Getaway Guide: A Big Apple Museum Crawl

Museums are much more than big imposing buildings stuffed with relics of the past. In nearby New York, they come in all flavors, from large to as small as a rowhouse. While they do contain antiquities, they also hold memories as recent as a dinner at Grandma's. Many are devoted to the here and now, like the Air and Space or Modern Art. Let's meander through a few that I've recently visited, in no particular order of importance. Some you've heard of, while others, probably not. – Jay Lloyd

The Museum of the American Indian is appropriately placed near the site where the Dutch landed on American shores and traded trinkets for Manhattan. Nobody's sure who got the better end of the deal. But in the Smithsonian, a building that was once an early customs house, there's an intriguing cross-section of Indian artifacts and artwork that represents tribes across America. From dug-out canoes to ceremonial costumes, the collection traces a unique history that pre-dates the European migration to the present day. Because it's part of the Smithsonian Institute, admission is free.

One of New York's most popular small museums attracts a procession of visitors, many with a family history in America that began on the Lower East Side of New York, the first stop after Castle Garden or Ellis Island, the two major immigration centers. The museum is devoted to immigration history and the tenements that became the first home to teeming arrivals that were crammed into inadequate apartments and shopped on push-cart crowded streets. The museum has faithfully restored a tenement building and furnished it with the belongings of the Irish, Italian, German and Jewish families who lived there. Tours take in the apartments, as well as a restored (but not operational) basement tavern, and there are neighborhood walking tours. Basic tours are $25. Walking tours are $45 with discounts for seniors and students. Check all the tours and prices here.

Getting around is a big part of any New York getaway. To see how New Yorkers have done it since the dawn of public transit, take a subway to Brooklyn and the New York Transit Museum. Ancient subway cars with wicker seats and straphanger hand-holds fascinate both young and old -- an exuberant daughter and her friend even danced in one. The exhibits take us back to the days of nickel fares and totally captivate youngsters, who can even get behind the wheel of a big city bus or play motorman on a subway. And most fascinating of all is a vibrant display that traces the construction of the subway a century ago, called "Steel, Stone and Backbone." The fare is $7 for adults. Children and seniors pay $5.

The skeletons of time-scarred and abandoned buildings sprawled over hundreds of acres still stand. But scattered among them on the East River waterfront are gleaming new structures housing hi-tech and innovative businesses – even the indoor sound stage used for the hit series "Boardwalk Empire." It's the storied and now revived Brooklyn Navy Yard. At its center is a brand-new modern museum devoted to the history of the yard and the waterfront. Visitors here will find different eras to explore. The story of Revolutionary War prison ships, where 12,000 died, is explored. Remember the Maine? It was built here. The Arizona was, too. The Civil War Monitor? It was armed and equipped here. The nation's maritime history is displayed at this unique nautical museum. Admission to the museum and tours of the revitalized former navy yard are free.

One of the great things about growing up In New York was the eagerly awaited class trip to the Museum of Natural History. They were frequent then and still are. I remember tranquility in the dark of the museum's Hayden Planetarium where, as the room darkens, there's a sensation of floating in the night sky. But I always itched to get to the dinosaur exhibits and marvel at prehistoric life that roamed the earth before the earliest man. The museum is so large and its exhibits so varied that it cannot be absorbed in a day. But that's a good excuse to revisit New York and one of its most popular attractions. General admission to the museum is $22 with discounts for seniors and children. See all the prices here.

Here on the deck of the World War II carrier Intrepid, now a museum ship, the space shuttle Enterprise looms large on the flight deck. It towers over planes and helicopters that served more than 70 years on the front lines. Even the visitors span the generations - young and old, all here to see replica space capsules and a 1940s torpedo bomber side by side on the carrier hangar deck. This monument to our fascination with pioneering at sea and in the air is an ideal museum for fair weather visits. Most of the displays are outdoors against the Hudson River and a New York skyline backdrop. General admission for adults is $24, but special displays and simulator rides can take the admission cost up to $42. There are discounts for youngsters, seniors and veterans. See the entire price menu here.

A few notes: We try to save museum visits for foul weather days, with the exception of the Intrepid. Some museums discourage taking photos because over time, the constant exposure to intense light can damage fragile exhibits. Before popping pics, ask about the policy. Also, we try to scope out restaurants in the immediate museum neighborhoods before going so lunch doesn't become a search mission. Most museums, though, offer dining options from snacks to first class eateries.