Highest-rated specialty museums in New York by visitors

In 1683, Elias Ashmole, an Oxford graduate and true polymath, , the modern world's first public museum. Stocked with his private collection of artifacts, curios, and special scientific equipment, the goal of the museum was to create a center for practical research and the advancement of knowledge. This, Ashmole felt, was a goal "very necessary to humaine life, health [and] the conveniences thereof."

According to figures from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, there are in the United States today. Their collections encompass everything from modern art, like at the MoMA in New York City, to mustard, like at the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin, and everything in between.

Museums are anchors of our communities. The reports that museums support more than 725,000 jobs and contribute upwards of $50 billion to the U.S. economy each year. Three-quarters of Americans agree that museums are an important part of our civil society and have an important role in promoting knowledge and civic engagement.

Beyond their educational and economic significance, museums are just plain fun. Whether you have a developed interest in natural history or just want to learn a little bit more about funerary history (the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston), there's sure to be a museum that strikes your interest. There's simply nothing else quite like spending an afternoon learning about famous figures, arts and crafts, military history, or what else you fancy.

Here, compiled a list of the highest-rated specialty museums in New York on as of Aug. 13, 2025. Keep reading to see what unique museums are in your home state. Then, make sure to plan a visit. With many museums facing funding cuts due to the current administration's efforts to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services, who's to say how much longer these treasure troves will be available to us?

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#30. National Museum of the American Indian

- Rating: 4.2/5 (818 reviews)
- City: New
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#29. Snug Harbor Cultural Center

- Rating: 4.3/5 (306 reviews)
- City: Staten Island New
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#28. Vanderbilt Museum

- Rating: 4.2/5 (228 reviews)
- City: Centerport Long Island New
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#27. National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House

- Rating: 4.6/5 (286 reviews)
- City: Rochester Finger Lakes New
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#26. Cradle of Aviation Museum

- Rating: 4.5/5 (426 reviews)
- City: Garden City Long Island New
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#25. Pierce-Arrow Museum

- Rating: 4.5/5 (307 reviews)
- City: Buffalo Erie County New
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#24. Antique Boat Museum

- Rating: 4.8/5 (502 reviews)
- City: Clayton New
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#23. Noguchi Museum

- Rating: 4.6/5 (207 reviews)
- City: Long Island City Queens New
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#22. Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum

- Rating: 4.5/5 (730 reviews)
- City: Jamestown Chautauqua County New
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#21. National Comedy Center

- Rating: 4.8/5 (403 reviews)
- City: Jamestown Chautauqua County New
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#20. The Museum at Bethel Woods

- Rating: 4.7/5 (565 reviews)
- City: Bethel Sullivan Catskills Catskill Region New
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#19. Museum of the Moving Image

- Rating: 4.5/5 (728 reviews)
- City: Astoria Queens New
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#18. Old Westbury Gardens

- Rating: 4.7/5 (444 reviews)
- City: Old Westbury Long Island New
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#17. Ellis Island Immigration Museum

- Rating: 4.4/5 (3,202 reviews)
- City: New
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#16. Museum Of Ice Cream Nyc

- Rating: 3.8/5 (1,444 reviews)
- City: New
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#15. Glenn H. Curtiss Museum

- Rating: 4.8/5 (704 reviews)
- City: Hammondsport Finger Lakes New
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#14. Star Trek Original Series Set Tour

- Rating: 4.9/5 (342 reviews)
- City: Ticonderoga New
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#13. George Eastman Museum

- Rating: 4.6/5 (1,107 reviews)
- City: Rochester Finger Lakes New
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#12. New York Transit Museum

- Rating: 4.5/5 (1,034 reviews)
- City: Brooklyn New
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#11. Spyscape

- Rating: 4.3/5 (507 reviews)
- City: New
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#10. Madame Tussauds New York

- Rating: 4.0/5 (8,392 reviews)
- City: New
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#9. Museum At Eldridge Street

- Rating: 4.8/5 (543 reviews)
- City: New
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#8. Ground Zero Museum Workshop

- Rating: 4.8/5 (3,106 reviews)
- City: New
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#7. National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

- Rating: 4.7/5 (3,815 reviews)
- City: Cooperstown Otsego Otsego County New
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#6. Tenement Museum

- Rating: 4.6/5 (6,902 reviews)
- City: New
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#5. Morgan Library

- Rating: 4.7/5 (2,185 reviews)
- City: New
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#4. Corning Museum of Glass

- Rating: 4.8/5 (4,058 reviews)
- City: Corning Finger Lakes New
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#3. Museum of Sex New York City

- Rating: 4.6/5 (992 reviews)
- City: New
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#2. New York Public Library

- Rating: 4.6/5 (14,737 reviews)
- City: New
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#1. The National 9/11 Memorial & Museum

- Rating: 4.7/5 (98,899 reviews)
- City: New
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This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Madison Troyer, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 51 states.

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