20 Best Free Things to Do in NYC

There is no shortage of cool things you can do in New York City, from visiting historic sites to checking out some of the best food in the world to filling your camera with amazing photos of the city’s colorful skyline.

Unfortunately, a lot of the great things to do in the Big Apple also happen to cost a big chunk of change. Heading to the top of the Empire State Building, for example, will produce amazing views of the city, but it will also cost you. And a visit to Times Square and a Broadway show may be on most people’s bucket lists during a visit to the city (and, honestly, we don’t blame you), but tickets for the most popular shows aren’t exactly cheap.

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Don’t fear, there are plenty of things to do in New York City that don't cost a dime but still take advantage of the history and culture of the city at the same time. These are the best free things to do in NYC.

Ride the Staten Island Ferry

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The Staten Island Ferry is a great way to get close to the Statue of Liberty without the pricey ticket, making it one of the best free things to do in NYC. Grab a good viewing spot and take in the skyline from the water as the boat heads away from Battery Park. Once in Staten Island, check out the Empire Outlets, which opened earlier this year.

Relax in the Sand at the City’s Public Beaches

You don’t need to go all the way to the Hamptons to find a good beach near the city. Head to Coney Island to combine the beach with a trip to the amusement park (the Coney Island Cyclone has been around since 1927) or head further down to Brighton Beach where you can also find some great Russian restaurants. Hop on the ferry for the cost of a MetroCard ticket and head to Rockaway Beach where you can combine a day of sand and surf with good food (like fish tacos from the Rockaway Beach Surf Club).

Browse The Whitney Museum of American Art

Channel your inner art connoisseur at this Meatpacking District museum. View influential artists like Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, and Edward Hopper with the Whitney’s Friday night “pay what you wish” ticket, available from 7 p.m. to 9:30 pm.

Go Birdwatching in Central Park

There are about 230 different species of birds in Central Park, with many paying a visit to the Big Apple to rest and feed during the spring and fall migrations. Bird watching novices can also borrow a free, kid-friendly discovery kit with binoculars, a guidebook, maps, and sketching materials from a Central Park Conservancy visitor center.

Pay Your Respects at the 9/11 Memorial

The 9/11 Memorial is made up of two reflecting pools, each marking the footprints where the Twin Towers once stood, honoring the lives lost during the terrorist attacks on the site in 1993 and 2001. The names of every person who died in those attacks are inscribed onto the edge of the memorial pools. The memorial is always free to visit, and the National September 11 Memorial Museum is free on Tuesdays after 5 p.m. (tickets are distributed starting at 4 p.m.).

Walk Across the Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the most iconic sights in New York City, and walking across it is one of the best ways to take it all in. When the bridge was finished in 1883, it was the longest suspension bridge. Now, the Brooklyn Bridge has been designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service, and it happens to be one of the best places to view the downtown skyline. Pro tip: go early as the bridge tends to get very crowded during the day.

Take a Free Walking Tour

There is so much history to discover in the city, and a walking tour is one of the best ways to see it up close and personal. SANDEMANs NEW Europe offers free 2.5-hour tours of downtown Manhattan, covering some of the most historic sites in the city, including the Charging Bull, Wall Street, and the 9/11 Memorial. While the tours are technically free, they do encourage tips for the guides.

Let the Kids Loose in One of the City’s Inventive Playgrounds

New York City has no shortage of playgrounds for kids to burn off extra energy, but some are simply cooler than others. At Ancient Playground, next to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, kids can explore pyramid-shaped climbers and check out the obelisk and sundial, both inspired by The Met’s collection of Egyptian Art. The Imagination Playground at Burling Slip, designed by architect David Rockwell, encourages kids to use their imagination with giant foam blocks, fabric, and crates. Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park features playgrounds like the Sandbox Village where kids can play in little wooden houses in the sand, and the Water Lab, guaranteed to leave them soaking wet and cool on hot summer days in the city.

