- With 843 acres of land, Central Park (centralparknyc.org) offers a wealth of activities. Take a free, guided walking tour or rent bikes or skates and see the park on wheels. For $12, you can rent a rowboat for an hour and enjoy an afternoon in the park on the water. The New York Botanical Garden (nybg.org), blooming with manicured gardens and special exhibitions of plants and flowers, is free all day Wednesday and on Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon. For a nautical adventure, take a free ride on the Staten Island Ferry (siferry.com) and enjoy the views of the skyline and the Statue of Liberty.
- While many museums in New York have steep admission fees, there are free and discounted tickets as well. Check the website in advance of the specific museum you'd like to visit to determine if there are days with free or "pay as you wish" admission. Some museums, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art (metmuseum.org), have a suggested donation, but you can donate any amount for entrance. Other museums, such as the Ellis Island Museum (nps.gov/elis) and the Sony Wonder Technology Lab (wondertechlab.sony.com), are always free. If you're looking for wildlife, the Bronx Zoo (bronxzoo.com) allows the public to pay as they wish on Wednesdays.
- Central Park hosts free and low-cost summer concerts every year with its Summerstage program (summerstage.org) and also allows theater-goers to take in free Shakespearean performances through Shakespeare in the Park (shakespeareinthepark.org). The Julliard School (julliard.edu) offers free student plays, concerts and dance performances throughout the year.
- Stroll through the Union Square Greenmarket (grownyc.org/unionsquaregreenmarket) to watch cooking demonstrations and taste free samples, or visit a street fair for food, games and shopping (check nycstreetfairs.com for a schedule). Research online to find the places where your favorite New York-based TV shows or movies were filmed and visit the locations for your own New York "on location" tour. For a chance at spotting a star, visit onlocationvacations.com lists where movies or television shows film every day.
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