nyccheaptravel.com

Category: Free

  • Free Performances at Julliard School

    Free Performances at Julliard

    Julliard is one of the finest and best-known performing arts schools in the country, featuring programs in music, dance, and drama. The school is located on the upper west side of Manhattan, in the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex.

    Each year, Julliard present hundreds of free events featuring the school’s students and faculty. The students at Julliard are some of the best up-and-coming performers in the country, so you can expect first-rate performances.

    Check the school’s online performance calendar to see upcoming events.

     

    Location

    Julliard is located at Lincoln Center, on West 65th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. Most Julliard School performances are held at the Paul Recital Hall, Morse Recital Hall, Peter Jay Sharp Theater, or Rosemary and Meredith Wilson Theater, all of which are located in the Julliard School building. Occasionally, performances are held at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully or David Geffen Halls. The performance calendar specifies the location for each event.

     

    Tickets

    • Student recitals are free and do not require tickets
    • Check the performance calendar to see if ticketed events are free or have an admission charge.
    • Tickets for free events must be ordered online. There will be a note with the performance details that specifies when the free tickets will be available.

     

    [box]

    365 Free Things to Do in New York City

    Sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to receive Free Things to Do updates via email.[/box]




  • Free Admission at Queens Botanical Garden

    Free Days at Queens Botanical Garden

    Admission to the garden is free during the winter months (November through March).

    From April – October free admission is available on Wednesdays from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

    Admission is free for active military and up to five family members.

    Regular admission is $6 for adults, $4 for seniors (62+), $4 for students with ID, and $2 for children ages 4 – 12. Children under the age of 3 are admitted free.

    Please visit the Queens Botanical Garden website for hours of operation and admission fee details.

     

    About the Garden

    The Queens Botanical Garden has a history tied to New York’s Worlds Fairs. The garden was originally created part of the 1939 New York World’s Fair. After that fair closed, the garden was enlarged to include a portion of Flushing Meadows Park. Then when the 1964 World’s Fair came to Flushing Meadows, the garden was moved across the street. Today’s garden is 39 acres in size and includes themed gardens, a bee garden, butterfly garden, fragrance walk, arboretum, rose garden, pinetum, and more.

    The garden is located in Flushing, Queens. Nearby attractions include Flushing Meadows Corona Park, the Queens Museum, and the New York Hall of Science. The garden website has directions on how to get there by bus, subway/train, or car.

     

    [box]

    365 Free Things to Do in New York City

    Sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to receive Free Things to Do updates via email.[/box]




  • Visit the Metropolitan Opera

    Metropolitan Opera House Free Public Access

    The main public areas of the Metropolitan Opera House are now open free-of-charge to the public on weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and on Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m..

    Visitors can walk up the grand staircase and see the famous starburst crystal chandeliers. There’s also a 50th anniversary exhibit in the lower lobby that features photos from the opera house’s construction, and footage from the opening 1966-67 opening season.

    There are rehearsals on the stage most days, so the main hall isn’t open to the public, but there is a large video monitor screen on which you can view what’s happening on the stage.

    Because of final dress rehearsals and other events, there will be no open public access on the following days: October 14, 25, 27, 28; November 1, 4, 10, 24, 28; December 2, 9, 16, 28, 29, 30;;January 6, 16, 30; February 2, 7, 13, 21; March 3, 13, 17, 19*, 27; April 10, 13, 21, 28.

    The Metropolitan Opera House is located in the Lincoln Center complex, at Columbus Avenue, between West 62nd and West 65th Streets. Map.

    These daily open houses are something new for the 2016/2017 Metropolitan Opera season. No word yet on if this will be continued in future years.

    Please visit the Metropolitan Opera website for details.

     

    Discount Tickets to the Metropolitan Opera

    If you’d like to attend a performance of the Metropolitan Opera, there are several discount options available.

    Rush Tickets: A limited number of $25 same-day rush tickets are sold online daily. The rush tickets are sold on a first-come-first-served basis and go on sale at noon for Monday – Friday performances, at 2:00 for Saturday evening performances, and four hours before curtain for matinees. Purchase is limited to one pair of rush tickets per person. Details.

    Discount Tickets: We have a list of discounted opera tickets available for purchase through Groupon and Goldstar.

    Ticket Office: For regular-priced tickets, visit the Metropolitan Opera website or visit the Met box office in person in the lobby of the Opera House. .

     

    [box]

    365 Free Things to Do in New York City

    Sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to receive Free Things to Do updates via email.[/box]




  • Free Days at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

    Brooklyn Botanic Garden

    Japanese Hal-and-Pond Garden at Brooklyn Botanic Garden By Bettycrocker (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

    The Brooklyn Botanic Garden originally opened in 1911 and has served as a favorite oasis for years.

    The garden is known for its cherry trees, which are featured in the annual Sakura Matsuri Festival, Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, rose garden, native flora garden, Shakespeare garden, fragrance garden, and children’s garden (which opened in 1914 and is the oldest continually operating children’s garden). The Garden’s conservatory houses one of the oldest collections of bonsai plants in the U.S..

    Read what people who have visited the Garden have to say at TripAdvisor.

