Museums & Educational Attractions in Long Island, NY
We list 11 museums & educational attractions across the Long Island area. Compare prices, hours and age ranges in one place, then pick the one that fits your day.
Sorted by distance from the middle of Long Island, nearest first. Those are straight-line miles, so every drive is longer than the number on the card.
Long Island Maritime Museum is a museum in West Sayville, New York dedicated to the research, preservation, and interpretation of the region's nautical heritage…
Long Island Explorium is a children's science museum in Port Jefferson, New York, where families experience hands-on STEAM learning through interactive exhibits…
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A museum occupying a historic mansion on Long Island with a planetarium, galleries of marine and natural history specimens, and parkland surrounding the estate…
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Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, NY, showcases more than 75 aircraft and spacecraft across eight galleries tracing a century of flight, from early hot air…
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An art museum on the Hofstra University campus holding a collection of over 5,200 works spanning from 1500 BCE to contemporary times, drawn from six continents…
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A museum on the Hofstra University campus with over 5,200 artworks and artefacts spanning from 1500 BCE to the present day, drawn from six continents. The…
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East End Arts is a multi-award winning 501(c)3 not-for-profit arts organization serving the five East End towns of Long Island, NY since 1972. East End Arts is…
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The Mission of the Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center of Nassau County is to teach the history of the Holocaust and its lessons through education and community…
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Garvies Point Museum is a nature and science museum in Glen Cove, NY, paired with a preserve offering trails and outdoor exploration. Families can join hands-on…
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SHU Discovery Science Center and Planetarium is a children's museum located at 4450 Park Ave in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Families can explore hands-on science…
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The Bruce Museum is an art, science, and natural history museum located in Greenwich, CT, offering interactive exhibits and galleries designed for curious visitors…
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Alley Pond Environmental Center is a museum offering environmental education experiences in Douglaston, New York. The center features a building and animal room…
The Neuberger Museum of Art is a vibrant hub of creativity, learning, and inspiration for all ages! Located at the heart of Purchase College, SUNY, our Museum…
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A museum dedicated to preserving and operating historic trolley cars, located in East Haven, Connecticut. Visitors ride authentic electric trolleys on a 1.5-mile…
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ArtsWestchester is an arts organization in White Plains that runs exhibitions, programs, and community events across Westchester County. Families with children…
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A museum in New Haven housing the largest collection of British art outside the UK, with works spanning five centuries from the 1400s to today. The building…
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The Yale University Art Gallery collects, preserves, studies, and presents art in all media, from all regions of the globe and across time. The museum’s…
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The Yale Peabody Museum is one of the oldest, largest, and most prolific university natural history museums in the world. It was founded by the philanthropist…
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The Yale Peabody Museum, located at 170 Whitney Ave in New Haven, CT, is a natural history museum where families and children can explore exhibits and educational…
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Founded by Larry Aldrich in 1964, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum is dedicated to fostering the work of innovative artists whose interpretations of the world…
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An art museum in Water Mill, New York, with a permanent collection of over 3,600 paintings, sculptures, and works on paper. The museum displays rotating…
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A contemporary art museum focused on artists of African descent and work shaped by Black culture. The museum exhibits paintings, sculpture, and other media, and…
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The Museum of the City of New York fosters an understanding of the distinctive nature of urban life in the world's most influential metropolis. It engages visitors…
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Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Cooper Hewitt is the only museum in the United States devoted exclusively to historical and contemporary design and is…
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The Slime Lab Co. is an interactive slime sensory museum in Oxford, Connecticut where families can explore creative slime creations and engage in hands-on fun…
An art museum in a modernist building that presents three to four exhibitions yearly across art and humanities topics. Families can take guided tours of the…
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The Asia Society is America’s leading institution dedicated to fostering understanding of Asia and communication between Americans and the peoples of Asia and the…
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Play Street Museum Upper West Side is an interactive children's museum on Columbus Avenue in New York, New York, designed for toddlers and children up to 8 years…
Shore Line Trolley Museum in East Haven, CT operates the country's oldest continuously running suburban trolley line, offering families a scenic 1.5-mile ride past…
A museum in New York dedicated to illustration as an art form, housed in a building that opened in 1981. The permanent collection contains 3,500 works displayed in…
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A museum at Columbus Circle devoted to contemporary craft, art, and design. Families can see exhibitions across four floors, visit open studios where artists work…
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The American Folk Art Museum is the premier institution devoted to the creative expressions of self-taught artists, past and present. Since 1961 the American Folk…
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National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath) is a hands-on museum in New York, NY, dedicated to exploring the role of mathematics through interactive exhibits…
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The Gazillion Bubble Show is an off-Broadway performance venue in New York where families experience a bubble-focused theatrical show featuring bubble magic…
Poster House is dedicated to presenting the impact, culture, and design of posters, both as historical documents and methods of contemporary visual communication…
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The Danbury Railway Museum occupies the restored 1903 Union Station in Danbury, Connecticut, showcasing more than 75 pieces of historic New England railroad…
Danbury Railway Museum is located in a historic 1903 train station in Danbury, Connecticut, and houses over 75 pieces of railroad equipment from throughout New…
The One Club for Creativity exists to champion and promote excellence in advertising and design in all its forms. It is the world’s foremost non-profit…
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Where a card says no price or no hours listed, the venue does not publish it. We would rather leave the gap than fill it with a guess. Prices come from each venue's own website, and we publish one only when the figure appears on the page we took it from. Tell us if we are missing one you know.
