Everyone knows summer in New York City is amazing. Entering the world in the morning to a shining, bright sun is enough to make anyone happy.
Being in a vibrant, exciting city with a ton to do can make anyone happier.
Luckily, we live in a city where a lot of the fun stuff to do is absolutely costless.
Even the most prestigious of museums have days where their admission is free of charge. Wondering how you can life hack this city so you can have an amazing, nearly costless summer?
Read on to find out the best free activities offered this summer in NYC.
The following museums offer admission free of charge, with the one minor and pesky fact that they "suggest donations."
To avoid feeling like a guilty moocher, throw them a buck (or two). Or you could just, not. the donations are suggested.
1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 5th Avenue)
metmuseum Tomorrow from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., kick off the summer with us at the annual Museum Mile Festival! Together with eight other New York City cultural institutions along the Fifth Avenue mile between 82nd and 105th Streets, the Met will be open free to the public throughout the evening. Join chalk drawing on the #MetPlaza, create art in the galleries, get a sneak peek of our new digital feature #MetKids, and more. #metmuseum #MuseumMile #MMF2015
Go here all of the time. We mean it. Whenever you can.
With hundreds of international events, programs, exhibits, tours and activities every month, the The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the greatest spot in NYC for mental transcendence.
2. The Guggenheim (1071 5th Avenue)
guggenheim "Color has a significance all its own, and is in a realm all its own. Color is the music of light, you see." – Frank Lloyd Wright, 1953 #FrankLloydWrightFridays ✨
From 5:45-7:45pm on Saturdays, admission to the famed, internationally renowned Guggenheim is "pay what you wish."
So get your friends, roommates, or boyfriend together to visit this vital cultural center during that two-hour window, and don't spend a single cent.
Their current exhibitions are very on point, and this will not be a decision you regret.
3. The Cloisters (99 Margaret Corbin Drive)
A branch of The Met, the Cloisters is an array of museums and gardens devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe.
It's phenomenal, will blow your mind, and you should go tomorrow.
4. The Museum of Natural History (Central Park West and 79th Street)
amnh When NYC temperatures climb, the fountains on the Museum's Arthur Ross Terrace see a lot of action!
Do you ever look at the world around you and think, hmm, why do flies and birds both have wings? Well, if you go to The Museum of Natural History you can learn about convergent evolution.
You can also go to the planetarium and zoom all around the universe. Basically, this museum is internationally renowned, mind-blowing, and the fact that we have the shot to go there whenever we want is insane.
5. The Bronx Zoo (2300 Southern Boulevard - the Bronx)
Did someone mention the most perfect activity?
Really, we can't think of a more phenomenal activity than the Bronx Zoo for literally any context. Did your parents come to visit? How about your little sibling? Are you with a big, unruly group of friends or just looking for a place to bring a date?
The Bronx Zoo, in our opinions, is perfect for all of the above. It's pay-what-you-wish donation on Wednesdays, but certain exhibitions like the Butterfly Garden and the Congo Gorilla Forest are not included. #StillAwesome
6. The New York Aquarium (602 Surf Avenue - Brooklyn)
On Fridays after 4 p.m., admission to The New York Aquarium is pay-what-you-wish.
So if sharks, rays, and turtles are your favorite earthly creatures, and you're finicky with your finances, Fridays after 4 p.m. are your opportunity of a lifetime.
The following museums are always free, and they won't even "suggest that you donate."
They really mean it when they say you don't have to pay a single cent. When perusing this list be sure to check when these spots are free, as some sites offer free admission on specific times and specific days of the week.
7. African Burial Ground Memorial Site (Ted Weiss Federal Building - 290 Broadway)
This national monument offers free ranger-led tours of the sacred space where free and enslaved Africans were buried from the 1690s until 1794.
Rediscovered in 1991 as "a consequence of the planned construction of a Federal office building," this monument offers preservation, grace, and a site to pay respect to the Africans who perished in Manhattan hundreds of years ago.
,8. The Bronx Museum of the Arts (1040 Grand Concourse - the Bronx)
bronxmuseum Visit this #weekend #freeAdmission By @nycgo "Bronx Museum of the Arts (Photo: @foxxinthefield) #nyc #nycgo #thisisnewyorkcity #nycneighborhoods #nycstyle #nycstreets #ignyc #w2ny #welcometonewyork #seeyourcity #bronxmuseum #bronx @bronxmuseum" #grandconcourse #bronxlife
Admission to the The Bronx Museum of the Arts is totally free, which is radically dope.
