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New-York Historical Society Museum & Library
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New-York Historical Society Museum & Library

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See all things to do
New-York Historical Society Museum & Library
4.5
845
#84 of 1,403 things to do in New York City
Speciality Museums • Art Museums • Children's Museums • History Museums
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11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
11:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Saturday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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About
Experience 400 years of history through groundbreaking exhibitions, immersive films, and thought-provoking conversations among renowned historians and public figures at the New-York Historical Society, New York’s first museum. A great destination for history since 1804, the Museum and the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library convey the stories of the city and nation’s diverse populations, expanding our understanding of who we are as Americans and how we came to be. These efforts to help forge the future by documenting the past join New-York Historical’s DiMenna Children’s History Museum and Center for Women’s History. Digital exhibitions, apps, and our For the Ages podcast make it possible for visitors everywhere to dive more deeply into history. Vaccination against COVID-19 and face masks are recommended.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
Nestled between Central Park and the Hudson River, the Upper West Side offers iconic architecture and a quiet, residential respite from the buzzing energy of downtown. Along Central Park West are many of the city’s most iconic apartment buildings, as well as the American Museum of Natural History, which has been welcoming visitors to its historic exhibit halls for over 140 years. Culture fans will love Lincoln Center, home to some of the world’s best opera, dance, film, and theater performances, all centrally located around a beautiful fountain. Spanning the entire length of the Upper West Side, Riverside Park is ideal for a long, leisurely stroll in a quiet green space.
How to get there
  • 81st St – Museum of Natural History • 5 min walk
  • 72nd St • 5 min walk
Best nearby
Restaurants
6,352 within 3 miles
Levain Bakery
5,106
0.3 mi$ • Bakeries • American
Pappardella
487
0.2 mi$$ - $$$ • Italian • Tuscan • Vegetarian Friendly
Shake Shack Upper West Side
1,666
0.2 mi$ • Quick Bites • American • Fast Food
Alice's Tea Cup
663
0.3 mi$$ - $$$ • Dessert • Cafe • Vegetarian Friendly
Hummus Place
341
0.4 mi$ • Lebanese • Mediterranean • Middle Eastern
Storico
244
35 ft$$ - $$$ • Italian • Cafe • Vegetarian Friendly
Tessa
321
0.3 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Mediterranean • Vegetarian Friendly
The Milling Room
247
0.3 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Vegetarian Friendly • Vegan Options
The Ribbon
272
0.3 mi$$ - $$$ • French • American • Bar
Uno Pizzeria & Grill
410
0.3 mi$$ - $$$ • Italian • American • Bar
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Attractions
1,560 within 6 miles
Michael Werner
83 ftArt Galleries
DiMenna Children's History Museum
9
134 ftChildren's Museums
American Museum of Natural History
25,950
0.1 miNatural History Museums
Hayden Planetarium
423
0.1 miObservatories & Planetariums
Ladies Pavilion
27
0.1 miPoints of Interest & Landmarks
Leo Costelli Gallery, new york city, usa
1
211 ftPoints of Interest & Landmarks
The San Remo
11
0.1 miPoints of Interest & Landmarks • Architectural Buildings
Central Park
133,624
0.4 miPoints of Interest & Landmarks • Parks
Theodore Roosevelt Park
26
0.2 miParks
Strawberry Fields, John Lennon Memorial
1,837
0.2 miParks • Monuments & Statues
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
845 reviews
Excellent
487
Very good
233
Average
71
Poor
30
Terrible
24
Greg Harris
Yonkers, NY1,528 contributions
Greg & Kat’s New York Historical Society Experience.
Jul 2022 • Couples
The New York Historical Society is a first class American Library & Museum that contains more than 1.6 million works of art and holds more than 3 million written works such as books, pamphlets, manuscripts, newspapers and other written documents.

It is recognized as New York’s first museum and primarily features exhibitions that showcase New York and the United States from the 18th Century to the current times.

In July Of 2022, I brought and treated myself and my wife for a visit to the New York Historical Society and we very much enjoyed our time at this top notch institution!!!

Our favorite exhibitions were the “Meet The Presidents & The Oval Office” which features great portraits of US Presidents & stunning and highly detailed recreation of the White House & Oval Office, & “The Gallery Of Tiffany Lamp” which showcases the most extensive collection of gorgeously designed of Tiffany lamps!!!

If you are passionate about art & history, then you should definitely visit and explore the New York Historical Society!!!
Written July 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Rappongi27
334 contributions
Nice Afternoon in a Museum
Oct 2021
This was our first visit to this museum, despite having been to NYC many times (and living there many years ago). We loved this. It was completely uncrowded, sometimes the galleries had just the two of us in them. (Compare that to the famous museum immediately across the street with the dinos and hordes of tourists and children!) In our case we mostly visited the Tiffany exhibit. Its not just the glass that is beautiful, the gallery in which it is displayed was also impressive in its own right. (And having just seen a traveling exhibit of Tiffany glass at the Crocker museum in Sacramento a short time ago, it was interesting to see the difference in how they were displayed.) Also of great interest (and where the most people were) was the Ruth Bader Ginsberg exhibit. She was of course a hometown girl, so this temporary exhibit was appropriate for a NYC historical museum. Gosh I miss her.
We will recommend this museum to our friends for when the visit the UWS.
Written November 3, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
LIAM G
CHESHIRE6 contributions
must see
Feb 2022
This place is a must visit if you are going to New York. Its huge and you may not get round it all in one day but even seeing a third of it was breath-taking. the Dinosaurs floor 4 is amazing and just continues for ever. We did the space room tour and this was incredible, well worth the extra 5 dollars.

