The 17 best museums in Brooklyn

By Anna Rahmanan

Museums in Brooklyn are a bit like the borough itself: varied in scope and genre, found out in the open or nestled in more remote portions of neighborhoods. Most of all, the institutions are very much emblematic of the genetic makeup of New York City as a whole.

Long-lasting favorites still pack a punch — the Brooklyn Museum, which turns 200 this year, and the New York Transit Museum in particular — but there are some lesser known destinations that we are wary to write about for fear of ruining one of the very things that makes them so special: they are pockets of quiet in an otherwise loud town.

Alas, we fulfill our pledge as journalists to report the whole truth and nothing but the truth. To that intent, here are the best museums in Brooklyn in alphabetical order.

BLDG 92
63 Flushing Avenue, Brooklyn Navy Yard
BLDG 92 is the museum dedicated to the history and work of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where it is actually found (technically speaking, the site is considered the navy yard’s visitor’s center). Walk around on your own to gaze at the various rotating exhibits or opt for one of the very informative public tours on offer, which might convince you to pursue a career in industrial innovation.

Brooklyn Children’s Museum
145 Brooklyn Avenue, Crown Heights
Among the many things that Brooklynites are proud of is the fact that the very first children’s museum in the United States was founded in Crown Heights back in 1899. The Brooklyn Children’s Museum still retains that aura of curiosity and popularity, perhaps also because it is located in a residential area that most people don’t associate with cultural pursuits of the sort. Visiting is well worth a potential journey: although initially focusing on the sciences only, the space now offers a vast variety of exhibits spanning all subject manners, alongside a ton of sensory play opportunities around the space. One of the best destinations to take the little ones to during cold winter Sundays, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum has continuously enjoyed the support of the local government in terms of funding — so you can always expect a well-kept space.

Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway, Prospect Heights
At 560,000 square feet, the Brooklyn Museum is the second largest art museum in New York City — a cultural cornerstone of the areas it calls home. In recent years especially, the massive Beaux-Arts building has pivoted its exhibits to cater to a wider public. In fact, although still home to a hefty collection of antique art, the space has played host to shows that touch on popular culture, like “Kaws: What a Party” and a production showcasing the collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys. The museum will be hosting special events and exhibits all year to celebrate its bicentennial.

Center for Brooklyn History
128 Pierrepont Street, Brooklyn Heights
Founded back in 1863, the Center for Brooklyn History is probably one of the most well-rounded repositories of information about the borough that’s currently open to the public. In addition to leafing through materials about Brooklyn—from historic maps to abolitionist papers, stacks of old newspapers and more—visitors can partake in a myriad of daily programs that touch upon similar themes or, perhaps, opt to simply stare at the beautiful building that houses the center. The visually striking Brooklyn Heights destination is a National Historic Landmark that is constantly referred to as one of the most magnificent structures in the borough—and for good reason. The destination has been part of the Brooklyn Public Library system since 2020.

City Reliquary
370 Metropolitan Avenue, Williamsburg
The City Reliquary, a non-profit community museum in Williamsburg, is arguably one of the most unique cultural destinations in all of New York. Founder Dave Herman has worked diligently to fill the space with artifacts specific to the city, initially displaying them by the windows of his apartment by Havemeyer and Grand Streets. In 2006, four years after establishing his effort at home to the delight of locals, Herman moved the quirky objects to the current museum location on Metropolitan Avenue. Inside, expect a ton of sports-related memorabilia, unique dolls, antique restaurant signs and the owner’s renowned collection of Statue of Liberty figures, basically the backbone of the museum. Interesting temporary exhibitions are also regularly mounted on premise, including a recent one focusing on tattoos of, what else?, the Statue of Liberty.

Coney Island Museum
1208 Surf Avenue, Coney Island
The seasonal Coney Island Museum was first set up in 1983 as an homage to the neighborhood. Today, it functions as the largest repository of objects and information regarding Coney Island. You’ll get to look through vintage signs, photographs, objects related to the famous museum park and more. In addition to the permanent exhibits, the staff regularly sets up on-site lectures dedicated to the history of the area.

House of Wax
445 Albee Square W #4410, Downtown Brooklyn
House of Wax at Alamo Drafthouse in Downtown Brooklyn’s City Point complex is two things at once: A pretty good bar and a museum dedicated to all things macabre. Inside, you’ll get to sip on a cocktail or on one of the many beers on tap while staring at child and adult anatomical models, giant creepy wax figures, death masks and childbirth-related statues that you might actually want to avoid looking at for fear of getting nauseous (no judgment).