Hang With Farm Animals at the Queens County Farm Museum

Find cows, sheep, pigs, and more at the Queens County Farm Museum, which dates back to 1697 and is the longest continuously farmed site in New York State. Spread out on 47 acres, the museum is free to enter (except on certain event days), and it allows people to learn all about what the area was like before a bustling city sprung up around it.

See Shakespeare in the Park

You don’t have to fork over a ton of money to see a great theater performance. Each year, the Public Theater hosts Shakespeare in the Park, a summer series at the open-air Delacorte Theater in Central Park. The series draws celebrity names, and offers the chance to score free tickets for each day’s performance through a lottery system.

Tour an Ice Cream Museum

At Ample Hills’ interactive ice cream museum in their 15,000-square-foot Red Hook factory, you can watch ice cream being made and even make flavor suggestions on their “every flavor tells a story” board.If you get hungry after (and we’d be shocked if you didn’t), try “The Hook,” a flavor unique to the factory made of burnt sugar ice cream mixed with salty fudge bites and Dutch stroopwafels.

Tour the Brooklyn Brewery

Learn the art of beer making during one of Brooklyn Brewery’s free weekend tours, offered every half hour from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. While you wait, you can sample the beers in the Williamsburg tasting room.

Kayak at Brooklyn Bridge Park

Get out on the water and try your hand at kayaking every Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday during the summer from Brooklyn Bridge Park. Even kayaking novices can join in the fun because the Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse will teach you all you need to know before you get out on the water.

Take a Tour of the New York Public Library

The New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building in Midtown Manhattan has a storied past, touching on some of the most important moments in world history. During World War II, Allied military intelligence used the library’s Map Division for research, and the library collected materials “from the left and the right” during the McCarthyism era, despite objections. Sex and the City fans may remember it as the setting where Carrie wanted to marry Big. Now, you can visit the iconic institution with a free one-hour daily tour.

Check Out a Free Comedy Show

Laughter is the best medicine, and the only thing better than a comedy show guaranteed to make you laugh is a free comedy show guaranteed to make you laugh. Head to the Knitting Factory Brooklyn in Williamsburg every Sunday night for a free comedy show that will be sure to end your week on a high note.

Tour the Federal Bank of New York’s Gold Vault

Set in the basement of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York is the Gold Vault, which holds around 497,000 gold bars weighing a total of about 6,190 tons. Much of the gold arrived during and after WWII when countries wanted to store their gold in a safe spot. The vault remains the world’s largest known depository of monetary gold, and you can visit during a free hour-long tour Monday through Friday. Tours fill up quickly, so reserve your space on The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s website in advance.

See Alexander Hamilton’s Harlem Estate

Step back in time at Hamilton Grange, a national memorial featuring the preserved historic home of Alexander Hamilton. It was completed in 1802, and Hamilton lived there for two years before he was fatally wounded in a duel with his rival, Vice President Aaron Burr. While it is free to tour “the room where it happens,” we suggest getting there early because they limit the number of people who are allowed to walk on the upstairs period-furnished floor at one time.

Channel Your Inner Flower Child at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Spend your morning surrounded by roses and water-lilies at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a quiet escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. Located on the northeastern edge of Prospect Park, the garden sits on 52 acres of land and is free to visit every Friday before noon or on weekdays from December through February.

Go Stargazing on the High Line

Have you ever looked up at the stars and had no idea what you were looking at? Join the Amateur Astronomers Association on the High Line to look through high-powered telescopes and take in just how big our solar system is. The stargazing is completely free and doesn’t require a reservation- just show up on the High Line at 14th Street at dusk every Tuesday between April and October.

Watch a Movie in Bryant Park

Rounding out this list of free things to do in NYC is a summertime favorite. Lay down a blanket and bring some popcorn and candy (or buy some beer and wine) and settle in for an open-air movie in Bryant Park during the summer. Films include classics like Big, Goodfellas, and The Birdcage, and the program even holds fan votes so people can pick their favorite flicks. Get there early as it gets crowded: the lawn opens at 5 p.m. for blankets and picnicking and the movie starts at sunset.