New-York Historical Society Review

Great museum, it's a hidden gem in that it's often overlooked compared to the Natural History Museum right next door. The films they show are incredibly well done and makes the visit well worth it! They are must-sees and I highly recommend them, definitely my favorite part! It's like getting a ticket to the movies and a museum at the same time. I came here on a weekday and it was also very peaceful compared to the touristy Nat next door. I had a free admissions pass I got from an event, but if not, I do think the price is very expensive, and if not for the free pass, I don't think I would've come here. There are museums that probably have better value, but if you do have the money to put up, or manage to grab a free ticket outside, I highly recommend checking out this museum! As a New Yorker, born and raised, it got me to really love and appreciate my home and the city I grew up in!

Enjoy this museum a lot with my kids. They learnt a lot and enjoyed the hands on activity in the discovery club! The Rose Planeterium is wonderful!

Visited on a Friday evening, when it is pay-as-you-want. The allotted two hours (6-8pm) was more than enough to see all four exhibits. The 18-minute film, 'New York Story', showing at the auditorium, told the city's colorful history, highlighting its humble beginnings and rise as a global city. There is a small gift shop by the entrance.

Absolutely worth a trip for locals and tourists alike. I am a born and bred New Yorker and only recently went to this museum. The curators created a really accessible, interesting and educational exhibit with videos and historical photos documentation. I ended up staying longer than expected. I came back a month later and had lunch at Storico, their cafe/restaurant, and had an delicious shashuka. I would highly recommend a visit, particularly if you happen to the in the UWS.

so cool. learned so much. great place. clean and the staff was so great.

Beautiful museum. Takes about an hour to walk through the four floors.

One the best and most consistently best curated museums about New York !!

Beautiful from all floors
Fantastic gift shop and restaurant

Great children s programs

one of our favorite museums to visit very close to Sarabeth's which we also love.

Went with kids to Harry Potter show. If you are thinking of bringing kids younger than 15 at the show, stay home. Although the show is well put together, it's really an assembly of items related to alchemy, witchery, etc. and some papers and pictures from Rowling's archive. There are no hands-on things, or anything that would be of any interest to a child. Considering the price, timed-tickets, parking, etc. it was a disappointment as the Harry Potter brand is used to bring in families with young kids...but it's not for them.

Tiffany exhibit was an awesome surprise!
The admission price is well-worth that alone.

I know the historical society not as a museum but as a place for research. And it is one of my two favorite places to do research in terms of a physical space (the other being the main reading room of the New York Public Library humanities collection on 5th Ave. now called the Schwarzman Building).

great place to learn about indiiduals & events effecting the history ofnew york city and the U.S.

changing & topical exhibits - Alexander Hamilton, Ben Franklin, Abe Lincoln. Don't miss it!

Museum covered some good elements of NY history. Pretty quick run through unless you read every single thing.

May not be worth the price if you don't do some reading.

Very informative exhibit on the battle of Brooklyn and various figures in American history.

Yesterday I visited the New-York Historical Society Museum for the first time and along with my 9 year old son and my 11 year old niece, we a had an excellent experience, learning about the history of our State. We were delight to see
how New york was in the past and is now. How women fought, to give us today women's the right to vote, and make our voice count. We admire each and of the story about our city, and we are so thankful to live a better New York at the present moment. Tyanks to all who makes this possibke fir us today! God bless each and one of you all.

A variety of interesting and informative exhibits. The Sargents in the WW I exhibit are stunning.

This museum has great visiting exhibits; the permanent collection is hit or miss. The cafe downstairs is good, as is the gift shop.

My favorite kind of museum: small, manageable, and of the highest quality. Saw an exhibition of of American folk art in which every item was special - I could have spent hours in the single (large) room. Picasso's huge curtain on the second floor is one of the few pieces that might be a standard tourist attraction - and it's gorgeous - but it's mostly the small things that count.

Phenomenal. Great displays, a boat load of information on New York, and also massive amounts of American history and art.

Big museums can not be visited all day long. When will it all be seen? I will go there again!

Do the theatre experience downstairs. A brilliant snapshot of the history of New York City. Everything else was kind of average to me, but the theatre made it.

We always loved going to the NY Historical Society. BUT I must say charging $20 is over the top! Would have preferred without renovations, when they charged $12... Also they no longer participate in Museums on Us by Bank of America. At one time with that program they were free to cardholders on weekends - then only the first weekend of the month - now not at all. Very sad! We haven't been to an exhibit for some time as a result.

We went to the NYHS for the first time today. I can't believe it took us this long to discover it. The Children's Museum was lovely. It's spring break in NYC and it wasn't crowded. You could give your children the freedom to look around and explore. They had scavenger hunts, bingo and sketching and all the staff there was wonderful!

George Washington s Hudson Valley Encampment was spectacular

Admissions
Adults $20
Seniors/Educators/Active Military $15
Students $12
Kids (5 13 years old) $6
Kids 4 and under FREE
Admission is pay-as-you-wish from 6 8pm on Fridays.

