Rank 1Play Street Museum - Upper West Side
Upper West Side
4.9 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $
A museum on the Upper West Side. Reviewers come for the activities, say it handles big groups, and single out the staff.
174 rated museums
Best Museums in Manhattan, NYC
The best museums across 34 Manhattan neighborhoods, ranked by star rating and how many reviews back it.
Moodap lists 174 rated museums in Manhattan, spread over 34 neighborhoods. Play Street Museum - Upper West Side in Upper West Side leads the list with a 4.9-star rating, and Upper East Side has the most to choose from (19).
Prices run from $ to $$. Common vibes include inspiring, quiet, cultural, fun, and social. A perfect score from a handful of reviews doesn’t outrank hundreds of strong ones, so the places at the top are ones many people rate highly.
Top 10 Museums in Manhattan
Rank 29/11 Memorial & Museum
Financial District4.8 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 3The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Upper East Side4.8 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $$A museum on the Upper East Side. Reviewers describe a high-energy crowd and like being outdoors here.
Rank 4One World Trade Center
Financial District4.8 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 5The Met Cloisters
Inwood4.8 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 6African Burial Ground National Monument Visitor Center
Financial District4.8 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 7Nicholas Roerich Museum
Upper West Side4.8 out of 5 on Google- Fun
- Social
Rank 8Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation
Upper West Side4.8 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $$A museum on the Upper West Side. Insider tip: Book tickets for the Butterfly Vivarium in advance as it requires a separate admission ticket and can reach capacity quickly. Known for its Davis Family Butterfly Vivarium.
Rank 9The Stranger's Project
Financial District5.0 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 10The Brant Foundation
East Village4.8 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Upper West Side
6 spots
Rank 1Play Street Museum - Upper West Side
Indoor4.9 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 2Nicholas Roerich Museum
Indoor4.8 out of 5 on Google- Fun
- Social
Rank 3Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation
Indoor4.8 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $$- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 4American Museum of Natural History
Indoor4.6 out of 5 on Google- Fun
- Social
Rank 5Rose Center for Earth and Space
Indoor4.6 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 6Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs
Indoor4.7 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Financial District
6 spots
Rank 19/11 Memorial & Museum
Indoor4.8 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 2One World Trade Center
Indoor4.8 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 3African Burial Ground National Monument Visitor Center
Indoor4.8 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 4The Stranger's Project
Indoor5.0 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 5Fraunces Tavern Museum
Indoor4.7 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $$- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 6Tall Ship Wavertree, South Street Seaport Museum
Indoor4.7 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Upper East Side
5 spots
Rank 1The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Indoor4.8 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $$- Fun
- Social
Rank 2Ukrainian Institute of America
Indoor4.8 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $$- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 3Society of Illustrators
Indoor4.7 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 4Czech Center New York
Indoor4.8 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 5The Frick Collection
Indoor4.6 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
SoHo
5 spots
Rank 1The Climate Museum
Indoor4.8 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 2Banksy Museum New York
Indoor4.7 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 3Jackie Robinson Museum
Indoor4.7 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 4The Drawing Center
Indoor4.6 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 5Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art
Indoor4.6 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $- Artistic
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Chelsea
4 spots
Rank 1Arte Museum New York
Indoor4.7 out of 5 on Google- Fun
- Social
Rank 2Poster House
Indoor4.7 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 3Center for Jewish History
Indoor4.7 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 4Babycastles
Indoor4.7 out of 5, 73 Google reviews- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Hell's Kitchen
3 spots
Rank 1Submarine USS Growler
Indoor4.8 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 2Intrepid Museum
Indoor4.7 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $$- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 3Space Shuttle Pavillion
Indoor4.7 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Chinatown
2 spots
Rank 1Museum at Eldridge Street
Indoor4.7 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 2Mmuseumm
Indoor4.6 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Alphabet City
2 spots
Rank 1Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS)
Indoor4.8 out of 5 on Google- Fun
- Social
Rank 2Piragua Art Space
Indoor5.0 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Midtown
2 spots
Rank 1The Museum of Modern Art
Indoor4.6 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $- Artistic
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Rank 2Cullman Education Center MoMA
Indoor4.8 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Lower East Side
2 spots
Rank 1Tenement Museum
Indoor4.6 out of 5 on Google- Fun
- Social
Rank 2Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and Museum
Indoor4.8 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Inwood
1 spots
Rank 1The Met Cloisters
Indoor4.8 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
East Village
1 spots
Rank 1The Brant Foundation
Indoor4.8 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Murray Hill
1 spots
Rank 1The Morgan Library & Museum
Indoor4.7 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Times Square
1 spots
Rank 1Museum of Broadway
Indoor4.7 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
NoHo
1 spots
Rank 1Merchant's House Museum
Indoor4.7 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Battery Park City
1 spots
Rank 1Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
Indoor4.6 out of 5 on Google- Fun
- Social
Koreatown
1 spots
Rank 1Astro Gallery of Gems, Minerals and Fossils
Indoor4.6 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Gramercy
1 spots
Rank 1Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site
Indoor4.6 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Meatpacking District
1 spots
Rank 19/11 Museum Workshop: 100 Images & Artifacts Exhibit
Indoor4.6 out of 5 on Google- Fun
- Social
Hamilton Heights
1 spots
Rank 1Zenith Art & Fashion
Indoor4.8 out of 5, 46 Google reviews- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Greenwich Village
1 spots
Rank 1The Museum of Interesting Things (advance appt only)
Indoor4.7 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
East Harlem
1 spots
Rank 1The Africa Center
Indoor4.6 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Harlem
1 spots
Rank 1The Wallach Art Gallery at Columbia University Lenfest Center of the Arts
Indoor4.6 out of 5 on Google- Cultural
- Inspiring
- Quiet
Frequently asked questions
What are the best museums in Manhattan?
Ranked by rating and number of reviews, the top museums on Moodap are Play Street Museum - Upper West Side in Upper West Side (4.9 stars), 9/11 Memorial & Museum in Financial District (4.8 stars) and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in Upper East Side (4.8 stars). The full top 10 is at the top of this page.
Which Manhattan neighborhood has the most museums?
Upper East Side has the most, with 19, followed by Financial District (17) and Upper West Side (12).
Where can I find affordable museums in Manhattan?
3 of the 50 museums listed here are budget-friendly ($). The best-ranked of them are Play Street Museum - Upper West Side in Upper West Side, The Museum of Modern Art in Midtown and Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art in SoHo.
How does Moodap rank museums?
By star rating, weighted by how many reviews back it: a place with hundreds of strong reviews ranks above a perfect score from a handful. Places with few or no reviews come after well-reviewed ones. Not sure which fits your plans? Find Your Vibe™ picks one for your mood in about 25 seconds.