The wealthy may abandon Park Avenue for refuge in the The Hamptons, but some of us are willing (read: have to) tough out the strange smells and extreme heat of summer in New York City. Below is a list of free or cheap things to do for New York City dwellers or potential visitors. I updated this list from my Broke Millennial’s Guide to New York City for Cheap(ish) with new tips I’ve found over the last year.
Free:
- Movies in parks around New York – Bryant Park isn’t the only one
- Summer concerts – like the Today Show Toyota concert series
- Sign up to usher at playhouses (off-Broadway) and they’ll, usually, let you watch the show as payment (tweet or email me for specifics)
- Explore Grand Central Terminal (do it by yourself for free. If you’re a Mad Men fan then grab a drink at the Oyster Bar or Campbell Apartment)
- Take the tour of the New York Public Library (a personal favorite)
- Walk around Central Park (it’s obvious, but had to be mentioned)
- Walk the Brooklyn Bridge
- Walk the High Line
- Explore Long Island City’s Gantry Park
- Free kayaking in Long Island City, Queens or Hudson River
- See the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island by riding the Staten Island Ferry
- Exercise classes via Shape Up NYC (Zumba, Yoga, Bootcamp, Kickboxing etc)
- Go to a comedy show – improv theaters often host free shows. UCB hosts ASSSSCAT 3000 for free on Sunday nights at 9:30. Stars often include cast members from SNL, 30 Rock, The Office and The Colbert Report. The PIT offers free shows on Wednesdays.
- Attend a live taping of a show (yes, they are actually free if you can secure tickets. I’ve done Letterman, Fallon, MTV’s Nikki & Sara Live and SNL). NYC based shows include: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert , The Daily Show with Jon Stewart , The Colbert Report (get the tickets while they’re hot!), The Tonight Show, The Dr. Oz Show , Good Morning America , Today show , The Wendy Williams Show , Live! with Kelly & Michael, The Rachel Ray Show , Saturday Night Live (the Holy Grail, it’s really hard to get these tickets) .
- Broadway in Bryant Park
- Participate in Improv Everywhere’s Annual MP3 Experiment (TBD happening on September 20th, so not technically summer but it’s a really fun event.)
- Shakespeare in the Park – get ready to wait or pray to your deity of choice for lottery tickets!!!
- Mermaid Parade
- 4th of July at Coney Island (hello hotdog eating contest! #JoeyChestnut)
Suggested Donations:
- American Museum of Natural History
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- The 9/11 Memorial
- P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center (MoMA’s sister museum)
- Brooklyn Museum of Art
- Queens Museum of Art
- The Cloisters – free ticket with your Met ticket (which is donation only!)
- Whitney Museum of American Art – Friday evenings 6:00 pm – 9:00 (pay as you wish)
Free Hours:
- The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) – Friday evenings from 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
- The Museum of Moving Image – Friday evenings 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
- Brooklyn Botanical Garden – Saturdays from 10 am – noon
Cheaper with ID’s or Standing in Lines:
- Broadway Student/General Rush Tickets
- Met’s game ($10 student tickets)
- Yankee’s game (certain games have discounts for military IDs and/or college)
What other fun cheap or free things are there to do during the summer in New York City?
*LINK LOVE* Lessons I found Inspiring this Week
- What I Learned Working for Michael Jordan from Even Steven Money
- Freedom Through Dividend Investing: An Update from Cashville Skyline
- Thursday Rant: Caveman Cranium and Saber-Toothed Cat from Mr.1500 Days
*AS SEEN ON*
Check out my new gig and read about my first business trip: Our Journey to the Chambliss Center Inspired by Paycheck to Paycheck Documentary on MagnifyMoney
Great list for people visiting New York (or I suppose those who live there as well!). I still haven’t been to NYC but I definitely will be referencing this list when I finally make my way there.
And feel free to reach out to me with any questions when you do!
Thanks for the Love, glad you liked the post. Have a great Friday!
It was a great read. Thanks for sharing the story!
Thanks so much for including my post, Erin! Great list for summer in New York City. I’ll have to save this for my next trip 🙂
You best let me know if you come to visit!
Wow, great list! I had no idea so many of the NYC museums and galleries had free hours or were by donation. I’ll be in the city over the July 4th long weekend and hopefully can fit in a few suggestions from your list!
