7 Off The Beaten Path and Fun Museums in NYC

The Met, MoMA, Guggenheim — you’ve heard these names, and you’ve likely been to these museums at some point. Between the colossal buildings and seemingly-endless collections are more unusual gems that open a door to whole new experiences in a city known for its art and culture. If you’re looking to travel further into the arts, the city has a lot more to offer than Museum Mile.

The Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI), Astoria

What kind of museum is it? The Museum of the Moving Image is one-of-a-kind in the U.S. It’s the only museum that explores technology of the “now” — whether that is film, TV, video games, or, in general, digital screens. It not only focuses on the art but also the technique behind it. Connecting diverse groups and interests, MoMI features rotating exhibits, screenings, and an educational department.

Cannabis recommendations: Pair digital tech with something a little more analog: a pre-roll. Enjoy an uplifting strain like Sour Diesel, like this single from Harney Brothers, before you step through MoMI’s doors.

Accessibility: Discounted admission is available for those with disabilities, and their care partner admission is free. There is full wheelchair accessibility, and you can rent one for free, too. Guide animals for assisted therapy are also welcome with their humans. Free Access Mornings at MoMI are specially in place for families with children on the autism spectrum, for quieter moments before the museum opens to the public.

Travel Agency tip: The Jim Henson exhibit is a can’t-miss. Go for an in-depth look at the Muppets, Fraggle Rock, Labyrinth, and way more behind-the-scenes magic. You’ll be able to meet Kermit and more muppet friends and see more of Jim’s experimental film projects.

The City Reliquary, Williamsburg

What kind of museum is it? The City Reliquary is a non-profit museum and civic org run by the Williamsburg community. Dave Herman has been collecting artifacts since 2002 and organizes rotating exhibits, block parties, concerts, and film screenings that are all about the city we love.

Cannabis recommendations: For a New York museum, you gotta go with a New York original. Hepworth’s Hudson Valley Jack goes for a creative perfect-for-museums high — and Hepworth Farms is just around 90 minutes north of the city by car.

Accessibility: You can enter the museum right off the sidewalk. The museum and restrooms are wheelchair accessible. In traditional NYC measurement terms, picture the place as bodega-sized, though.

Travel Agency tip: The museum also has a podcast that explores the past lives of NYC, called Undiscarded! Give it a listen to get a full sense of the experience.

The Color Factory, SoHo

What kind of museum is it? Immersive, bright, and playful. That’s what the art is like at The Color Factory, with more than a dozen exhibits to explore. Local artists and international minds contributed to this abundance of color, an Instagram-worthy exploration at its finest. It’s the total, most joyous opposite of walking through a quiet gallery, pretending to get the deeper meaning behind a painting.

Cannabis recommendations: Go with The Color Factory’s vibe and pack Off Hours’ Euphoric gummies. The energizing blend especially pops in the watermelon lemonade flavor.

Accessibility: The ball pit may not be in everyone’s interest, but most installations are ADA-friendly. The museum itself is also ADA-compliant. The cool thing about the museum is that it participates in the Color Accessibility Program™. This means there are EnChroma glasses available for those with color blindness. These glasses reveal more and deeper hues.

Travel Agency tip: Try out the partnered activity (with a friend or even another visitor). It’s a guided exercise that gives your creativity a whole new point of view. Buy your tickets in advance, too, since they often sell out the day-of.

Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD), DUMBO

What kind of museum is it?: Touchable and edible exhibits? Yes, please. As a definite must-visit, the Museum of Food and Drink is a true whole-body experience from the get-go. MOFAD looks at culinary history, present habits, and food innovations that can aid us in the future. Don’t think of this place as a fancy food court. It’s an analysis of society that also happens to be edible.

Cannabis recommendations: Edibles that get your munchies going are the right pair for MOFAD. There’s something for all kinds of taste buds: treat your sweet tooth to Incredible’s Red Velvet Cake or indulge in Milk Chocolate Churro by Kiva.

