There is no doubt New York City is one of the most exciting cities in the world to visit and now you can thank the economy for a long list of FREE things to do once you’re in the city. Love it! So get ready for some TRAVEL THERAPY, NYC style, that you can’t afford to miss!
New York City always gets a bad wrap for being SO expensive and that’s absolutely true if you don’t know how to scout out the right travel deals. In this TRAVEL THERAPY feature we highlight some of the best things to do in NYC that are absolutely FREE.
Top 10 List of FREE Things to Do in NYC
#1 MoMA Free Night
If you’re looking to go to the Museum of Modern Art don’t miss this great free nyc special where you can now go to MoMA any Friday night between 4pm and 8pm for free ( tickets are usually $20 a piece). But be sure to get your tickets ahead of time. www.moma.org.
#2 Staten Island Ferry
This is a longtime favorite NYC freebie but it still always surprises me how many people don’t know about it or take advantage of it! Whenever I have friends come in from out of town instead of taking one of the pricey tourist boats to get out on the water to see the Statue of Liberty, Elis Island the Manhattan skyline, I always recommend a FREE round-trip on the Staten Island Ferry. You can get the same great photos without spending a cent! www.siferry.com
#3 Central Park
This seems like a no-brainer because Central Park is so phenomenal and free but the best way to really appreciate the park is to plan ahead to make sure you don’t miss any of the famous spots like the Imagine memorial to John Lennon off 72 street, or the famous Bethesda Fountain and the 1873 sculpture of “Angle of Waters” or Bow Bridge. You can go to Central Park’s website for some great free maps and history and even download a free walking tour! www.centralparknyc.org
#5 Kayaking on Hudson River
Here’s another fabulous NYC freebie that many people don’t know about but they should definitely take advantage of. You can actually get a kayak and get out onto the Hudson River! The New York City Downtown Boathouse is an all volunteer organization that provides access to the Hudson River for everyone including loaning you the kayak! You can get started at 72 street, Pier 40 and Pier 96. Available May 16 to October. I’ll see you there! www.downtownboathouse.org
#6 Tour of NY Fed Gold Vault
Here’s one of my favorite free tours in New York City! You have to sign up ahead of time on the internet to get your specific tour date but then for free you can actually go inside the gold vault at the NY Fed building. This tour is fascinating. To get that close to that many millions is mindboggling! www.newyorkfed.org
#7 Trinity Church Tour
History buffs will love this one because on this free NYC tour you can visit the graves of William Bradford and Alexander Hamilton and other popular historical figures. You can also view artifacts dating back to the 1600’s.
#8 Free NYC Walking Tours
There is no doubt the best way to authentically experience NYC is to put on a comfy pair of shoes and walk and walk AND walk! ( I wasn’t kidding about the comfy shoes!) There are many free tours you can take to learn more about specific part of Manhattan. A fun one to try if you’re a Bob Dylan fan is the free self guided walking tour pointing out all of Dylan’s favorite old haunts www.new-pony.com/tour.html.
#9 Free Dance and Music
One of my favorite freebies in NYC is going to see everything from musical concerts, theatre productions and dance performances at Julliard in Lincoln Center where Julliard routinely gives out free tickets to their performances. You just need to go online and check out their Calendar of when they’re giving out tickets and you can pick up two tickets to any of the free shows. It’s a great way to soak up some culture for free and support these talented students at the same time. www.julliard.edu
#10 Free NYC Museums
It can get pricey visiting all the top NYC museums unless you have the insider info on the free times you can get it! For example, for adults MoMA is usually $20 but on Fridays between 4pm and 8pm everyone gets in free ( see above). You can also get into the Whitney Museum free on Fridays from 6pm to 9pm and at the MET there is a “suggest fee” of $20 but you pay what you can afford at anytime you visit.
These 10 NYC freebies are just the tip of the iceberg of what you’ll find that’s free to do in NYC for more tips on finding free things to do in New York City be sure to follow along on Twitter where we’ll update new freebies all the time www.twitter.com/traveltherapy.
For more on some top TRAVEL THERAPY trips that are affordable and inspiring don’t forget to pick up a copy of my new book Travel Therapy: Where Do You Need to Go? that’s available in bookstores and online but if you get it from the link on this website you save more than 30 percent!
Also continue to find our more free things to do in NYC by following along on:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/traveltherapy
Facebook Page: Travel Therapy
I would love to hear about any free things you’ve discovered during your travels. Just leave a comment here.
