From time to time museums can endure quiet, with stuff behind glass that says “do not touch.” However a short time ago looking at things is not as unforgettable as getting to try them. Hands-on museums pressure exhibits exciting by letting us learn through doing. We can work old machines, fix broken objects, either act out history.
Playing with real things assist us remember information better. It as well makes museums more fun regarding people who learn best by seeing, hearing either touching. When each and everyone joins in, no one has an upper hand. We each and everyone obtain to take a look at everything ourselves.
On condition that , regular museums perforate you, New York’s hands-on museums could spark your heed again. Let’s find by trying cool things regarding ourselves!
Why Interactive Museums Are Additional Fun
I love hands-on museums because getting directed towards touch along with try everything creates learning exciting! as an alternative of just looking at old machines at the back of glass, I can set off real printing presses along with discover how they work.
Along with when I piece with each other broken pots either fossils, I remember the information better later. Hands-on exhibits in addition make museums extra welcoming, especially regarding kids along with people who learn by doing. With each and everyone participating, no one has an upper hand over others who prefer reading.
We each and everyone hold concepts directly by handling objects ourselves. The interactives make visits in addition enjoyable too. I feel part with regard to the experience, not just a passive viewer. This meeting sticks with me after I leave. Nearly all , playing with things firsthand ignites my curiosity along with wonder in a way visiting convetional museums rarely does!
My Favorite Interactive Museums in New York City
From posing with wax celebrities to riding vintage subway cars, New York has awesome one-of-a-kind museums encouraging visitors to interact! I’ve gotten to try cool hands-on activities like operating real machinery from the past, putting together dinosaur bones, doing science experiments to see ideas in action, and using simulations to practice skills from welding to surgery.
In some museums, I’ve role played historical moments while wearing costumes to better understand how people lived back then. Others have elaborate puzzle games sending me through detailed rooms. A few even use virtual reality to make me feel transported to other times and places! When participation is the main way to experience exhibits, I find every museum visit much more memorable. What I get to touch and do sticks with me at least as much as what I see on display!
Top Interactive Museums
In this New York City museum guide, I’ll showcase awesome destinations where you can dive right into hands-on exploring yourself! Coming highlights include an ice cream fantasy world with a big sprinkles pool and slide next to exhibits on the science behind this tasty treat, an art museum using projections to turn rooms into animated canvases you wander through, and a theatre museum letting you try on costumes and props while sharing Broadway secrets.
I’ll also cover a fashion museum where you can dress up in historic styles, a finance museum using quizzes and touchscreens to examine economic forces, a design center full of projects for visitors to build, and much more. If you think museums could be more playful and less studious, the incredible interactives available across New York are sure to amaze!
Museum of Ice Cream
Address : 558 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, United States
Opening & Closing Time : 9:30 am–8:30 pm
Open In Google Maps : Link
The Museum of Ice Cream is a candy-colored fantasy world bringing everyone’s favorite frozen treat to life! Backdrops have rainbow sprinkles pools, tunnels made of cherry trees, and even a unicorn room with the magical creature’s signature ice cream cone on its head.
Exhibits share history about innovations like freezers letting families store ice cream at home. But most activities here are just for play. A 3-story slide winds you through a huge animated sprinkle shaker before dropping you into a fluffy cloud of soft serve below.
You can invent new flavors, frost giant cookies together, whip up silly sundaes, and have paddle fights with ice cream sandwich racquets. With picture-perfect stations everywhere, it’s easy to see why this museum is so popular on Instagram. Yet people of all ages have authentic fun going beyond snapping photos. Kids get a playground vibe from the activities while adults enjoy the skillful themes bringing out ice cream’s special charm.
You’ll find the Museum of Ice Cream at 558 Broadway in New York City’s artsy SoHo neighborhood. Timed tickets start at $39 for visitors ages 2 and up. It’s open 10am to 9pm, Wednesday through Monday.