Pretty awesome little museum with unique exhibitions, service was excellent and it was better than I expected....worth the ticket price!

Nice little museum. I would appreciate more information on NYC's history and more NYC related artwork though.

Great collection of historical artifacts about New York City. Some great paintings, sculpture, decorative art and an amazing collection of Tiffany lamps and glassware. Several stories. It's collection of artifacts about 911 is particularly moving.

It seems that there are many people who mistakenly enter the natural history museum when purchasing a ticket. (Laughs)
Tiffany's stained glass collection is a must-see.

I'm in two minds about this museum. I don't think I'd recommend it to more casual visitors looking to learn about NY history. I think to get the most out of it you'd need to have a specific interest in one of the exhibitions. I was hoping for more displays of artifacts in context like they have in the lobby.

There isn't enough about new York history and the magic exhibits seemed to be lacking. The space seems to be used poorly for what was offered.

Have visited a few times and disappointed every time. The train exhibit consists of ~5 trains. The third floor has been closed for a while. The children's floor has not changed and my kids are bored of it.

A remarkable museum. In my opinion expensive for what it offers you

Visitors and New Yorker's alike will want to keep coming back. The absolute must see is the New York City movie. I have the privilege of living five minutes away, born here more than eighty years ago and this movie still makes me emotional. If you have young kids, the DiMenna Children's museum on the lower level will make your visit even better.

These posts stay up indefinitely, so even though it is now under restoration, the Luce exhibit of American artifacts, antique "everything" is a no miss if it is open.

Lots of good eating, Central Park and the American Museum of Natural History a whole minute away for a slow walker.

Great place for the whole family. I enjoyed the current Picasso exhibit while my kids enjoy the children's historical hands on tour of New York history. Don't miss the historical film, regardless of your status in relation to thw city you will appreciate it and will feel a part of the great metropolis!

In a city that boats the Met, MoMA, the Museum of Natural History and the Guggenheim, some of the smaller museums tend to be overlooked, particularly when that museum sits right next to the aformentioned Museum of Natural History. While it may not have the dinosaurs that reside across the street, or any post modern sculptures, the NY Historical Society does tell the story of the city, as well as America as a whole. Although it boats being one of the oldest museums in NYC, if not the entire country, it offers up history through a slick multi-visual package, effortlessly merging the physical with the digital, giving visitors the deeper story behind historical artifacts. Topped off with a slickly produced mini-documentary covering NY from colony to present day, this museum gives every day New Yorkers pride and out of towners a mix of admiration and jealousy

This is the museum of the prestigious New York Historical Society. They have a great standing exhibit of the history of the State and rotating exhibits of small aspects of that history. The art and sculpture displayed are amazing. Of particular interest are the many pieces to be seen nowhere else of the celebrated Hudson Valley School of painters. Very interesting exhibits. Worth a visit. I thoroughly enjoyed the following exhibits: Tiffany stained glass lamps and women photographers The restaurant is expensive.

I ve been to the museum last Wednesday 15/1/20. The costumer service was AMAZING, congratulations for the highly qualified employees working there! Special mention to Malcom Prince, Visitor Experience Specialist, for his outstanding attention! Thank you so much for contributing to a fantastic day in New York! I ll be back

Their New exhibit on child author Richard Scarry is absolutely wonderful! You may visit this exhibit for free. It's in the lobby of the museum! Definitely worth the trip!

A wonderful small museum on CPW. Make sure you watch the film on the history of the city which is excellent. They usually have several exhibits in addition to their regular exhibits. It s not the MET - wasn t meant to be - but makes for a nice few hours alone or with others. Has a great attached coffee house. NYC has many wonderful large and small art institutions. If you visit from outside the city take some time to visit the neighborhoods around the museums. NYC is a city of neighborhoods. Each has a special history and ambiance. Many people spend their entire visit around Times Square and Broadway and don t visit the other wonderful neighborhoods. TS is a tourist trap. Visit that area to see a play and then spend time like a local. It will make a huge difference in your attitude toward the city. It s not an easy city. Its often crowded and chaotic but a random left turn will lead you to something wonderful. Overall, it s a safe city. There are very few bad areas here so don t worry. The city has about 55,000 law enforcement officers that keep the city moving on good and bad days.

great internship positions available for high school and college students.

This child-friendly museum captures slices of New York history in a fascinating way. Head to the top floor to see thousands of artifacts from NYC, or check out the amazing featured exhibits (Audubon, the current one, is incredible and surprisingly thorough).

The highlight of the Museum's collection is Thomas Cole's five-painting series "The Course of Empire". The current exhibition location isn't ideal, but it's worth the price of admission to see these incredibly detailed Hudson River School paintings.

History of society was wonderful learning experience for children

Confusing layout (unclear signage, random exhibits) and very little to do with actual New York history. Spend your time and money at the Museum of the City of New York, or the Tenement Museum.

We went to the Harry Potter exhibit at the Historical Society and it did not disappoint. The museum is nice on its own but the Harry Potter exhibit was awesome. The exhibit ended in January but they have different exhibits all the time. There was a exhibit on the Tiffany chandelier s which was very pretty.

