstood the devastation. Meanwhile, the Hall of Faces puts real New Yorkers – heroes and everyday people – at the center of the story; the courageous tales told by first responders and survivors are just awe-inspiring.

Two huge pools sit in the footprints of the original towers, offering a tranquil retreat for quiet contemplation and remembrance.

Pro-tip: You’re right next to the One World Observatory here, for mind-blowing views courtesy of one of the world’s loftiest observation platforms.

Love a good maritime yarn? Then it’s all aboard as we set sail for the South Street Seaport Museum. No, not literally! It’s only a few blocks from the One World Trade Center, silly! Set in a cluster of atmospheric 19th-century merchant’s buildings and historic docked ships along the East River, this museum is all about New York’s origin story, back when the city’s whole destiny was tied to the sea.

Wander past model ships, vintage navigational gear and old printing shop tools to piece together the story of how New Amsterdam ballooned from a tiny Dutch colony to a thriving global port. The best thing about the museum is that you can board (although again, to be clear, not actually set sail on) the museum’s historic vessels, including the tall ship Wavertree and lightship Ambrose, to get a feel for what life might have been like for those who braved the Atlantic waves to reach the safety of these shores.

Pro-tip: Views of the Brooklyn Bridge from the South Street Seaport will have you itching to get up there. Do it the fun way on a guided cycling tour of the bridge and beyond.

For our money, modern history can be just as interesting as your Jurassic giants, ancient temples and Renaissance art. For the Museum of the Moving Image we fast-forward into the 20th Century and the glitzy world of the silver screen, television, video games and, latterly, digital art.

The Astoria museum’s large and eclectic collection, included cool old-school filming and production equipment, vintage merch and famous movie costumes and puppets. Want to geek out over Freddie Krueger’s stripy sweater, puppets used in The Exorcist and an entire workshop dedicated to The Muppets? You’ve come to the right place. There’s plenty of hands-on fun here, too. Try your hand at stop-motion animation, or unleash your inner luvvie with Oscar-winning green-screen experiences. There are even screening rooms showing cult classics and modern indie flicks. Pass the popcorn!

Pro-tip: Scooch south along Jackson Avenue for eye-popping contemporary art installations at MoMA PS1.

If you’re always secretly judging fonts or can’t walk past a funky chair without feeling the sudden unaccountable urge to sit down, the Cooper Hewitt might just be your dream destination. Housed in the grand Andrew Carnegie Mansion, this Upper East Side gem, part of the rightly revered Museum Mile, celebrates all things design, from the whimsical to the revolutionary.

Inside, wander through galleries brimming with inventive gadgets, futuristic homewares, and artfully styled furniture that’s sure to up your Pinterest game. Exhibitions rotate often, so it’s always a little different, but stalwart stars of the show include rare Michelangelo sketches, a chair used by Abraham Lincoln and the opportunity to come over all Kelly Wearstler with your own digital wallpaper designs.

Pro-tip: take time to enjoy the museum’s sunny garden, with its Insta-perfect cherry trees, rhododendrons and rockeries while you’re there.

There’s no business like showbusiness, amirite? Well, you can sing it to the rafters (as well as other Broadway faves like Big Spender and Defying Gravity) on a visit to the Museum of Broadway. Located just off Times Square amid the bright lights and greasepaint of Broadway itself, this showstopping museum is an immersive romp through the theatrical world, featuring costumes, stage sets, the aforementioned singalongs and so much more.

Follow the razzle-dazzle history of Broadway from its scrappy roots to polished modern-day blockbusters, stepping into larger-than-life set recreations as you go. The museum’s immersive installations, like posing with giant playbills or strutting your stuff with the iconic chairs from Cabaret are, suffice it to say, instant Instagram gold.

Pro-tip: Top of the Rock or Empire State Building? Heck, do both: they’re just a few blocks from the Museum of Broadway.

You probably don’t need another reason to hop the (free) Staten Island Ferry, but we’re going to give you one anyway. The Staten Island Museum is an underrated gem of a place, combining art, history, science and local lore in endlessly fascinating ways – think artworks by Andy Warhol and John Sloan, rare shells and fossils, authentic wax seals of 17th-century English monarchs and a mummified cat and you’ll be about halfway there. 

Expect kid-friendly discovery zones for little nature lovers, and themed art exhibitions that capture everything from contemporary creations to old-world masterworks. Those views of the Statue of Liberty on your way over (and back again) are really just the icing on the cake.

Pro-tip: Don’t skip a stroll through Snug Harbor’s nearby botanical gardens.

Kids, please avert your eyes – this one’s just for the grown-ups. Grown-ups, stop sniggering like schoolkids and start behaving like grown-ups please! For the Museum of Sex is no place for your prurient humor. Well ok, maybe it is.  

Step inside for a (fully clothed) walk through the taboos, turn-ons (and turn-offs) of human sexuality via erotic art, fetish items, vintage photographs and prophylactics, and other playful oddities. Let’s just say that if you’ve ever wanted to bounce up and down on giant breasts or get handsy with an interactive installation by the name of ‘Grope Mountain’ you’ve come to the right place. One thing’s for sure: satisfaction here is guaranteed.