African Burial Ground
One of Lower Manhattan’s most fascinating, and controversial, stories of recent years circulates around the new African Burial Ground National Monument site. It began when a construction project in 1991 uncovered a burial ground of slaves – more than 400 caskets were found – from an age when New York had more slaves than any American city outside Charleston, South Carolina. Outside you can see part of the site now enveloped by buildings, and the compact visitors center does a masterful job at retelling African-American history in the city. 290 Broadway between Duane & Elk Sts, Lower Manhattan.
Brooklyn Brewery © Jose Otero / 500px
Brooklyn Brewery tours
Free tours of Williamsburg’s Brooklyn Brewery run on the hour from 1-5pm Saturday, 1-4pm Sunday. 79 N 11th St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
This ‘Imagine’ mosaic marks the spot in Central Park where John Lennon was shot © Mikki Brammer / Lonely Planet
Central Park
It doesn’t take brilliant travel minds to tell you that a park is free to visit – most parks are. But most parks aren’t Central Park, Manhattan’s famed claim to thinking ahead (even if it was designed in the 1860s to boost real-estate value uptown). It’s filled with free events, statues, people-watching and sites like Strawberry Fields, an ‘Imagine’ mosaic near the Dakota, where John Lennon was killed in 1980. Another site is ‘the Pond,’ at the southeastern corner, where Holden Caulfield kept turning to in ‘The Catcher in the Rye,’ wondering where those ducks go when it’s cold.
Chelsea galleries
New York’s most concentrated area for a gallery crawl is in Chelsea, mostly in the 20s streets between 10th and 11th Avenues. Check Gallery Guide for listings. All galleries are free entry, with no pressure to buy. And try timing your visit for wine-and-cheese openings on Thursday evenings.
New York City Hall © sangaku / Shutterstock
City Hall
Home to New York City’s government since 1812, City Hall is the oldest city hall in the USA that is still used for its original purpose. Tours take in its cupola-topped marble hall, the governor’s room as well as the spot where Abraham Lincoln’s coffin lay in state briefly in 1865 – make sure you reserve your spot in advance. City Hall Park, facing the Brooklyn Bridge, Lower Manhattan.
Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) Museum
It’s always Fashion Week in the FIT Museum, which features rotating exhibits by students and a surprisingly interesting and detailed collection of the country’s first gallery of fashion, picked from a collection of 50,000 garments dating from the 18th century to present. Seventh Ave & 27th St, Garment District, Midtown West.
The statue of George Washington at the Federal Hall in New York City © Kamira / Shutterstock
Federal Hall
Two presidents were inaugurated in New York City, beginning with the first ‘Dubya’ – George Washington – who took the oath in Federal Hall in 1789, back when New York was the first capital. (Chester A. Arthur was the second.) There’s a nice statue outside, overlooking the New York Stock Exchange across Wall Street, and a small museum on post-colonial New York inside. 26 Wall St, Lower Manhattan.
General Ulysses S Grant National Memorial (aka ‘Grant’s Tomb’)
Also called ‘Grant’s Tomb’, the $600,000 granite structure that holds the remains of the Civil War hero and 18th president (and his wife Julia) is the largest mausoleum in the US, and is patterned after Mausolus’ tomb at Halicarnassus, making it a plagiarized version of one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Riverside Dr at 122nd St, Morningside Heights.
Governor’s Island
The ferry to Governors Island is $2 round trip, but access to the 172-acre island – which is open May through September – is free. There’s a 2.2-mile bike path, mini golf, a picnic area, plus military sites such as Admiral’s House and a ‘ghost town’ of sorts at Nolan Park. Ferries leave from Battery Maritime Bldg, Slip 7, Lower Manhattan.
The sleek, art-deco Chrysler building is one of the stops on the free walking tours by Grand Central Partnership © Mikki Brammer / Lonely Planet
Grand Central Partnership Walking Tours
Two historians lead free 90-minute walking tours at 12:30pm every Friday, hitting places like Grand Central Terminal’s ‘whispering gallery’ and the Chrysler Building. 120 Park Ave, at 42nd St, Midtown East.
