National Museum of the American Indian – New York

National Museum of the American Indian - New York

One Bowling Green
New York, NY 

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Daily 10 am–5 pm

FREE

All ages can learn about the culture and contributions of Native Americans at the engaging, free admission New York branch of this DC museum.

🌽 Solve puzzles, perform experiments, play state-of-the-art computer simulations and find out how corn is like a dog in the interactive, family-friendly imagiNATIONS Activity Center (10 am–4:30 pm, Tuesday–Sunday). Explore scientific principles behind Native innovations and technologies.

🦬 Pick up a fantastic family guide and find featured items among the galleries including wood and stone carvings, exquisite clothing, feather bonnets and lots of animal representations plus works by contemporary Indigenous artists.

🪶 Infinity of Nations: Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian, the spectacular, permanent exhibition of some 700 works of Native art from throughout North, Central, and South America demonstrates the breadth of the museum’s renowned collection and highlights the historic importance of many of these iconic objects. Admire a magnificent Kayapó krok-krok-ti, a macaw-and-heron-feather ceremonial headdress, an Apsáalooke (Crow) robe illustrated with warriors’ exploits; a detailed Mayan limestone bas relief depicting a ball player; an elaborately beaded Inuit tuilli, or woman’s inner parka, made for the mother of a newborn baby; a Mapuche kultrung, or hand drum, depicting the cosmos; a carved and painted chief’s headdress, depicting a killer whale with a raven emerging from its back, an early Anishinaabe man’s outfit complete with headdress, leggings, shirt, sash, and jewelry and other important items from different regions along with works by contemporary Naive artists.

🏙 In immersive Native New York, explore 12 places in New York and the Native nations that call the region home, from Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) ironworkers who helped build Manhattan’s iconic skyscrapers to Lenape (Delaware) teens visiting their ancestral home. Learn about pre–Revolutionary War exchanges through contemporary events stretching from Long Island to Niagara Falls in engaging displays.

💰 Located in the grand Alexander Hamilton US Custom House, with its own commerce-based art.

🛍 Shop for authentic Native American merchandise including apparel, art, literature, jewelry, food, and more for all ages. Housed in what what was originally the Cashier’s Office of the Alexander Hamilton US Custom House; look for original details like antique metal dividers for the cashier’s cages, intricate crown molding, grand chandeliers, and the original vault used by the cashiers.

🍽 The museum’s Mili Kàpi Cafe offers hot and cold beverages and light casual fare—sandwiches, salads, and sweets—highlighting ingredients indigenous to the Americas (Wed–Sun 10 am–4 pm). Dine on excellent thin-crust square pizza at nearby Adrienne’s Pizza Bar.

🌳 Close to destination playground Battery Playscape and the enchanting Seaglass Carousel.