NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday afternoon that many of the city's museums are offering free or discounted tickets to students ahead of the first day of school.
"New York City kids continue to show their resilience every day. I'm thrilled to see these extraordinary institutions open their doors to young people and families across the five boroughs," de Blasio said in a statement. "Arts and culture are a critical part of New York City's social fabric, and we thank these organizations for providing our kids with safe, educational activities before schools open next week."
New York City Cultural Affairs Commissioner Gonzalo Casals, said in a statement, "The reopening of our cultural organizations has lifted New Yorkers' spirits. We encourage young people and their families to engage with the amazing artwork and experiences provided by our incredible cultural organizations, where we go to be inspired and to make sense of the changes happening around us."
Below are the participating institutions, according to the Mayor's Office:
- American Museum of Natural History: The museum welcomes NYC schoolchildren and their caregivers back, with a hall to visit for every grade and every age. Tickets are pay what you wish for NYC residents. Reserve on their website: https://ticketing.amnh.org/#tickets.
- Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Met is welcoming students and caregivers back to both their main building on Fifth Avenue, and to The Cloisters. For NYC residents, admission is pay what you wish. Closed to the public Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Reserve a timed ticket on their website: https://engage.metmuseum.org/reservation.
- Morgan Library and Museum: The Morgan Library & Museum is providing free tickets to school-aged kids aged 18 and younger and their caregivers on September 16, 17 and 18. Advance reservation required. Families can email tickets@themorgan.org with desired date and time of visit. To plan your visit go to www.themorgan.org.
- Museum of Arts and Design: Children under 18 are always free, and the museum is extending a special $5 ticket to caregivers with the promo code: NYC20. Reopening to the public September 17. Tickets may be reserved on MAD's website: https://madmuseum.org/visit.
- The Museum of Modern Art: MoMA has reserved a number of tickets for students and their caregivers this week. Interested families should email tickets@moma.org with their preferred day and time. All tickets will be free of charge. Open to Members only on Mondays. Visitors guide: https://www.moma.org/visit/tips (note: families should email tickets@moma.org to book tickets).
- National September 11 Memorial Museum: The Family Pass is intended for families or small groups up to five people exploring the city together. The package includes two adult and up to three child/young adult (ages 7-17) admission tickets to The Museum at a discounted price of $82. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Book on their website: https://www.911memorial.org/visit/visit-museum-1.
- New Museum: Tickets are available for the museum's first two weeks, starting September 15. Closed Mondays. Admission is free through September 27. Book on their website: https://www.newmuseum.org/visit.
- South Street Seaport Museum: The Tall Ship Wavertree is open to guests on upcoming Saturdays, free of charge. Book timed tickets on their website: https://southstreetseaportmuseum.org/.
- Staten Island Museum: The museum will reopen on Saturday, September 19, and will offer visitors take away bags with activities from the Women of the Nation Arise! suffrage exhibit. Purchase your tickets through the museum's website: www.statenislandmuseum.org.
- Whitney Museum of American Art: Admission is Pay What You Wish through September. The Whitney is operating at a significantly reduced capacity for your safety, and same-day tickets may be extremely limited. All visitors must book timed tickets in advance. Tickets, visitor policies, updated hours and online events are available on the Whitney's website: https://whitney.org/visit.
- Wildlife Conservation Society: The Wildlife Conservation Society is offering preferred admission access to WCS zoos and aquarium parents and guardians with children during the week of September 14. All tickets are date-specific and must be purchased in advance online at the individual parks' websites – Bronx Zoo, New York Aquarium, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Zoo. Additional community access included the traditional free Wednesday admission at the Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium and those tickets are released on the Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium websites on Tuesday of each week. Visit the zoo's Know Before You Go page: https://bronxzoo.com/plan-your-visit/know-before-you-go.
Virtual programming
For families who can't visit in person, cultural organizations are providing kid-friendly opportunities for enrichment online:
- American Museum of Natural History: For those who want to explore the Museum from home, AMNH has free virtual field trips for all ages that can be accessed at https://www.amnh.org/plan-your-visit/field-trips.
- Brooklyn Children's Museum: BCM+You is a digital portal providing hands-on art-making activities connected with the BCM collection and community. All activities are available for families and educators on our website. Additionally, in partnership with Brooklyn Public Library's Brooklyn Cultural Adventures Program (BCAP) and WNET/Channel 13, BCM offers free online programming that guide viewers through activities such as time capsules, community flag making, makerspace offerings and more.
- Materials for the Arts: MFTA, a creative reuse program run by the city's Department of Cultural Affairs, has created a centralized online education center, with tips, guides, and lessons for how to transform re-purposed everyday items into creative tools to engage and inspire youth: https://www.materialsforthearts.org/eduonline/.
- Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Met Teens Instagram account will be engaging teens, and providing constant updates, programs, access to teen passes, and more throughout the week: https://www.instagram.com/p/CFAbhzIlx8s/?igshid=gvh7xcxkhzdo.
- Staten Island Children's Museum: With school back in session, parents and kids will find the Museum At Home webpage a great resource for continued learning and fascinating fun. It includes informational videos about their animal collection, suggested family adventure walks around Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Gardens, how-to videos demonstrating science and art projects with materials commonly found at home, read-alouds of books for story time, printable activity sheets, and child-cook friendly recipes.
- VirtualNYC: NYC & Company's VirtualNYC platform rounds up the best online experiences—including recorded performances, digitized exhibitions, social media gatherings and virtual tours—from museums, galleries, comedy clubs, theaters and other venues all over the City. And the VirtualNYC Curator Collections feature provides curated lists of virtual experiences selected by leaders from NYC's diverse cultural community.