The Invisible Dog Art Center
51 Bergen Street, Boerum Hill
Lucien Zayan established the Invisible Dog Art Center inside a three-story factory where belts used by Walt Disney for its invisible dog party trick were manufactured. Hence the name of the Boerum Hill venue, of course. Today, the museum is home to “traditional” exhibitions but can also be utilized for public events. Artists studios are on premise as well, proving the owner’s extreme devotion to the arts and his desire to help artists of all types.

Jewish Children’s Museum
792 Eastern Parkway, Crown Heights
Folks walking down Eastern Parkway on an average Sunday may notice a pretty large number of children hanging out by the headquarters of the Lubavitch movement at 770 Eastern Park, where the Jewish Children’s Museum resides. Although catering to kids of all ages, the destination seeks to impart the importance of Jewish heritage and delve into the history of the Jewish people through its permanent collections and rotating exhibitions. Perhaps most notable are the multimedia programs on site, including a fifth-floor six-hole mini golf course themed around Jewish life cycle events (think brit milahs and Bar Mitzvahs, for example), a rock climbing wall, a game show studio and a theater. Don’t forget to check out the toy library as well, where you’ll get to rent three toys for three weeks with a museum membership.

Lesbian Herstory Archives
484 14th Street, Park Slope
An ode to lesbian history, the Lesbian Herstory Archives are found in Park Slope, where folks are encouraged to browse through the largest collection of materials about and by gay women in the world. Fun fact: the archives were founded in 1974 on the Upper West Side, inside the apartment of one of the original founding members, Joan Nestle. Eventually, the amount of material that the founders amassed became so large that they were forced to move it all inside the Brooklyn brownstone that the group was able to purchase. Beware: there are thousands upon thousands of book available for browsing.

Micromuseum
123 Smith Street, 2nd floor, Boerum Hill
Boerum Hill’s Micromuseum is not always open: visitors are encouraged to stop by when welcoming visitors for special events. As a matter of fact, the museum sort of shifts in scope and genre every so often, displaying all types of art forms with a focus on the interactive.

Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts
80 Hanson Place, Prospect Heights
The Fort Green destination is the first-ever museum dedicated to contemporary African art that opened in New York. The space actually debuted in Bed-Stuy back in 1999 and moved to its current address in 2006. Although, currently, the main gallery of the space is closed, folks can still take the time to visit the institution’s Abolition House on Governors Island and the Ubuntu Garden, a community green space filled with sculptures, at 48 Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn.

New York Transit Museum
99 Schermerhorn Street, Downtown Brooklyn
Perhaps one of the most popular venues of its kind in Brooklyn, the New York Transit Museum is exactly what it sounds like: a repository of historical artifacts belonging to and about the city’s commuter systems. In a very on-the-nose move, the space operates inside the decommissioned Court Street subway station in Brooklyn Heights and is managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority itself.

Salvator Mundi Museum of Art
144 Union Street, Columbia Street Waterfront
Although museums that span themes and categories are always nice, there’s something to be said about an institution that dedicates all of its resources to a single artist or idea. Enter the Salvator Mundi Museum of Art, which takes its name from the famous eponymous artwork by Lenoardo da Vinci. In 2017, the painting sold at auction at Christie’s for over $450 million, establishing a record that the art world still talks about today. This Brooklyn museum, which is very tiny at only 45-square-feet, houses a private collection of ephemera related to the famous work: think of it as a live exploration of the painting. Private tours of the space are also available upon request.

Valentine Museum of Art
1655 Flatbush Avenue, Flatlands
The private entity inside the Philip Howard complex on Flatbush Avenue feels more like a gallery than a traditional museum, only one of the reasons why we like it so much. The history of the venue is as interesting as the works that call it home: the 5,000-square-foot institution was established by one Michael Valentine in 2016 in the basement of the co-op that he used to live in when younger. In a way, Valentine foreshadowed New Yorkers’ current proclivity to display art in the most unlikely of places.

Waterfront Museum
290 Conover Street, Red Hook
Did you know that there is a museum housed on an actual barge in the middle of Red Hook? The Waterfront Museum, formerly Lehigh Valley Barge No. 79, is now docked on Conover Street, where it has been since 1994. Hop on “board” to see the vessel’s original living quarters and the materials that were used by the maritime staff to operate the thing. Fun fact: you can rent the barge for an event as well.

Weeksville Heritage Center
158 Buffalo Avenue, Crown Heights
Think of the Weeksville Heritage Center in Crown Heights as an actual town frozen in time. One of the first free Black communities in the U.S. in the 19th century, the destination is also one of the few pre-Civil War African American sites that are still standing today. With a focus on programs for public school students, the museum operates a principal exhibit — the Hunterfly Road Historic District — alongside a number of smaller ones, all focusing on the physical space that the community called home.