New York has so much to offer, including the iconic skyscrapers towering over the city and the beautiful and distinctive works of art. However, there is one place visitors and locals shouldn’t miss out on: the city’s museums!
New York City has some of the best museums. These museums showcase the cultures and arts of the past centuries as well as the talents of today. Visitors will come across various cultures, fine arts, and extensive history.
But which are the best museums to visit in New York City?
1. The Noguchi Museum
Situated at Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City is the construction of this serene and exclusive museum built and conceived by Isamu Noguchi. The museum showcases Noguchi’s sculptures and his paper lamps across two floors of exhibition space and throughout a peaceful walled garden covered in ivy.
In the Noguchi museum, visitors will probably enjoy the light sculptures (spherical lamps made of washi paper and bamboo) that glow softly from within.
2. The Cloisters Museum
The Cloisters museum is a section of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is situated on four acres in the Fort Tryon Park neighborhood, northern Manhattan.
The museum has a view of the Hudson River and is essentially a modern museum construction incorporating five cloisters influenced by the middle ages. That creates a historic and contextualized backdrop against which visitors can examine the artwork.
3. Smithsonian Institution’s National Design Museum
A visit to Smithsonian Institution’s national design museum, housed in a Georgian mansion built in 1902, is well worth it: not just for the collection but also for the building itself. The building is considered one of the most impressive surviving ancient mansions from the Gilded Age.
Additionally, the Smithsonian Institution’s national design museum has a large collection of musical instruments. It is also less known than other neighboring museums. That means the crowds aren’t as overpowering when visiting there.
4. The National Museum of the American Indian
The national museum of the American Indian is located on the southernmost tip of Manhattan in a building formerly used as a customs house.
The museum has a collection of beaded and feathered ceremonial objects, highly detailed garments, baskets, pottery, and other artifacts. However, the national museum of the American Indian also showcases old photographs and other historical documents.