From exhibits like "Secrets, Boundaries and Video Games," exploring the concept that without secrets and boundaries we'd be unable to "distinguish between our inner and outer selves," to "Please Touch," Raul Mourão's awareness of NYC's "characters, architecture, objects and accidents."
They have some really boundary-pushing artwork here, and you should check the Bronx Museum out.
9. The National Museum of the American Indian (1 Bowling Green)
The National Museum of the American Indian contains one of the world's most expansive collections of Native American artifacts, like objects, photographs, and media.
They offer exhibitions, educational activities, and performing art programs. And admission is totally free.
10. Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art (26 Wooster Street)
artsextherapy #Leslielohmanmusuemofgayandlesbianart #queerthreads #craftingidentity&community #art #artsextherapy
With a mission to exhibit and preserve LGBTQ art, and foster the artists who create it, the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art is the first of its kind, educating, informing, inspiring, entertaining, and challenging all who enter its doors (for free).
Their main gallery offers exhibitions of works that speaks to the LGBTQ experience that might be denied from mainstream venues. They also exhibit art of high aesthetic quality or significant cultural importance. Basically, it's amazing, category-breaking, important, and did we mention it's free?
11. The New York Public Library (5th Avenue & 42nd Street)
theessentialdurba A #beautiful #Friday #afternoon at the #NewYorkPublicLibrary central branch. @nypl #Fridayafternoon #NewYorkCity #NYC #library #NYPL
It might seem obvious that the library is free. Isn't that the whole point of the library? But here's the great thing about this library's costlessness: guided tours are completely gratis at 11am and 2pm on Monday through Saturday, and 2pm on Sunday, and it's completely worth it to show up for one of these.
The tour's official title is, "Public Eye, 175 Years of Sharing Photography," and in our humble opinions, that sounds pretty fascinating.
12. 9/11 Memorial and Museum (200 Liberty Street)
Admission to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum is completely free for visitors on Tuesdays from 5pm to close. A limited number of tickets are available and are doled out on a first-come, first-served basis at the museum starting at 4pm.
You can also reserve in advance online the Monday before your visit starting at 9am. While admittedly a somber activity, something feels radically necessary about honoring the victims of 9/11 and examining 9/11's continued global significance.
13. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden (990 Washington Avenue - Brooklyn)
michelleodalisenid ROSES! It smelled amazing #flowers #flora #beautiful #nyc #brooklyn #brooklynbotanicalgarden #natureinthecity
The Brooklyn Botanical Garden, a glorious, lively, splendid garden connects people to the world of plants, and aims to foster delight and curiosity in the environment.
It's completely gorgeous, and can make even the most miserable of grinches ecstatic to be alive.
It's free on Tuesdays, and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon.
14. The MoMa (11 West 53rd Street)
themuseumofmodernart June 2: @TheWeeknd performs at this year's #partyinthegarden after-party. Tickets at the link in our profile. Event proceeds support our award-winning educational programs and the care, study, and exhibition of MoMA’s collection. [The Museum of Modern Art’s Party in the Garden, May 13, 2014. Photo by Julie Skarrat]
From 4 to 8pm on Friday nights, admission to the Museum of Modern Art is 100% complimentary (thanks to UNIQLO's sponsorship), and your free UNIQLO admission ticket permits you to all MoMa's galleries, exhibitions, and films.
The MoMa is a 100% must-see, as summer exhibitions include Yoko Ono, Andy Warhol, Scorsese Collects, and much more.
,From plays to concerts, the forces that be want you to have a rockstar summer.
In other words, NYC's beneficiaries want you to see plays and concerts and not have to pay for them. Find out where to go below.
15. Central Park Summerstage (Rumsey Playfield - Central Park)
anthonyvbauer Andrew Bird & The Hands of Glory! #nyc #nycsummerstage #summerstage #andrewbird #centralpark
Check out the 2015 Summerstage performance schedule to see which concerts you're into. Then grab a blanket, some pals, maybe some snacks, and rock out to some ballin' jams.
Most of these concerts are free, but space is limited so you should get there early and relax before the concert of your choice.
