Must-see Museums: New York

There are many famous tourist destinations in New York City. Amongst them are New York’s world famous museums. But with so many to choose from, it can be hard to pick those that should make your list. Here are my must-see museums: New York edition!

American Museum of Natural History

Although the exhibits do not actually come alive at night, the Natural History Museum is still well worth visiting. It is so much more than just halls full of dioramas depicting various animals. The museum has exhibits exploring the whole human era of our planet, and a fascinating hall devoted to minerals and geology. From fossils and animals to meteors and the farthest reaches of space, this museum is packed with extraordinary objects!

Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

Though perhaps not a classic tourist destination, this museum was on my personal ‘must-see’ list during my time in New York. Robert Ripley was a man who was captivated with everything strange, and this museum is a testament to that. It is packed with interesting and weird things, and is the largest in the world of its kind. Where else would you find shrunken heads, two-headed sheep, gothic torture devices, the Lighthouse Man, needle sculptures, and a chunk of the Berlin Wall under the same roof? Ripley’s is not one to miss!

Image: Wikimedia Commons / Michael Rivera

Museum of Sex

Let’s move onto saucier stuff. I hadn’t heard of this place before my trip, but I saw it on a map and decided to give it a go. Surprisingly, it turned out to be a genuinely interesting and informative place. The museum explores various sexual preferences and subcultures, and looks at the evolution and perceptions of sex. You may not think there would be that much interesting sunbstance to sex, but the sheer imagination and insight these exhibitions offer makes it a really compelling visit.

Museum of the Moving Image

There is a lot to see here. This museum offers tons of screenings and events, which focus on what happens behind and in front of the camera. It also offers perhaps the best history of the moving image there is. Its two floors are packed with artefacts from the 1800s right up to the present day. You may not think such technical stuff would interesting, a visit to this museum would definitely prove you wrong!

Image: Wikimedia Commons / MusikAnimal

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

I’m not a person who particularly enjoys art, but I make an exception for the Met. It’s one of the biggest art museums in the world. Its exhibitions are set-up in such a way that you can be in different points of time and different realms of the world. In one room it may be Ancient Egypt, in the next one Ancient Rome. The museum is not just all about art, though. There are also halls full of quirky musical instruments and weapons made throughout history. Altogether, if you’re nipping to any art museum in the city, you may as well go to the best one. After all, if it appeals to me, it should appeal to anyone else who is not the most artisitically inclined!