Which one, by age
Two children three years apart do not have to be a compromise. The age line on every card shows what that venue serves.
Play Street Museum – Upper West Side
Best here for under 2, 43 miles out, listed ages 0–9 and admission $35.
Long Island Explorium
Best here for two to five, 12 miles out, listed ages 3–12 and admission $6.
Long Island Maritime Museum
Best here for six to nine, 5 miles out, listed ages 6–12 and admission $8.
The Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center of Nassau County
Best here for ten and up, 27 miles out, listed ages 10–16 and admission $10.
Free museums & educational attractions in Long Island
3 places on this page get you in free. That makes a short trip easy to justify on a day when nobody is sure how long they will last.
Yale Center for British Art
Free to get in and 37 miles out.
American Folk Art Museum
Free to get in and 44 miles out.
Salmagundi Club
Free to get in and 45 miles out.
By town
Most of these are not in Long Island proper, and the town is usually what decides whether a place is worth the trip. 2 more towns are represented in the list above.
Museums & Educational Attractions in New York
14 of them: The Studio Museum in Harlem, Museum of the City of New York, El Museo del Barrio, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum and The Asia Society, the closest 43 miles from the middle of Long Island and 10 with a published admission price.
Museums & Educational Attractions in New Haven
4 of them: Yale Center for British Art, Yale University Art Gallery, Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History and Yale Peabody Museum, the closest 37 miles from the middle of Long Island and 1 with a published admission price.
Museums & Educational Attractions in Glen Cove
2 of them: The Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center of Nassau County and Garvies Point Museum, the closest 27 miles from the middle of Long Island and 2 with a published admission price.
Museums & Educational Attractions in Danbury
2 of them: The Danbury Railway Museum and Danbury Railway Museum, the closest 45 miles from the middle of Long Island and 2 with a published admission price.
Planning a visit
These run from 5 to 45 miles out from the middle of Long Island. Hours move with the season and with school holidays, so check the listing before you set off. If you run one of the places on this page, you can claim it for free and keep its hours and prices right.
Before you go
Grip socks. Almost every venue requires them for children and several require them for adults. Most sell them at the door for a few dollars. Bringing your own is cheaper and means you are not buying a fourth pair.
Check whether adults pay. It runs from free to full price and it changes the cost of a visit by a lot when there are two of you.
Weekday mornings are the toddler rush. If you want space, aim for after two on a school day. Weekend mornings are the busiest hours of the week almost everywhere.
Ninety minutes is the realistic ceiling for most children under five. There is rarely a gradual wind down. Leaving with time left on the clock is not wasted money, it is a better afternoon.
Call ahead in school holidays. Several of these venues run camps and private events that close open play with no notice on the website.
Looking somewhere else in the metro? Browse every kid-friendly place in Long Island.
Other things to do in Long Island
Museums & Educational Attractions in nearby cities
Common questions about museums & educational attractions in Long Island
How many museums & educational attractions are there in Long Island?
We list 11 museums & educational attractions within 47 miles of Long Island, NY. Every one is a published listing with an address we checked.
Which museums & educational attractions in Long Island publish their prices?
23 of the 11 here do, and each price was checked word for word against the venue's own page before we published it. The rest do not publish one, so their card says no price listed rather than carrying a guess.
Are any museums & educational attractions in Long Island free?
Yes. 3 places get you in free: Yale Center for British Art, American Folk Art Museum and Salmagundi Club.
Which museums & educational attractions in Long Island suit a toddler?
4 of them list an age range starting at two or under. Check the age line on each card, because a place that suits a six-year-old does not always suit a two-year-old.
How did Mini Navigators choose these museums & educational attractions?
We list every one we have within 47 miles of the center of Long Island. Each is a published place with an address we geocoded and checked, and the business can claim its listing to keep the hours and prices current.
Do adults have to pay?
It varies more than you would expect, from free to full price, and it changes the cost of a visit by a lot when there are two of you. The price on each card is what it costs to get a child in. Where a venue publishes an adult price it is on the listing, and where it does not we have left it out rather than assume.
Do I need to book ahead?
Usually not for open play, but several venues cap capacity at weekends and during school holidays, and some close open play entirely for private events. Where a venue has its own booking page, the listing links straight to it.
What should I bring?
Grip socks, a water bottle, a change of clothes for anyone under four, and a plan for leaving before the meltdown rather than after it.
What else is there to do with kids in Long Island?
Long Island has 8 categories of kid-friendly places on Mini Navigators, from playgrounds and museums to splash pads and zoos. The Long Island hub lists all of them.
Listings last checked August 21, 2026.