Want to visit a museum and get some cultural enrichment without getting bored in the process? You’re not alone — one of the biggest complaints from younger audiences is that museums don’t sufficiently engage their audiences. Check out this list of 7 interactive and engaging museums to get an exciting dose of culture without all the yawns. You’ll never feel the same way about museums again.
The Tenement Museum: Take a guided tour through this series of restored tenement apartments in the Lower East Side to get a glimpse into the lives of the 7,000 working class immigrants who lived there a century ago. The Tenement Museum is a captivating time capsule that preserves the history of this iconic neighborhood and also exposes visitors to current debates about public health and immigration.
The New Museum: The New Museum is New York’s only museum solely dedicated to contemporary art. Founded in 1977, The New Museum has become internationally respected for its adventurous projects and interactive exhibits. Don’t forget to check out the incredibly spacious elevators and the amazing view from the roof deck!
The Museum of Sex: This museum is as much about the captivating exhibits as it is about the joy of perusing through the gift shop. Throughout the exhibitions, you’ll learn about the sex lives of animals, the history of porn, and perhaps even a little about your own sexuality!
The Frick Museum: The Frick Museum hosts some of the greatest European art in the world. But the amazing story behind the gigantic museum is that it used to be one man’s house! Henry Frick was a famous art collector in his time and always intended his lavish residence — and all of the art, furniture, and decorative objects inside it — to become a public museum.
The Cooper Hewitt Museum: If you find yourself interested in the future of design, then the interactive Cooper Hewitt Museum is the museum for you. Located in the former mansion of Andrew Carnegie, this place will give visitors fascinating insights into how extensively the world revolves around design.
The Meatball Shop: The Meatball Shop is the perfect place for a late night stop with friends who are looking for a bite to eat and a walk around town. Located right under Houston Street, between Allen and Orchard, this Italian place gets top ratings for their spicy pork balls, freshly-milled polenta, and full-sized portions. Just make sure to get there before they close at 2am!
for some filling and delicious American classics in the wee hours of the morning, then consider checking out Cafeteria on 7th ave and 17th street. Some of my all time favorites there are the chicken and waffles, mac and cheese, and the sweet potato fries. I also have buddies who swear by their lemon ricotta pancakes and fried oreos but I haven’t personally tried them yet. The cherry on top is their classy interior that transports you out of late night Chelsea and into a trendy food haven.
New York City. Not a great place for driving; as overpopulation is manifested in its very streets as driving 3 miles can take a half an hour. Crowded restaurants. Crowded bars. Crowded streets. Crowded parks. Crowded transportation. Crowded apartments. Space is truly a commodity in this city that only the wealthiest of the wealthy can afford it. The streets are occasionally riddled with trash. In place of the occasional squirrel scampering up a tree, a rat bursts from one trash pile to another. Sunday is trash day for a city that encompasses 8.5 million consumers in its mere 30 square mile area. You tend to forget about the odder after “assimilating” to the culture here in New York City. Once you take a step outside the city, you remember what fresh air smells like. You can really understand what makes the people here ornery, agitated, and quick to judge. They have to be. Time here moves at a faster pace as you are expected to do more in the time that you do have: a paradox that only lives within the confines of my favorite city in the world: New York City.