Book a time slot to save disappointment, we booked 2pm and still had to que in the worlds longest ques ive ever seen but it went down quickly, about 20 mins for us but this was on a bank holiday so had lots of Americans visiting with families, also and have to be double jabbed
Written February 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Laurence C
2 contributions
Sparce Collection, Unfocused Exhibitions
Mar 2022
I had been to the NY Historical Society in 2014 and was impressed with their collection and exhibitions. Coming back in 2022 was a major disappointment. We had decided to visit so that we could see their Audubon Exhibit and paintings. The Audubon Exhibit was shoved into a tiny closet off a main hallway. Very little was on display from their permanent collection this time around. There was an interesting exhibit on Presidents with a scale model of the oval office, but it begged the question of why and what does that have to do with New York? The current exhibitions all were focused on social justice. The exception were those focused on "the history of COVID" which seems odd considering that the pandemic is not technically over. We were originally planning on spending a couple of hours here but easily finished in less than 45 mins. Save your $22 and go to another museum instead.
Written March 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
dustythoughts
Manchester, CT1,762 contributions
Interesting, underappreciated gem
Nov 2022
This interesting, often-overlooked museum sits in the shadows of the AMNH but is worth a visit of its own! We came here to see a special exhibit on the history of Jewish delis, and we thoroughly enjoyed it! The exhibit was organized with a loving attention to detail and was both informative and occasionally hands-on. I was surprised at how much research and information they were able to provide on Jewish delis - I hadn't realized that it was a topic of historical research, although given their importance in the NYC social landscape, it makes sense. This museum also has other exhibits (the exhibit on toy trains was really cool!), and I saw that they'll also have an exhibit on the history of the Salem Witch Trials. The store had a lot of cool stuff in it.
Written November 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
orcasgal
Orcas Island, WA476 contributions
Tiffany attraction
Mar 2022
We came for the Tiffany lamps, and there was so much more of interest. I enjoyed the upside-down doll most of the additional exhibits. The two films were very well done and held our interest.
Unfortunately, while my excitement was high, the Audubon exhibit was very small. I had been in Key West in January and the Audubon House there had much more. Plus, I used to live one-mile from the tiny Heard Museum in Fairview, TX, and their exhibit is the best I have ever seen of Audubon's work.
Storico, the museum restaurant here, was decently-priced good food, too.
Written March 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
109Val
Ann Arbor, MI8 contributions
As always, two great shows in our December visit.
Dec 2021
Loved the two exhibits we saw: Scenes of New York City and The Notorious RBG. The NY paintings and drawings are lovely and evocative, some very familiar images and some not. The innovative curation with the quotes from multiple types of New Yorkers who have a variety of connection to the images are fun to read.

The RBG show is also lots of fun, has great accessible descriptions of some of her cases and why they were important. Gives a nice feel for her background and upbringing.

The shows here are always such high quality. It has a very high hit rate for great shows among the museums one sees in major cities.
Written December 25, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
LWL3333
Wellington, FL18,100 contributions
Bob Hope & Co.
Aug 2021
Last week my wife and I, along with two of our friends, returned to this, one of our favorite New York City museums. The main exhibit now is about Bob Hope's many trips overseas to entertain the troops in WW II--not my favorite exhibit, but truthfully, all of their exhibits are interesting, as we both are American history buffs. Note that the museum is now only open on Fri, Sat and Sun.
Written August 28, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
wendaroolie
Philadelphia, PA70 contributions
This museum is a powerhouse experience
Aug 2022
I loved it here. Wonderful museum. Tiffany lamps exhibit was extraordinary, as was the third floor permanent collection. So much to see. Had no idea all this was here. Loved this and will return happily and hopefully soon. I wish they had more t-shirts in the gift shop with the museum name on them. Great restaurant attached, and across the street from the natural history museum. And across from Central Park! Winning day.
Written August 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
LakeMamie
Guilford, CT54 contributions
Tiffany exhibit is exquisite
Feb 2020
We went specifically to see the Tiffany exhibit (thought we did see everything), which has over 100 examples of Tiffany lamps, primarily designed by Clara Driscoll and the "Tiffany Girls." It was luminous. The designs and colors, were beautifully lit and displayed. And it was very enlightening to learn about Mrs. Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls, who have gotten very little credit heretofore for their work. If you go and if you have time and/or interest, I suggest reading the very engaging book entitled, "Clara and Mr. Tiffany." And the restaurant is superb!
Written February 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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New-York Historical Society Museum & Library (New York City) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Frequently Asked Questions about New-York Historical Society Museum & Library
New-York Historical Society Museum & Library is open:
  • Tue - Thu 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
  • Fri - Fri 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM
  • Sat - Sun 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Buy tickets in advance on Tripadvisor. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel at least 24 hours before the start date of your tour for a full refund.
We recommend booking New-York Historical Society Museum & Library tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 5 New-York Historical Society Museum & Library tours on Tripadvisor
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