Green-Wood Cemetery
Once the nation’s most visited tourist attraction outside Niagara Falls, the gorgeous Green-Wood Cemetery was founded in 1838 and is the eternal home to some 600,000 people (or about 530 miles of bodies, head to toe). It’s leafy and lovely, features Brooklyn’s highest point at Battle Hill – a site from the Revolutionary War now marked with a seven-foot statue of the Roman goddess of wisdom, Minerva. Watch for the squawking green parakeets at the cemetery’s Gothic entry – these are runaways from a JFK mishap in 1980 and have lived here since. 500 25th St, Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
Hamilton Grange
You know you’ve made it when you get a grange (the next level unlocks when a hit Broadway musical is written about your life). Hamilton Grange reopened in 2011 after renovation and is the Federal-style country retreat where Alexander Hamilton spent quieter, pre-death-by-duel New York days. St Nicholas Park at 141st St, Hamilton Heights.
The High Line is a bucolic escape from the New York City streets © Marco Rubino / Shutterstock
High Line
It may technically be a public park, but the expanding High Line project has the impact and feel of a real-life tourist attraction, complete with its own opening hours. Created from an abandoned stretch of elevated railroad track, the landscaping of this park (which stands 30 feet in the air) connects the Meatpacking District with Chelsea’s galleries, ending at the Javits Center on the south side of Hell’s Kitchen. There are wonderful views of the Hudson River and of pedestrians on the sidewalks below. Watch for public-art installations and events. Gansevoort Street to 34th St, between 9th & 11th Aves, Chelsea.
Japan Society
The films and lectures usually involve a ticket, but the gallery exhibits at the Japan Society (focusing on Japanese art) are free 6-9pm Fridays. 333 E 47 St, between First & Second Aves, Midtown East.
National Museum of the American Indian
This Smithsonian expat, just off historic Bowling Green and Battery Park, is neighbor to frenetic commuters and tourists heading to the Statue of Liberty but often gets overlooked. Situated in the spectacular former U.S. Customs House (1907), the National Museum of the American Indian is one of the country’s finest collections of Native American art. The focus of its million-plus items, as well as its programs, is on culture rather than history. 1 Bowling Green, Lower Manhattan.
New York Earth Room
Now for something completely different: the Earth Room, Walter De Maria’s 1977 art installation, a single room filled with 280,000 pounds of dirt, combines the framework of an ordinary office with the scent of a wet forest. 141 Wooster St, SoHo
Rose Main Reading Room, New York Public Library © jiawangkun / Shutterstock
New York Public Library
Remember the Dewey Decimal System? The New York Public Library, New York’s most famous library (aka the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building) is situated in a grand Beaux-Arts icon east of Times Square. It’s fronted by marble lions named ‘Patience’ and ‘Fortitude,’ and is a jaw-dropper to walk through – particularly the reading room fit for 500 patrons poring over tomes under the library’s original Carrère and Hastings lamps. There are exhibits too, including a copy of the original Declaration of Independence, a Gutenberg Bible, plus 431,000 old maps. Free tours take place at 11am and 2pm Monday to Saturday, 2pm Sunday (closed Sunday in summer). Fifth Ave at 42nd St, Midtown East.
Shakespeare at Sunset
You can try your luck (along with everyone else in New York) to win free tickets to Shakespeare in the Park via the digital lottery, but just in case you don’t win, you can also get your fix of the Bard at Shakespeare at Sunset, hosted by New York Classical Theatre at nontraditional public venues across the city.
Old Stone House
A Breuckelen legacy from Brooklyn’s Dutch origins, and a survivor of the ill-fated Battle of Brooklyn, this Old Stone House features a small exhibit on the battle. (Its upstairs is also sometimes rented out for the likes of sample sales.) Entry is by ‘suggested donation’ of $3 (so will depend on how open to suggestion you are). Fifth Ave, btwn 3th & 4th Sts, Park Slope, Brooklyn.
Public boathouse kayaking
Kayak for free from public boathouses such as the Downtown Boathouse and Long Island Community Boathouse in Queens.
Rockefeller Center Public Art
Built in the 1930s Great Depression, the 22-acre Rockefeller Center is more than the setting for NBC’s Today Show (lines often appear by 6am) and a giant Christmas tree in December (not to mention to $33 NBC tours or $37 trips to the observatory deck). Pop by to see the slew of art commissioned under the theme of ‘Man at the Crossroads Looks Uncertainly but Hopefully at the Future.’ A bit wordy, but the pieces pack a big punch, and include the statue of Prometheus overlooking the skating rink, and Atlas holding the world at 630 Fifth Ave. Between Fifth & Sixth Aves, around 49th & 50th Sts, Midtown.
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Part of the city’s library system, the Schomburg Center is the country’s largest collection of documents, books, recordings and photographs related to the African-American experience. It hosts free exhibits and tours – although its guided tours must be booked at least one month in advance. 515 Malcolm X Blvd at 135th St, Harlem.
