Ticketing FAQ

General Admission

Adult $28 | Student (with ID) $22 | Senior (Ages 60+) $22 | Children (3–12) $16 | Member Free

Includes permanent exhibitions, entry to the Gilder Center, and Extinct and Endangered.

General Admission + One

Adult $34 | Student (with ID) $27 | Senior (Ages 60+) $27 | Children (3–12) $20 | Member Free

Includes permanent exhibitions, and entry to the Gilder Center, Extinct and Endangered, Grounded by Our Roots, and What's in a Name? plus one of these Ticketed Exhibitions — Davis Family Butterfly Vivarium or Invisible Worlds immersive experience. or Worlds Beyond Earth (Hayden Planetarium Space Show) or Sea Lions: Life by a Whisker (giant-screen film) or The Secret World of Elephants.

General Admission + All

Adult $39 | Student (with ID) $31| Senior (Ages 60+) $31 | Children (3–12) $24 | Member Free

Includes permanent exhibitions, and entry to the Gilder Center, Extinct and Endangered, Grounded by Our Roots, and What's in a Name? plus two or more of these Ticketed Exhibitions — Davis Family Butterfly Vivarium, and Invisible Worlds immersive experience, and Worlds Beyond Earth (Hayden Planetarium Space Show), and Sea Lions: Life by a Whisker (giant-screen film), and The Secret World of Elephants.

Resident Pricing

For residents of NY, NJ, and CT

Adult $25 | Student (with ID) $20| Senior (Ages 60+) $20 | Children (3–12) $14 

Includes permanent exhibitions, and entry to the Gilder Center, Extinct and Endangered, Grounded by Our Roots, and What's in a Name? but does not include ticketed exhibitions.

Resident Pricing + One

For residents of NY, NJ, and CT

Adult $30 | Student (with ID) $24 | Senior (Ages 60+) $24 | Children (3–12) $17 | Member Free

Includes permanent exhibitions, and entry to the Gilder Center, Extinct and Endangered, Grounded by Our Roots, and What's in a Name? plus one of these Ticketed Exhibitions — Davis Family Butterfly Vivarium or Invisible Worlds immersive experience. or Worlds Beyond Earth (Hayden Planetarium Space Show) or Sea Lions: Life by a Whisker (giant-screen film) or The Secret World of Elephants.

Resident Pricing + All

For residents of NY, NJ, and CT

Adult $35 | Student (with ID) $28 | Senior (Ages 60+) $28 | Children (3–12) $20 | Member Free

Includes permanent exhibitions, and entry to the Gilder Center, Extinct and Endangered, Grounded by Our Roots, and What's in a Name? plus two or more of these Ticketed Exhibitions — Davis Family Butterfly Vivarium, and Invisible Worlds immersive experience, and Worlds Beyond Earth (Hayden Planetarium Space Show), and Sea Lions: Life by a Whisker (giant-screen film) and The Secret World of Elephants.

You can use your mobile device to make a ticket reservation if you have arrived at the Museum without an advance reservation. You will immediately receive a confirmation email that contains a QR code for entry to the Museum.

Availability for same-day entrance or certain time slots may be unavailable due to limited capacity and advance reservations. 

Who is eligible?

• Residents of NY, NJ, and CT may pay what you wish for General Admission only.
• Ticketed exhibitions—Davis Family Butterfly Vivarium, Invisible Worlds immersive experience, Hayden Planetarium Space Show, and giant-screen film—are NOT included and cannot be added to a Pay-What-You-Wish ticket.
• To see any of our Ticketed exhibitions, select a Resident Pricing Ticket.
• For visitors outside of NY, NJ or CT, the fee for General Admission is mandatory.

Steps to make a pay-what-you-wish reservation:

• Select the checkbox that says "NY, NJ, or CT Residents. The amount you pay for General Admission is up to you."
• Enter an eligible zip code. 
• Select "Pay What You Wish" 
• Select the number of tickets.
• Select date and time of entry.
• Enter the amount you would like to pay.

The fee is suggested at $25 for adults, $20 for students with ID, $20 for seniors (ages 60 and up), and $14 for children (ages 3 to 12). 

Or bring a valid ID to the Museum and pay what you wish at a ticket counter.

*Accepted forms of (valid) ID to prove NY, NJ or CT residence: 

• Driver's license
• IDNYC
• State ID card
• Library card
• Student ID
• Current utility bill with address
• Voter registration card

If you are a Corporate Member, IDNYC member, have a library pass, Culture pass, or a multi-pass (like CityPass, NYPass, Go City, Tiqets, etc):

• Select the "Passholders or IDNYC and Corporate Members" checkbox.
• Select number of tickets.
• Select date and time of entry. 

This is a reservation for timed-entry only.

Your transaction will be completed at the Museum.
Payment will be made at the Museum, if required.
If you are eligible for ticketed exhibitions, Hayden Planetarium Space Show, or giant-screen film they will be selected on arrival.

General Admission fees are waived for the following groups:

• Museum Members, IDNYC Members, corporate members, and corporate reward program members (including Chase Private Client Arts & Culture Card members)
• Children under 3
• All members of the U.S. military and their families during the Blue Star program, from Armed Forces Day to Labor Day. At other times of the year, free general admission is provided to members of the U.S. military and one guest.
• Cool Culture pass holders
• Caregivers accompanying visitors with disabilities
• Museum staff and museum sector staff
• Visitors who enter the Museum during the last hour of the day

*Please note that complimentary admissions still require a timed-entry reservation. Check the box that says "Passholders or IDNYC and Corporate Members" on the ticketing page to make your reservation.

Your transaction will be completed at the Museum.

Ticket reservations are non-transferable and non-refundable.

Yes! Call 212-769-5270, 9 am–5 pm ET, 7 days a week.

• Coat check service

*Eating is prohibited in Museum galleries. Visitors may leave and return using the same timed-entry ticket on the same day. When re-entering the Museum, visitors must enter at the 81st Street or Central Park West entrances and must go back through the security line to be readmitted.

• Discovery Room
• Public educational laboratories