New York City is the most popular tourist destination in the USA and one of the most exciting cities in the world. This city which is often referred to as ‘the city that never sleeps’ and ‘ the center of the universe’ is chock a block with numerous attractions which draw hordes of camera totting tourists every year. However many of the famous New York City attractions sport hefty admission charges which can rapidly decimate a vacation sight-seeing budget and the only way to avoid this scenario is to use some of the tips and tricks mentioned below to obtain your entire New York City experience for ‘free’.
Get your requisite dose of culture at New York City’s many museums on ‘free museum nights’.
New York City is home to nearly 80 world famous museum. Most of these New York museums have hefty admission charges though the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural History and theMuseum of the City of New York follow a ‘pay as you wish’ policy with the suggested admissions priced between $10 to $20 .
The Whitney Museum of American Art follows a ‘pay as you wish policy’ on Friday evenings from 6pm to 9pm. The Museum of Modern Art offers free admission sponsored by Target on Fridays between 4pm and 8pm and offers free admission for children under 16 at all times while The Children’s Museum of Manhattan offers free admission sponsored by Target on the First Friday of every month from 5pm to 8pm. Similarly the Guggenheim Museum offers a ‘pay as you wish policy’ on Saturdays from 5.45pm to 7.45pm and the Brooklyn Museum offers Target Free First Saturdays from 5pm to 11pm where thousands of visitors enjoy free art and entertainment at the museum.
The annual Museum Mile Festival which celebrates the nine New York City museums which are located along Fifth Avenue from 82nd Street to 104th street is usually held in June and offers free admission to these museums along with music, dance and entertainment programs.
Bank of America offers its cardholders free admission to New York City Museums through its ‘Museums on Us’ program. This program allows Bank of America cardholders free admission during the first full weekend of every month at the Met, the Bronx Zoo, the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, the New York Aquarium and the Whitney Museum of American Art.Additionally you can also immerse yourself in American History everyday at the Museum of the American Indian which is located in downtown Manhattan and which offers free admission at all times and the Queens County Farm Museum which is housed in a historic homestead on the only working historical farm in New York City charges admission only for special events but is free on most days.
Feast your eyes on the gorgeous vistas of the New York City Skyline
New York City’s skyscraper speckled skyline is renowned the world over and one of the best way to enjoy the views of the skyline and the landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island for free is to take a ride on the free public commuter Staten Island ferry that plies round the clock between the Whitehall Street terminal in downtown Manhattan to St George on Staten Island.
Explore New York City’s Gardens and the Bronx Zoo for Free
The Brooklyn Botanic Gardens are free of admission charges on Tuesdays from 8am to 6 pm; seniors additionally enjoy free access to the gardens on Fridays as well though the garden also offers free access to all visitors on Saturdays from 10am to noon unless there are special events scheduled in the gardens. Free access days are also offered during week days during the freezing New York City winters. Similarly the New York Botanical Gardens which are located in the Bronx offer free grounds admission for everyone all day on Wednesdays and from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturdays. The Wave Hill Gardens which are located on a 28 acre former estate overlooking the Hudson River in the Bronx and feature greenhouses and gardens offer free access all day on Tuesdays during the off peak months and restricted free access during the peak summer months from May to October.
On Wednesdays, the animal wonderland of the Bronx Zoo ,the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States that encompasses 265 acres of verdant park lands and other naturalistic habitats and has the Bronx River flowing through it ,offers admission by ‘pay-what-you-wish‘ donation all day from10 am to 4:30 pm.
Tour the Grand Central Terminal for Free
Grand Central Terminal which is one of New York City’s main commuter rail stations and the biggest station in the world by the number of platforms is located in a gorgeous Beaux Arts building on East 42nd Street between Lexington and Park Avenues. Learn about the history of this stunning New York City landmark by taking a free guided tour of Grand Central Terminal and its surrounding neighborhoods. This free 90 minute walking tour is offered on Fridays all throughout the year and is sponsored by the Grand Central Partnership and the Altria Group. The tour kicks off at 12.30pm from the Sculpture Court of the Whitney Museum at Altria on East 42nd Street across from Grand Central.
Discover Nature’s glorious bounties at the Union Square Green Market
The Union Square Green Market is New York City’s premier farmer’s market that is held all year round on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 8am until 6pm at Union Square located between 14th Street and 17th Streets. Celebrity chefs, local restaurateurs, home cooks and enthusiastic foodies head religiously to this outdoor market to procure seasonal fresh produce, meats, freshly baked breads and other confectioneries, juices , syrups, cheeses, jams, honeys, butters that are on offer. All the products sold at this superb market are sourced from local farmers, bakers and producers who are always on hand to interact and offer samples to the crowds that throng the market.
Feast your eyes on the NY Fed Gold Vault
The New York Federal Reserve Bank offers free tours of its facilities through one hour long guided tours. These tours are offered free every day of the week excepting for bank holidays. However in order to reserve a tour you have to register on the New York Federal Reserve’s website at least a month in advance.
Revel in the free entertainment on offer in New York City’s Parks
New York City’s iconic patch of green, Central Park is a hub of activity especially during the summer months when if offers free public performances in the park like Shakespeare in the Park, Central Park Summer Stage and The Good Morning America Summer Concerts which are held in various areas of this vast park. Yet another park in the city, Bryant Park which is located in the shadow of the imposing, beaux-arts building that houses the New York Public Library on 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue offers free movies on its premises in the summers in the form of the HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival. During the winter months Bryant Park offers free ice skating on ‘the Pond’ and a holiday shopping market. Similar programs are also offered at the city’s other parks like the Brooklyn Bridge Park, Prospect Park and the Battery Park Esplanade.
Flex your muscles as you go kayaking on the Hudson River
The New York City Downtown Boathouse is a volunteer organization that is located in the Hudson River Park along the Hudson River. The Boathouse has three locations in Manhattan at Pier 40 at Houston Street, Pier 96 at 56th Street, 72nd Street in Riverside Park and offers free kayaking facilities during the summer months.
Dine for free at New York City Bars
New York City’s pulsating nightlife is legendary but few know that several New York City bars actually offer substantial free nibbles with their drinks. Most of these free snack deals are offered during ‘the happy hours’ which are usually between 5pm and 7pm.These ‘happy hour munchies’ deals can be found at bars like the Alligator Lounge and the Charleston both of which are located in Williamsburg in Brooklyn and offer pizzas with their drinks. At all the three downtown locations of the wine bar, Tarallucci & Vino which offer mini pizzas, olives, and wedges of quiche as accompaniments to drinks, El Cantinero in Greenwich Village which offers a free buffet with its drinks, the bar called Spain on West 13th street which offers free tapas during happy hour and Rudy’s Bar and Grill in Hell’s Kitchen which offers free hot dogs with its drinks. For a daily listing of Happy Hour deals at New York’s bars do check out the website happyhoured.com which also has an application for the iphone.
Pander to your shopaholic tendencies at New York City’s famous flea and street markets
Summer street fairs are yet another New York City tradition. During the lazy summer weekends, entire streets in the city are pedestrianized as they host various vendors who hawk food, clothes, myriad arte facts and more at these bustling summer street fairs. Aside from these street fairs NYC has permanent flea markets like the Brooklyn Flea which is open every warm weather weekend in Fort Greene on Saturdays and in DUMBO on Sundays but goes indoors at One Hanson Place at the corner of Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn during the winter months. Yet another permanent flea market in NYC is the Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market which is held all year round at West 39th Street between 9th and 10th Avenues which features more than 170 vendors who sell antiques, collectibles, vintage clothing, home decorations and furniture, jewelry, and much more.’


























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