16. Free concerts
donewyorkcity Hot dog! It ain't summer without the Hudson Square Music and Wine Festival, and that just so happens to kick off this Tuesday! Catch these great #free concerts coming to @CityWineryNYC between June and August brought to you by our good friends at @relixmag. #hdsq2015
From Hudson Square Free Music, to the New York Philharmonic All-American Program, NYC comes equipped with lots of free summertime jam sessions.
The New Pornographers are playing at Prospect Park West in Brooklyn on July 11th. Elephant Revival is playing at City Winery on July 21st. Janelle Monae is playing on June 23rd at Rockefeller Center. And there are many more.
Check them out here.
17. Shakespeare in the Park
carognyc I love any theatre that A) involves Shakespeare B) is free and C) lets you bring your own alcohol. #publictheaterny #shakespeareinthepark
Every summer, Shakespeare in the Park is offered by The Public Theater at the Delacorte Theater in NYC's Central Park.
If you're into sparkling language, hilarity, and watching a play in the placidity of Central Park, this is an excellent evening activity for your NYC summer.
To get tickets to Shakespeare in the Park you can either wait in the free ticket lines at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, the downtown distribution lottery at Astor Place, or distribution in the five boroughs.
Check the performance calendar to see when your favorite play is being staged.
18. Classical Theater of Harlem (18 Mount Morris Park West)
aladyfromakron Romeo n Juliet - Marcus Garvey Park - Classical Theatre Harlem @classicalharlem #HarlemRnJ #UptownClassics #CTH #nyc #harlem #livelove #marcusgarveypark
The Classical Theater of Harlem is staging Shakespeare's The Tempest Tuesdays through Sundays in July from 7 p.m. through 10 p.m. in Marcus Garvey Park.
And getting into this play is free.
Well, because working out in the summer is an absolute essential to looking and feeling good, right?
19. Yoga in Bryant Park
bryantparknyc @therisenyc tomorrow morning, @barre3westvillage Monday morning, and #bpyoga this morning with @yogajournal @athleta and @flavorpill. We've got your summer fitness covered, #NYC. #bpfitclub #bryantpark #nycparks #nycgo #picstitch #regrams @martha_kaplan, The RiseNYC, and barre3 West Village.
Like yoga? Like being outside? You're in luck.
Every Tuesday and Thursday from May 19th through September 24th, free yoga classes are offered for your exercise pleasure in Bryant Park. They're on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and Thursdays from 6 p.m to 7 p.m.
20. Shape Up NYC
mzrugbyfit Tonight is the Last #Free Bootcamp class @ 7pm Kips Bat Castle Hill Community Center 625 castle hill ave Bring your Mats & Water!! #earnyoursore #shapeupnyc #bronxfit #fitness #loveyourbody #lovetheburn #noexcuses #push #sweat #sore #getactive #domore #fitfam #fitfluential #bronx #bootcamp #strength #abs #fitlife #healthy
Shape Up NYC offers a variety of classes, from aerobics to kickboxing to bootcamp, in all five boroughs.
The best part? You get to work out hard, then rock your hardworking body at your next beach day. The other best part? These classes are totally free.
21. Summer on the Hudson (The Plaza at 66th Street in Riverside Park South)
yogahollis #YogaHollis is back teaching #yoga by the #hudsonriver in #NYC #UWS for #parkandrecreation and #yogaworksNYC #YOGAWORKS #summeronthehudson #riversideparknyc #summer #freeyoga #nycyoga #riversideparksouth #instayoga #practice #practiceandalliscoming #yogaeverydamnday #vinyasaflow #vinyasa #lifeofayogateacher #yogateachernyc #riversideparknyc #yogainthepark #soh15 Copy and paste link below for further details: http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/riverside-park-south/events/2015/06/03/summer-on-the-hudson-evening-salute-to-the-sun
Want to renew your energy? How about strengthening your core, and balancing and toning your muscles? How about doing this all beside the Hudson River while the sun is setting for free?
If this all sounds good to you, then Pilates in the Park is how you should spend your next Tuesday.
Classes are from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and they're costless. Summer on the Hudson also offers Tai Chi classes on Sundays at 8 a.m. and dance classes on Sundays at 6 p.m.
Check out Bryant Park Just Announced Their Summer Movie Lineup.
[Feature Image Courtesy: Vivienne Gucwa]