Summary
- Travelers looking for top museums outside of NYC should visit the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, featuring over 320 unique boats and boat-related artifacts.
- The Dr. Best House and Medical Museum in Middleburgh is a time capsule of medicine's past, with an extensive collection of medical equipment and everyday items.
- For sports enthusiasts, the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota showcases the heritage of boxing and has famous boxers like Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson in its Hall of Fame.
New York City is a favorite among travelers who adore the metropolis for its cornerstone landmarks, world-famous NYC skyscrapers, and world-class museums. In fact, many travelers argue that The Big Apple is one of the American cities with the best museums!
Truthfully, it's hard to doubt the city's extensive collection of comprehensive and top-rated museums; however, the state of New York boasts an array of museums that may pique plenty of travelers' interests.
Of course, New York State is full of places to see fall foliage and leaves changing their colors. The Big Apple itself is one of those spots, too. But that's what all the tourists are doing during the autumn - why not break away, leave the concrete jungle, and check out some of the best museums in New York State outside the Big Apple?
Curious travelers with eager minds can find a collection of incredible museums outside of New York City and throughout The Empire State! Here are some of the must-see establishments for those looking for the top museums outside NYC to visit.
10 Antique Boat Museum
On the Thousand Islands on the St. Lawrence River (which is great to visit) in Clayton, the Antique Boat Museum is a premier freshwater boating museum in North America. This museum outside NYC houses the largest collection of artifacts and displays dedicated to recreational boating in North America, featuring over 320 unique boats and boat-related artifacts on display.
This unique museum aims to educate visitors about the importance of boating throughout the history of the continent, especially within the St. Lawrence River. There are over 150 years worth of boating history to explore at Clayton's Antique Boat Museum!
- Location: Clayton
- Address: 750 Mary St, Clayton, NY 13624, United States
9 Dr. Best House And Medical Museum
The Dr. Best House and Medical Museum in Schoharie County's town of Middleburgh is a time capsule of medicine's past. This historic home once belonged to two local doctors: Dr. Christopher S. Best and his son, Dr. Duncan L. Best.
As avid contributors to their community, it was Duncan's idea to bequeath the family home to the Middleburgh Library in 1991 as a public medical exhibit. Today, those who visit this unique museum will see an extensive collection of medical equipment mixed with everyday home items like clothing and quilts.
The house is also popular among paranormal enthusiasts due to its paranormal activities and is part of the New York State Haunted History Trail. The site is one of the most haunted places in New York State to visit on a spooky road trip - just in time for Halloween!
- Location: Middleburgh
- Address: 1568 Clauverwie Rd, Middleburgh, NY 12122, United States
Guided tours are offered year-round at this Middleburgh museum.
8 International Boxing Hall Of Fame
Sports like baseball and basketball have their respective hall of fames, so it's only fair to dedicate a Hall of Fame to the sport of boxing.
Located in Canastota (approximately 20 minutes from Syracuse), the International Boxing Hall of Fame is keen on preserving the heritage of this storied sport while hosting a museum dedicated to boxers, trainers, and other contributors to boxing.
Since its opening in 1989, influential figures in the sport have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, including famous boxers like Muhammad "Greatest of All Time" Ali and Mike Tyson. Today, it's among the most popular museums outside of New York City to visit.
- Location: Canastota
- Address: 360 N Peterboro St, Canastota, NY 13032, United States
Groups of 10 or more people visiting the museum will receive $1 off per person!
7 JELL-O Gallery Museum
Operated by the Le Roy Historica Society, the JELL-O Gallery Museum is dedicated to "America's Most Famous Dessert." Travelers can discover the humble origins of this gelatine dessert, which started with carpenter Pearle Wait and his creation of a fruit-flavored gelatine dessert for his wife in 1897.
One of the best museums near NYC to visit, the establishment features a collection of JELL-O-related artifacts and memorabilia, from spoons to package inserts, as well as molds and advertising art!
- Location: Le Roy
- Address: 23 E Main St, Le Roy, NY 14482, United States
Interested in taking a tour as a group? Reservations are needed before touring the JELL-O Gallery museum with a group.