ARTECHOUSE – NYC’s Digital Art Museum
Address : 439 W 15th St, New York, NY 10011, United States
Opening & Closing Time : 10 am–10 pm
Open In Google Maps : Link
ARTECHOUSE uses technology to pull people inside moving works of art for magical exhibits. Digital creators project giant lush landscapes, complex geometric shapes expanding forever, and fantasy worlds disregarding reality’s limits onto screens lining walls, floors and ceilings. You’re surrounded by flowing forms, dazzling hues, and abstract interpretations of things like growing forests or currents stirring sand in an ethereal sea.
Touchscreens let you interact with certain installations. Motion-sensing augmentations also keep the experiences lively. ARTECHOUSE totally reinvents static art viewing into something thrillingly active. Themes change every few months, tempting New Yorkers to visit repeatedly while drawing fresh waves seeking the latest buzzed-about destination.
You’ll find ARTECHOUSE at 439 West 15th Street in the hot Chelsea art neighborhood. Standard admission is $24 for visitors 16 and up, with student and senior discounts available too. It’s open Wednesday through Monday from 10am to 10pm.
The Sloomoo Institute – Home of Creative Slimeplay
Address : 475 Broadway, New York, NY 10013, United States
Opening & Closing Time : 10 am–7 pm
Open In Google Maps : Link
At the Sloomoo Institute, visitors revel in the gooey fun slime brings to all ages. Vats overflow with glistening vibrant ooze ready for stretching, sculpting, poking and more to your heart’s content! Varieties include glittery slime, buttery slime, moldable floam clay and bubblegum-scented batches – all formulated not to stain skin or clothes.
Design your own at the DIY bar, picking colors and scents before expert mixologists blend them for you. Instructional sessions share insider techniques for achieving favorite textures when producing slime at home. When not handling batches yourself, you can watch mesmerizing slime ASMR videos and enjoy the signature squish sounds. Sloomoo positions slippery experimenting as both calming and nostalgic – perfect for peaceful craft time benefiting kids and adults alike.
You’ll find the Sloomoo Institute at 475 Broadway in New York City’s artsy SoHo neighborhood. General admission starts at $38, with extended play passes and special event tickets also available.
More Museum In NYC
| Names | Address | Opening & Closing Hours | Google Maps |
| Color Factory – NYC Interactive Art Museum | 251 Spring St, New York, NY 10013, United States | 9 am–8 pm | Link |
| INTER_IAM | 415 Broadway, New York, NY 10013, United States | 1–10 pm | Link |
| ARTECHOUSE NYC | 439 W 15th St, New York, NY 10011, United States | 10 am–10 pm | Link |
| Whitney Museum of American Art | 99 Gansevoort St, New York, NY 10014, United States | 10:30 am–10 pm | Link |
| SPYSCAPE | 928 8th Ave, New York, NY 10019, United States | 10 am–10 pm | Link |
| Museum of Illusions | 77 8th Ave, New York, NY 10014, United States | 10 am–11 pm | Link |
| Tenement Museum | 103 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002, United States | 10 am–6 pm | Link |
| Intrepid Museum | Pier 86, W 46th St, New York, NY 10036, United States | 10 am–5 pm | Link |
| American Museum of Natural History | 200 Central Park W, New York, NY 10024, United States | 10 am–5:30 pm | Link |
Conclusion
New York City shines with museums moving past static observing into vivid interacting kindling our senses. I discovered places to sculpt edible art creations, ride vintage carnival simulations, undergo spy training missions through laser mazes and more! Whether you seek hands-on science demos, screen history lessons via real props and sets, or literally walking through favorite film worlds built in detail, numerous venues creatively engage specific interests.
Others like slime factories and VR drawing lounges simply offer playtime escapes from daily stresses. Ultimately these museums dissolve barriers between visitors and exhibits. I can personally try meatpacking or hat making methods from past times, walk celebrity red carpets before posing by pop culture heroes, watch digital masterpieces evolve across surrounding room-sized screens and so much more by doing it myself. Trading detached viewing for direct experiencing makes discovering heritage not just fun but joyfully unforgettable.
If passively reading descriptions rarely excites you, spark your curiosity by embracing museums designed specially for active participation. New York City has no shortage of venues for learning through invested history, scientific discovery, cultural exploration and pure amusement by doing instead of only observing. Just stepping into their playful wonderlands may reveal passions you never expected museums could ignite!