The Top Free Things to do in New York

Tours, TV Tickets, Museums and Parks at no Cost in the Big Apple

Aug 12, 2009 Ben Cluse

With hotels, tours and food expensive, visiting New York can be a drain on the wallet. Yet, there are still plenty of great free options, for the budget traveller.

New York can really come alive with some amazing experiences that won't drain the funds for backpackers and budget travellers.

Relax and Play in Central Park

Vast and impressive, Central Park shows no signs of the uptight urban build-up that is New York City and is a seamless escape from the noise and concrete. Filled with beautiful gardens, lakes and grassed areas, there is plenty to see and do in Central Park. While horse carriage rides and rowboats come at a cost, there’s free chess tables, statues and even pop culture history; A shrine to John Lennon at ‘Strawberry Field’s’ for example. Visitors will need at least one day, if not two, to fully traverse this massive Park.

Be a TV Show Audience Member

If you book in advance, many of the television programs taped in New York offer free tickets to their live tapings. Specifically David Letterman, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, Regis and Kelly Live, Saturday Night Live and Peoples Court offer free tickets; all you need to do is check the specific program’s Website for details. Make sure to organise well in advance to guarantee ticket availability; still, this is a memorable way to see a big show in New York for free.

Free Art Museums

Probably one of the coolest looking buildings in New York, the Guggenheim Museum always offers an array of artistic sculptures and installations that are boldly unique and thought provoking. Every Friday after 5:45 p.m. it’s ‘pay what you like’ (e.g. entry by donation) so this is a great to time visit when the budget’s tight. Similarly, the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) is free on Fridays between 4 and 8 p.m. and has one of the world’s largest collections of modern art. MOMA showcases painting, sculpture, film, photography and installations by artists including Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh and Francis Bacon.

Socrates Sculpture Park

This free sculpture park is located in Long Island City, Queens, on the corner of Broadway and Vernon Boulevard on what was once wasteland. The change is remarkable; beautiful green parklands dotted with amazing sculptures, this park is worth visiting especially because it gives local artists a chance to reinvigorate their home city landscape in imaginative ways. Socrates Sculpture Park is a true expression of unique New York and is open publicly from 10 a.m. until sunset.

Rockefeller Centre

Covering 22 acres and spanning about 3 blocks of central New York, the series of buildings that make up the Centre offer many great sights for visitors, most notably the famous skating rink in winter, and Radio City Music Hall. Also very impressive is the underground concourse which runs from 48th street to 51st and, for sheer magnitude, is a sight to be seen.

Times Square Shopping

Times Square might be an obvious choice for tourists due to it's near-schizophrenic procession of traffic, lights and advertising, but it's worthwhile to put a few hours aside for window shopping as well. On one corner of the Square is one of the world’s biggest Toys-R-Us stores, with thousands of toys and interactive displays to keep kids and adults entertained. Other top brands take advantage of the tourist footfall with flagship stores, some which include Hershey’s Chocolate, MTV, Quicksilver, CBS and M&M’s. There is an interesting article at the New York Times about the history and culture to be found around Times Square.

Federal Reserve Bank of New York

The bank offers free and very worthwhile tours of its inner workings, taking visitors fifty feet underground into their gold vaults, and giving background to one of the world’s most prolific banking institutions. Tours only run Monday to Friday and must be booked at least one week in advance as space is limited. Check their website for more details.

Brooklyn Brewery Tour

Running every hour on Saturday afternoon, these free tours take you through this impressive brewery and you receive a free beer at the end of the tour. The brewery is located at 79 North 11th Street.

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Downtown Manhattan

Times Square New York