A museum that leaves you breathless. Really amazing

There isn't a ton to see here and what is here is just alright. There is a nice downstairs with a library like feeling that is good to relax and read a couple of books with the kids but if you are looking for a day trip head next door to the American Museum of Natural History.

See if you can find the Alice in Wonderland head they have random placed here. (it is a replica of the Alice statue in central park)

This is a great museum for people who live in New York and people who don't. Great displays, gift shop and restaurant.

This place hosted the amazing "Madeleine in New York" exhibit. I love the Keith Haring ceiling in the lobby. All in all, this is a lovely place to visit.

I was a bit unimpressed in this museum. I found it too uppity for a museum about New York City.
Some of the exhibits had little to no baring on the city or its history.
I actually found the children's museum more educational about NYC history than the New-York Historical Societies deal. But, The film though about NYC was very good though.

I decided to post my very first 300 word history, just so you can see how basic and, well...corny it can be. For this one, I wrote about the first thought popped in my head regarding Kindergarten. Here it is;



After circle time, all the kids were playing when I approached Mrs. Baker. She really got to move because she cried, right? I asked. She didn t answer. Go play, she said.
She would later tell my mother how smart I was. She figured out exactly what happened. She shared.

It didn t take a rocket scientist.

Now it's your turn. Open up a page on your word procesor and begin with Kindergarten. Write just a paragraph or two of the first memory that comes to mind. Tie it up quickly and stop.
Then challenge yourself to add to it regularly. As a writer, I find it is a good "warm-up" to the writing I must get done on a particular day. Or you may want to use it if you are stuck for what to write. And in the mean time you are doing something even more amazing, you are taking something that is yours and yours alone- a memory- and recording it for generations to come. Good for you! Write Now, Karen

A fairly weird selection of exhibitions. It s a matter of taste. If you like lamps and silhouettes then this is the museum for you. I found the museum a little confusing and several exhibitions were underway and not open. So it might be better once everything is ready for viewing. It was a bit small and eccentric for the ticket price on this occasion for me.

$1 admission Is ONLY AVAILABLE

FRIDAY 6PM TO 8PM

OTHER WISE YOU HAVE TO PAY $23 GENERAL ADMISSION

The Historical Society gave a complete review of Al Hirschfeld's career, starting with film posters in the early 1930s. Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland look good in their early work. Be sure to sit in Hersfeld's barber chair, who once sat in this chair to paint. You will see more after visiting the Hirschfjord exhibition.

I have loved going to the NYHS over the years - they always have interesting and informative exhibits

My daughter and I went in for the Harry Potter exhibit. I loved the gift shop more than the exhibit itself as I feel there wasn't much content. However, it was very well put and the "types" of magic were separated by sections, which is very nice.

Must see - "World War I - Beyond the Trenches" - a heart wrenching presentation of American artists' responses to World War I, its horrors and propaganda.

The New-York Historical Society is now the number one place I will recommend to my friends and family visiting from out of town. It will also be my must-see museum when asked where I'd like to go for a cultural afternoon. From the moment you walk in, you're greeted by friendly staffers who make sure you have everything you need to know to enjoy a wonderful afternoon at the museum.

During my visit, I had the pleasure of seeing a swing and burlesque exhibit, along with a civil war and 40,000 items from the early 1900s, including furniture, train sets and other small art pieces. I enjoyed every single piece I came across, though wish some pieces (like the paintings on the second floor) were a bit lower on the wall so I could properly inspect (I'm big on texture and details).

I definitely suggest the audio tour, something I overlooked until a security guard saw me on my knees trying to read a desk placard.

Oh, and visit the restaurant/wine bar as well, though I hear reservations are suggested since it fills up rather quickly (despite the $13/glass of wine and pricier plates).

See you soon, NYHS!

the weirdest part is the attic full of statues, silverware and other random stuff.

I'd highly recommend watching their video about the history of New York

One of the Oldest Museums in America

Located in the Upper West Side, this is New York's oldest museum, founded in 1804 where cultural and educational experiences await you. This museum gives you a detailed perspective on NYC's past. Exhibits are varied and cover all aspects of city life. The permanent exhibits on the fourth floor offer a glimpse of urban living, including vintage toys, furniture and clothing.

P.S. On the day we visited the museum, found some of the tour guides to be very noisy and loud - unfortunately that distracted me from my museum experience.

Eclectic grab bag of stuff. Some rotating historical exhibits and some really fun stuff, including a gorgeous and massive collection of Tiffany lamps on the top floor.

This was very much worth the visit. The Tiffany lamps exhibit was amazing. The docent in the Tiffany exhibit was extremely knowledgeable not only about that exhibit but other exhibits also. She made the museum come alive.

I didn't know what to expect from the New York Historical Society; I must admit, the name doesn't inspire much. Dull name aside, the museum offers a bunch of interesting exhibits, featuring artwork ranging from the founding fathers' era to the early twentieth century. Exhibits are beautifully curated and do a good job at engaging the audience. We really enjoyed our visit.