About the Museum
Oldest and largest state museum in the country. Features extensive exhibits on New York history, Native American cultures, 9/11 memorial, Erie Canal, and natural history of the Empire State.
Located in Albany, the New York State Museum is part of the New York State Education Department and presents exhibitions spanning the state's history, art, and natural sciences. Its collections and displays range from paleontology and the Ice Ages of New York to social history, the arts, and the stories of the state's diverse peoples.
Exhibitions and What to See
The Museum's rotating and long-term exhibitions give visitors a wide range of subjects to explore, including:
- "Revolutionary New York," exploring the state's role in the founding era
- "Expedition Dinosaur: Rise of the Mammals" and the long-term "Ice Ages" exhibition on New York's prehistoric past
- "Timbuctoo: Gerrit Smith's Experiment," on the abolitionist who granted land to free Black men so they could claim the right to vote
- "Berenice Abbott: Changing New York" and "Fashion and Faith: Hats of the Great Migration"
- The Oechsle Clock Collection, displayed in Adirondack Hall, tracing clockmaking sparked by the Erie Canal
The Museum also produces the podcast "A New York Minute in History" and shares ongoing acquisitions and discoveries, such as a recently excavated mastodon jaw found in Orange County, New York.
Planning Your Visit
The New York State Museum is located in Albany, New York. Because many of its exhibitions are temporary and open and close throughout the year, visitors are encouraged to review current exhibition listings before planning a trip. For hours, directions, and the latest exhibitions and events, visit the Museum's website at nysm.nysed.gov.
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