6 Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum
It's no coincidence that the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum is found in Jamestown, New York; it's home to comedic legend Lucille Ball! For over two decades, the Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Museum welcomed visitors to celebrate the legacies of the "First Couple of Comedy."
Fans visiting this vibrant museum can admire recreated studio sets from the iconic show, I Love Lucy, and check out a collection of the shows' props and costumes. Plenty of gems await the avid I Love Lucy fan at this museum, including rare footage and exclusive memorabilia from the gift shop!
- Location: Jamestown
- Address: 2 W 3rd St, Jamestown, NY 14701, United States
5 Motorcyclepedia Museum
Newburgh's Gerald and Ted Doering managed to collect over 650 motorcycles over a combined period of 80 years! The Motorcyclepedia Museum is a chance for travelers to see some of the world's iconic bikes, with galleries dedicated to bikes from Harley-Davidson, Chopper City, and more.
Travelers can even find bike-related artifacts, scooters, military bikes, British motorcycles, and vintage rides at the Motorcyclepedia Museum! Visitors can explore the evolution of the motorcycle and its history, as it features motorcycles built since 1897. It's easily one of the best museums near New York City for motorbike fanatics, hands down.
- Location: Orange
- Address: 250 Lake St, Newburgh, NY 12550, United States
4 Museum Of The Earth
There are tons of destinations in Europe for science lovers, but who knew that New York State also has one? Art and science come together at Ithaca's Museum of the Earth, taking visitors on a journey through 4.5 billion years of natural history.
For over 20 years, the Museum of the Earth has used interactive displays and exhibits to educate visitors about the Earth's past, present, and possible future.
Visitors of this museum will soon realize (if they hadn't already) that science is cool, especially with the museum's Hyde Park mastodon (a nearly-complete skeleton of the mighty American mastodon), the 44-foot skeleton of Right Whale #2030, cave-like glacier exhibit!
- Location: Northwest Ithaca
- Address: 1259 Trumansburg Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850, United States
3 The National Bottle Museum
Humans often overlook everyday objects, such as a glass bottle. Despite its simplicity, making bottles can be considered an art with a history worth exploring. Curious travelers can explore the magic (and history) of bottlemaking at The National Bottle Museum in Ballston Spa!
The mission of this unique museum is to preserve, educate, and research items related to bottlemaking while showcasing its importance and history. Upon visiting, it'll be hard to ignore the museum's wall of bottles on the first floor (which is made up of over 3,000 bottles of varying shapes and colors)!
During one's visit, visitors can easily delve deeper into bottlemaking history and check out the museum's bottle-related exhibits, like its collection of Ballston Spa bottles and Coca-Cola bottles (which come from different bottling plants across the US).
- Location: Ballston Spa
- Address: 76 Milton Ave, Ballston Spa, NY 12020, United States
2 Salt Museum
The Salt Museum on the shores of Onondaga Lake highlights the value of salt, a commodity that was once manufactured in Syracuse to be supplied for the entire country! Through comprehensive interpretations and exhibits, curious visitors can learn about the Onondaga salt manufacturing industry that was in operation until the 1920s.
While here, visitors can also remark on vintage artifacts like an original boiling block (where brine transformed into salt), kettles, wooden barrels, and other equipment used to make salt.
- Location: Salina, New York
- Address: 106 Lake Dr, Liverpool, NY 13088, United States
Admission to the Salt Museum is free, though tours (of up to 30 students or adults) are provided at a cost of $50 per tour. Tours are often available from May to October, and advanced reservations (which can be made through phone or email) are required. For more information, please visit the Onondaga County Parks' website.
1 Corning Museum Of Glass
For its 100th anniversary, the Corning Glass Works constructed the Corning Museum of Glass in 1951. This non-profit museum was dedicated to glass and all its wonders.
Today, the Corning Museum of Glass houses the world's most comprehensive collection of glass, showcasing the art, history, culture, and science of this everyday material. Guests can admire the glint and glamor of the museum's displays, which feature over 50,000 objects made of glass and represent a history of over 3,500 years!
- Location: Corning
- Address: 1 Museum Way, Corning, NY 14830, United States