    Free Admission Days at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

    During the winter months (December – February), admission to the garden is pay-what-you-wish on weekdays (Tuesday – Friday). Admission fees help support the garden, so please do pay what you can.

    Also, free admission to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is included with the New York Sightseeing Pass.

    Regular priced admission to the garden is $18 for adults and $12 for seniors (65+) and students (12+ with ID). Children under 12 are admitted free.

    Visit the Brooklyn Botanic Garden website to confirm fees and hours of operation.

    Brooklyn Botanic Garden Location and Directions

    The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is located in the Prospect Park section of Brooklyn. Other sights nearby include the Prospect Park Zoo and the Brooklyn Museum.

    There are entrances to the garden on Eastern Parkway, Flatbush Avenue, and Washington Avenue. There are three subway stations near the garden; Brooklyn Museum station, Prospect Park station, and Franklin Avenue station. Visit the Brooklyn Botanic Garden website for detailed directions.

    Hotels near the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

  • Free “Union Square: Crossroads of New York” Tour

    Free Union Square Walking Tour

    Union Square
    By chensiyuan (chensiyuan) [GFDL or CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons
    A free walking tour of the Union Square neighborhood is available each Saturday (except holidays), year-round. The tours start at 2:00 p.m. and lasts an hour and a half.

    On the tour, you’ll learn about the social and political history of the Union Square neighborhood and the people, events, and architecture that have influenced the community.

    The tour is presented by the Union Square Partnership in cooperation with Big Onion Tours.

     

    Union Square Park and Neighborhood

    Union Square is located where Broadway and 4th Avenues converge at 14th Street. Union Square Park is a busy public space where you’ll find a collection of statues, a green market (Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays, and Saturdays), busking musicians and performers, street vendors, chess players, and lots of visitors and residents enjoying the park. The surrounding area includes bookstores (The Strand and Barnes and Noble), shops, restaurants, live music venues (Webster Hall, Irving Plaza), and more.

     

    Tour Details

    The tour takes place each Saturday (except holidays)  Start time is 2:00 p.m. and tours last an hour and a half. Meet at the Lincoln Statue located on the 16th Street traverse through Union Square. Look for a guide holding a “Union Square: Crossroads of New York sign”. The tour is free and no reservations are required.

    Visit the Union Square Partnership website for details.

     

    [box]

    365 Free Things to Do in New York City

    Sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to receive Free Things to Do updates via email.[/box]




  • Free Tour of Federal Reserve Bank & Gold Vault

    Federal Reserve Bank Tours

     

    Copyright: dariohayashi / 123RF Stock Photo

    Taking a tour of a bank might not sound all that exciting, but this isn’t just any bank, this is the Federal Reserve of New York, the largest in the United States’ system of Federal Reserve Banks, and the place where a giant vault stores one of the largest depositories of gold in the world.

    The Federal Reserve offers free guided tours, during which you’ll see the gold vault and learn about what it is the Federal Reserve does.

    Unfortunately, there are no photos allowed within the Federal Reserve, so if you have your heart set on taking a selfie with a gold bar, you’re out of luck.

    See what past visitors have to say about the tour on TripAdvisor.

     

    Federal Reserve Bank Tour Reservations

     

    You have to make advance reservations for the Federal Reserve Bank tours. You can register for a tour online at the Federal Reserve website. Click on the “Tour Experience” section of the Museum & Gold Vault Tour page to get to the reservations section. Space is limited to 25 guests for each tour. The reservation spots fill up fast, so plan on visiting the Federal Reserve website when the tickets are released for reservations, which is at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time 30 days before the tour.

    Tours last one hour and are held Monday through Friday at 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.  No tours on bank holidays.

    As you can imagine, there’s a security check before the tour, so plan on arriving early to allow time to get through screening. Visit the Federal Reserve Bank website for details regarding tour procedure and requirements.

     

    Federal Reserve Bank Location

     

    The Federal Reserve Bank address is 44 Maiden Lane. It’s located in Lower Manhattan, between Nassau and William Street.

     

    [box]

    365 Free Things to Do in New York City

    Sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to receive Free Things to Do updates via email.[/box]




     

  • Free Saturday and Sunday Brooklyn Brewery Tours

    Have you ever toured a brewery? Well, here’s your chance. The Brooklyn Brewery offers free tours of their facilities on Saturdays and Sundays. They offer tours other days of the week too, but there’s a charge for those.

    The weekend tours start at noon on Saturday and depart every half hour from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and start at noon on Sunday and run every half hour from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. You can pick up a tour ticket at the brewery’s Company Store beginning an hour before the tour’s start time. The tours are limited to 40 people and are first-come-first-served. The brewery’s website provides the details on how all of this works.

    You can try the beer, but that’s not free. Beer tokens are $5 each or 5 for $20.

    Please visit the Brooklyn Brewery website to confirm details before heading out to the brewery.

    The Brooklyn Brewery is located at 79 North 11th Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, between Berry Street and Wythe Avenue. Directions.

    While you’re in Brooklyn, check out all the shops and eateries in the trendy Williamsburg neighborhood.  If you go on a Saturday, Smorgasburg is nearby.

