You’ve been to The Museum of Natural History, the MoMA, The Guggenheim, and the Whitney Museum, and you’re ready for something different. But what else is out there? New York City is full of unknown treasures in museum form just waiting to be explored, and these eight are just a few of them.
1. Morbid Anatomy Museum
Located in Gowanus, this museum is only for those with a strong stomach. The museum’s current exhibit, House of Wax, features wax figures depicting diseases such as diphtheria, lupus, leprosy, and even the effects of tight corset lacing. Directions.
2. Waterfront Museum
Walkthrough the Lehigh Valley Railroad Barge No. 79, a wood-covered vessel that was rescued from the Hudson River and brought over to Red Hook by museum president David Sharps around 1994. It’s the only surviving all-wooden example of the Hudson River Railroad Barge from the Lighterage Age (1890-1960) that remains afloat and open to the general public. Catch a performance or a maritime-themed art exhibit while aboard the relic.
3. Mmuseumm
Head over to Chinatown to see New York City’s smallest museum. Located inside of an elevator shaft, Mmuseumm features plastic vomit from around the world, Disney-themed bulletproof backpacks, and one of the two shoes that were thrown at George W. Bush at the Prime Minister’s Palace in Baghdad back in 2008.
4. The City Reliquary
Founded by Dave Herman, The City Reliquary features a robust collection of artifacts such as memorabilia from the 1939 World’s Fair, peep-show tokens, Herman’s Statue of Liberty figures, and more.
5. The Skyscraper Museum
A celebration of New York City’s tallest buildings, this museum is perfect for architecture lovers. Permanent exhibits feature mini models of Manhattan and maps of the city.
6. Museum of Food and Drink
Also known as MOFAD, the Museum of Food and Drink is foodie heaven. You can taste and smell your way through the exhibits, making learning about culinary arts so much more enticing.
7. The Noguchi Museum
Designed and created by Isamu Noguchi, the museum is a beautiful open-air sculpture garden and indoor gallery filled with Japanese-American artist’s works.
8. Fraunces Tavern Museum
Named for restaurateur and owner Samuel Fraunces, the tavern is known for being the place where General George Washington bade farewell to his officers of the Continental Army in 1783. Exhibits feature portraits of George Washington, early American flags, and paintings of events surrounding the American Revolutionary War.