Coney Island hotdog eating contest!!! It’s super touristy, but I love going down there for the 4th.
What seems so cool about NY is that you have a lot of the same stuff LA does, but you can actually get to it easier with public transportation! I’d love to do some more of the free/cheap stuff LA has to offer, but I’m so lazy about wanting to drive hours in traffic jams. Call me crazy! 🙂 Looks like some pretty fun stuff!
I’m with you on the traffic jams! I’ve only spent a little bit of time in LA, but that traffic is horrible. A 30 minute drive took my family two hours to come pick me up from the airport for Thanksgiving (granted it was the holidays..).
Great list! The weather is beautiful…hopefully it stays that way. I hate when it gets really humid. I knew about the kayaking on the Hudson but didn’t know LIC had it too…thanks for the tip!
I stumbled upon it during a run down by the water the other day. I don’t think they’re there every weekend, but the information is on their website.
This is an awesome list Erin!! One thing I have yet to do but REALLY want to do is a Summer Concert Series concert. When I was going into work in Midtown, I would always hear them playing and wish I could stand around and watch and now that I have a flexible schedule, I don’t want to wake up at 4am to take the train in to stand in line for a spot. I will have to check the schedule out and see if anyone is worth the wake up. 🙂
I always seem to be out of town whenever there is a band I’d want to see!
I liked that you mentioned the free ride to my neighbourhood; Staten Island 🙂 That’s a pretty solid list you put together!
Thanks! I’ve still not been out to Staten Island, so I might need some pointers from you.
Talking about free concerts, We’re going to see Amos Lee and Lake Street Dive today at Prospect Park in Brooklyn. I don’t know if you like them, but it’s free!
Thanks for the tip! I’d not heard of them, but does Prospect Park do a lot of free concerts?
Last night we went to a BBQ on the newly opened piers of Brooklyn Bridge Park, totally stunning and insane amounts of free resources from beach volleyball courts to free movies. Then we citibiked home across the brooklyn bridge- total awesomeness.
I haven’t been down there yet – I’m partial to Gantry Park and Astoria Park 😛
I’ll have to explore it later this summer.
This is an awesome list! It definitely stinks not to have the $ to spend every weekend in the Hamptons, but I kind of also love when the city is empty and it feels like your very own playground :). One of my faves is taking the ferry to Governor’s Island and spending the day there. Great spot for picnics and biking with awesome views of the city!
The MP3 Experiment was on Gov’s Island two years ago. SO FUN! It’s such a fun space.
Nice list I will definitely keep this in mind whenever I plan on visiting New York. Never been there before, but is on my travel bucket list whenever I have a chance to.
Let me know if you have any questions about vising – if/when you come!
Great list! I will add that the Bronx Zoo is free on Wednesdays. Take a day off of work in the Fall (Oct/Nov) when it won’t be too crowded and it is a ton of fun!
Also, I hear bikes are free on Gov’s island on weekdays. Another one that might be worth calling in sick for!
Yes! I always forget about the Bronx Zoo (probably because I haven’t done it yet). Peach comes to NYC for 3 months in the fall and will be living in the Bronx, so we’ll have to check it out then.
Oh, NYC. I miss it! This is a fantastic list. When I lived in NYC, I loved going to Two Brothers and getting a slice of pizza, walking along the High Line, walking in Fort Greene in BK, and just getting lost. I was thinking a lot about NYC this weekend because of the Mermaid parade.
I do love just wandering around the City and getting lost (but not really because it’s so easy to find your way around!). I still haven’t done the Mermaid Parade. I keep thinking I’ll do it next year. One of these times…
I have never spent much time in NY, but as in any place, there are always a lot of free things of you look. And you do not have to look very far.
I dare say there are even a lot more free things to do here than the average location.
I am very excited about this free kayaking! It’s going on my summer 2014 bucket list.
Me too! Perhaps it should be a blogger outing!
Great list! You have about a million more things to do in NYC than we do in Central Indiana. I’ll have to head back to NYC one of these days!
Yes! Travel hack over here so I can meet you in person!
I’m always amazed at how much free entertainment there is if you dig around for it. And I’m glad it’s the same in NYC, too!
great post.. i am going to bookmark this one.
we have talked about a NY trip for years, but i have always thought it would be cost prohibitive, on many levels. this post has a ton of great ideas for entertainment in the big city for the budget conscious.