Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Build a trip to New York City
About
The only museum in the U.S. devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design, it is located in the former Andrew Carnegie Mansion. The museum seamlessly blends 19th-century woodwork with high-tech interactive exhibits. Every visitor is given a 'Pen'—a digital tool that allows you to 'collect' objects and even design your own wallpapers on digital tables. The experience is tactile and highly engaging for both kids and adults. Expert recommendation: Spend time in the Immersion Room to see your own designs projected on the walls at full scale. Pro tip: The museum’s garden is a hidden gem and is free to the public; it's a perfect spot to rest after a walk around the nearby Reservoir in Central Park.
Highlights
- Andrew Carnegie Mansion setting
- Interactive design pen
- Historic walled garden
- National design collection
Amenities
Nearby Attractions
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
A masterpiece of 20th-century architecture designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Guggenheim is a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its unique spiral ramp. Unlike traditional museums, visitors take an elevator to the top and walk down the continuous spiral to view modern and contemporary art. The building itself is as much a work of art as the Kandinskys and Picassos inside. The sensory experience is defined by the soft natural light filtering through the massive glass oculus. Expert recommendation: Check the schedule for the rotunda’s temporary site-specific installations, which often use the architecture in mind-bending ways. Pro tip: The museum offers 'Pay What You Wish' on Saturday evenings from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM; however, booking in advance is mandatory.
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art
As the largest art museum in the Americas, The Met houses over two million works spanning 5,000 years of global culture. From the ancient Egyptian Temple of Dendur to the lavish European paintings and the American Wing’s period rooms, it is a labyrinth of human creativity. The Beaux-Arts facade on Fifth Avenue leads into the Great Hall, a bustling sanctuary of high ceilings and floral arrangements. Experts suggest focusing on 2-3 specific galleries rather than trying to see everything in one day. Pro tip: During summer months, visit the Cantor Roof Garden Bar for contemporary art installations and a spectacular view over the Central Park canopy; note that the museum is closed on Wednesdays.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the world's largest and most comprehensive art museums, with a permanent collection of over two million works spanning 5,000 years of human creativity from every corner of the globe. Founded in 1870, the Met's Fifth Avenue building houses Egyptian antiquities (including a complete temple transported from Egypt), European paintings by Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Caravaggio, American art through the 19th century, arms and armor, fashion through the ages, and much more. The rooftop garden offers seasonal contemporary sculpture installations with views across Central Park. The medieval collections at the Met Cloisters in Upper Manhattan form a separate branch of the museum.
Central Park
Central Park is New York City's ultimate escape and the world's most visited urban park, an 843-acre green rectangle at the heart of Manhattan that welcomes over 42 million visitors annually. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux and completed in the 1870s, the park contains meadows, forests, lakes, an ice skating rink, a zoo, the Bethesda Fountain, Strawberry Fields memorial to John Lennon, and countless performance spaces. The Reservoir provides a popular running circuit, while the Great Lawn hosts major outdoor concerts. Every season transforms the park — cherry blossoms in spring, Shakespeare in the Park performances in summer, brilliant foliage in autumn, and ice skating beneath winter skies.
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