Socrates Sculpture Park
On the East River, overlooking Roosevelt Island and the Upper East Side, the Socrates Sculpture Park (a former dump site) now has interesting art installations, light shows and movies on Wednesdays in summer. Broadway at Vernon Blvd, Astoria, Queens.
The Staten Island Ferry cruising past the Statue of Liberty © Christopher Penler / Shutterstock
Staten Island Ferry
Everyone wants to see the Statue of Liberty, but the ferry tours there start at $18.50 for adults. Fortunately, the Staten Island Ferry, which cuts across the New York Harbor and offers a great view of Lady Liberty, is absolutely free. Having been in service since 1905, the ferry carries 19 million people across the harbor each year. East end of Battery Park, Lower Manhattan.
Jazz at Barbès
If the Village Vanguard and Smalls are way out of your price range, head across the bridge to Barbès in Brooklyn to enjoy stellar jazz for free, every night of the week. 376 9th St at 6th Ave, Brooklyn.
Free attractions at specific times:
American Museum of Natural History
Free its last hour (4:45-5:45pm), and admission price is ‘suggested’ at all other times (so free, if you have the chutzpah to suggest $0). Central Park West & 79th St, Upper West Side.
Bargemusic Music in Motion
On Saturdays at 4pm enjoy an hour-long concert aboard a barge on the East River, followed by Q&A session with the musicians. 1 Water Street, Brooklyn.
Books Beneath the Bridge
On Monday nights throughout July and August, prominent authors such as Martin Amis, Patti Smith and Paul Auster read their works to a captive audience in Brooklyn Bridge Park.
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival
Launched in 1979 as a way to entice people to come to Prospect Park, this annual summer festival hosts free concerts, movies and dance performances at the Prospect Park Bandshell. 141 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Free Tuesday, 10am to noon Saturday and weekdays in winter (Nov-Feb). Eastern Parkway at Washington Ave, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.
Brooklyn Museum
Free first Saturday of the month, when there’s big wine-sipping, DJ parties that draw half the neighborhood. 200 Eastern Parkway, at Washington Ave, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.
Bronx Zoo
Pay what you wish on Wednesday. 2300 Southern Blvd, The Bronx.
El Museo del Barrio
Free the third Saturday of the month. 1230 Fifth Ave between 104th & 105th Sts, Spanish Harlem.
Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum
Pay what you wish, first Friday of the month. 9-01 33rd Rd, Astoria, Queens.
Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series
Opera-hop throughout the five boroughs to enjoy some of The Met’s finest (and emerging) talents singing under the stars.
Movement Research at the Judson Church
On Monday evenings during its fall/winter and spring seasons, Movement Research hosts free dance performances that act as a forum for experimentation, emerging ideas and works in progress. 55 Washington Square, Greenwich Village.
Movies in the Park
Unless you’re doing it for the air-conditioning, you can avoid setting foot inside a cinema all summer long by satiating your inner film buff at the outdoor screenings held in parks across the city, including Bryant Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park and McCarren Park.
Museum of Modern Art
Entry is free 4-8pm on Friday. Gets busy. 11 W 53rd St, between Fifth & Sixth Aves, Midtown West.
Museum of the Moving Image
Free 4-8pm Friday. 35th Ave, at 36th St, Astoria, Queens.
Neue Galerie
Free 6-8pm the first Friday of the month. 1048 Fifth Ave at 86th St, Upper East Side.
New York Botanical Garden
Free Wednesday, 9-10am Saturday. Bronx River Pkwy & Fordham Rd, The Bronx.
New York Historical Society
Pay what you wish, 6-8pm Friday. 2 W 77th St at Central Park West, Upper West Side.
Pete’s Reading Series
Held every other Thursday at 7:30pm, this intimate reading event at Pete’s Candy Store in Brooklyn hosts both rising stars and literary greats. 709 Lorimer St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Studio Museum in Harlem
Free on Sunday. 144 W 125th St at Adam Clayton Powell Blvd, Harlem.
Upright Citizens Brigade Theater
Head to the Thursday Open Mic Night to see up-and-coming comedians dole out their best material in the hopes of following in the footsteps of UCB alumni like Aziz Ansari, Kate McKinnon and Amy Poehler. 307 W 26th St, Chelsea.
Wave Hill
This 28-acre public garden and associated cultural center are free 9am to noon Tuesday and Saturday. W 249th St at Independence Ave, Riverdale, The Bronx.