Accessibility: The museum is on the second floor at 55 Water Street, and there’s an elevator. Bathrooms can also be accessed with wheelchairs. Service animals are allowed, but vapes are not.

Travel Agency tip: A new exhibition opens in February 2025. Flavor takes a look at how scent and taste connect from foods to our brains. This timely showcase explores the joy of flavor in a world where people may lose their senses due to COVID-19.

Mmuseumm, Tribeca

What kind of museum is it?: The first thing you should know is that Mmuseumm is arguably NYC’s tiniest museum. The second is that this cabinet of curiosities showcases contemporary artifacts that underline the current world. Both points add to Mmuseumm‘s coolness. It’s an artistic playground categorized as a natural modern history museum. You’ll spot found and made objects that reflect our modern, strange existence.

Cannabis recommendations: Mmuseumm is a small space of momentous impact. So take a real chill pill while you take it all in with 1906’s Chill.

Accessibility: Mmuseumm inhabits an old elevator shaft right off the sidewalk. There’s little room for anything but the three walls of shelves that showcase the artifacts.

Travel Agency tip: Remember that Mmuseumm closes in winter and reopens in spring.

The Skyscraper Museum, Battery Park City

What kind of museum is it? Once upon a time — 1889, to be precise — NYC’s first skyscraper was the Tower Building (RIP) in FiDi. Today, the city is full of them. So it’s fitting there’s a whole museum dedicated to the heights (and lengths) architects have gone to build the tallest buildings in the city. The Skyscraper Museum is a non-profit org that celebrates the people, physics, and constructions that have shaped the skyline.

Cannabis recommendations: As you ponder the heights humans have climbed, Eaton Botanical’s Daily Elevation edibles are a perfectly peachy way to take it all in.

Accessibility: The whole museum (galleries and facilities) is accessible by wheelchair. There’s also free entry for visitors who are disabled and their caregivers.

Travel Agency tip: A new exhibition is hitting the museum this year that’s all about concrete. If that sounds dense, think about it like liquid stone (now, that’s metal).

Neue Galerie, Upper East Side

What kind of museum is it? Neue Gallerie, pronounced “noya,” is a collection of German and Austrian art housed inside an iconic Manhattan brownstone. This gem is on Museum Mile, just blocks away from its larger and much more famous cousins, but it’s the kind of place you have to know is there.

Cannabis recommendations: A hoppy strain is a nice nod to German beer. Hops and cannabis have the terpene humulene in common, and its aromas and flavors are more pronounced in strains like White Widow. Fernway’s White Widow vape makes for an excellent companion.

Accessibility: All four levels of the museum are wheelchair accessible, and there are wheelchairs available on loan. Other accommodations are available by contacting the museum directly.

Travel Agency tip: Neue Galerie is quite close to our Fifth Avenue dispensary. Pop in to shop before you get lost in the art.

Pairing cannabis for an elevated museum experience

Just how cannabis and comedy go together, so do museums and weed. You can set the mood with the right product that helps you dive deeper into what you’re seeing and experiencing Cannabis can help you feel focused while you appreciate the arts. Or you can find the relaxation to appreciate history. Or get inspired by seeing the breadth of creativity. Even if you’re a lifelong New Yorker, exploring unique and fun museums while traveling lets you see the city with new eyes — and mind.

Are any New York City museums free?

There is no shortage of exhibits that are either free, low-cost, or have free or discounted days. Some always-free museums are the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace on E. 20th Street, BRIC House on Fulton Street in Brooklyn (a place that’s so much more than a museum), and the National Museum of the American Indian’s New York location. It’s always worth asking a museum if they have discounted fares or free days — you never know what you might get.

Wonder and wanderlust

Just when you think NYC has become passé and predictable, the city proves you wrong. It starts with its residents who showcase a new take on art in history-making museums. Visit any of the three The Travel Agency dispensary locations to stock up before your off-the-beaten-path trip.