     

    [box]

    365 Free Things to Do in New York City

    Sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to receive Free Things to Do updates via email.[/box]




  • Be a Good Morning America Audience Member

    GMA Audience Tickets

     

    Be a member of the live studio audience for Good Morning America!

    ABC’s Good Morning America airs live Monday – Friday from Times Square. In the past, the only way to be in the GMA “audience” was to look in on the sets from the studio windows. Recently, however, the popular morning show has added an in-studio audience.

    You have to be an early-riser to attend a morning show taping, but if you’re staying in the Times Square area, getting to the studios around 6:00 a.m. might not be too difficult. Plus, you’ll be done by around 9:00 and have the whole day still ahead of you.

    You can see a list of upcoming shows and apply for tickets at the 1iota website (they’re a company that handles audience tickets for many television shows). Tickets are usually available for shows about a month in advance.

    The GMA studio’s address is 1500 Broadway. It’s located at the southeast corner of 44th and Broadway.

    Tips:

    • Get there on time, or better yet, early. Space is limited and having a ticket doesn’t mean that you’ll necessarily get in.
    • Be prepared to stand in line for a while. You’ll probably stand outside for 45 minutes to an hour before being allowed inside the studio.
    • Plan your visit to Good Morning America for early in your visit to New York City. If you have a ticket and don’t get in, they may give you VIP tickets for another day.
    • Read reviews visitors’ experiences at GMA at TripAdvisor. They give you a good idea of what to expect.

    [box]

    365 Free Things to Do in New York City

    Sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to receive Free Things to Do updates via email.[/box]




  • Free Walking Tours of Grand Central Neighborhood

    Free Walking Tour of Grand Central Neighborhood

     

    Every Friday, year round, the Grand Central Partnership offers a free walking tour of the Grand Central neighborhood.

    Knowledgeable tour guides lead a 90 minute tour of the neighborhood that includes the Terminal and other neighborhood buildings. The focus is on history and architecture.

    Grand Central Terminal Exterior
    (Copyright: dibrova / 123RF Stock Photo)

    Landmarks included on the tour include Grand Central Terminal, the Chrysler Building, the News Building, and more. See reviews of the tour at TripAdvisor.

    The tours take place every Friday, starting at 12:20pm. The tours are free and open to the public. No tickets or reservations are required. Meet in the atrium of 120 Park Avenue, directly across from Grand Central Terminal, at the southwest corner of East 42nd Street and Park Avenue. See tour information at the Grand Central Partnership website.

     

    Touring Grand Central Terminal

     

    The Grand Central Partnership’s walking tour does not include an interior tour of Grand Central Terminal. You can take a look around Grand Central on your own or with one of the tour options below.

    Grand Station Terminal Interior

    Grand Central Terminal Audio Tour – A self-guided audio tour of the Terminal building is available seven days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The fee for the audio tour is $9 ($7 for seniors, military, students, and kids). Note: The audio tour is available through Groupon at a discounted price of $5 per person.

    To take the tour, you’ll get your audio device and headset from the Grand Central Terminal Tour window in the main concourse, near customer service. It’ll take 45 minutes to an hour to go through the tour. The audio device and headset need to be returned to the Grand Central Terminal tours window before they close for the day at 6:00 p.m.

    Grand Central Terminal Guided Tour – The official guided tour of Grand Central Terminal is the Municipal Arts Society of New York’s 75-minute docent-led tour. The tour highlights the history, architecture, and operation of Grand Central. The guided tour is offered daily as 12:30 and the fee is $25 ($20 for seniors, military, students, and children under 10). Details.

     

    [box]

    365 Free Things to Do in New York City

    Sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to receive Free Things to Do updates via email.[/box]




  • Attend Free Events at the Lincoln Center Atrium

    MusicFree Performances

    Lincoln Center hosts free performances at their David Rubenstein Atrium (located on Broadway between 62nd and 63rd Streets). There are usually several free events each week. The free performances feature a variety acts, from local artists to national and international touring performers. Most events are music concerts, but dance, theater, and spoken word events are also often on the calendar.

    The popular Free Thursdays concerts are held each Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

    See a calendar of scheduled free events.

    Space is limited and people are admitted on a first-come-first-served basis until capacity if reached. See Lincoln Center’s tips on attending the free concerts.

     

    Visitor Information, Discount Tickets, and Cafe

    The David Rubenstein Atrium serves as Lincoln Center’s public space and visitor center. In addition to being the site for free weekly performances, this is where you’ll find a Lincoln Center information desk, Lincoln Center tours information, and a discount tickets box office that sells same-week performance tickets 25% to 50% off.

    The Atrium is also a good place to just stop in and relax. It’s a nice space with vertical gardens and fountains, plus there’s a Wichcraft Cafe, free wifi, and public restrooms.

     

    Hours and Location

    Atrium hours are Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Saturday & Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

    The Atrium is located on Broadway, between  62nd and 63rd Streets. There are entrances on 62nd Street, Columbus Avenue, and Broadway.

    [box]

    365 Free Things to Do in New York City

    Sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to receive Free Things to Do updates via email.[/box]