Despite visiting New York City pretty regularly, it took me a while to even learn about the New York Transit Museum. Now, it’s one of the coolest things to do on my NYC bucket list that I recommend to everyone.
If you’re looking for something totally unique to do here, don’t miss your chance to visit one of the most interesting and highly underrated museums in New York City. This post will tell you all about this hidden gem of Brooklyn.
My personal photos of the New York Transit Museum have been used with their permission.
The New York Transit Museum
The New York Transit Museum is dedicated to all the transit systems in New York City–the buses, the commuter rails, and the New York City subway. It’s located, as it should be, underground in a decommissioned subway station in downtown Brooklyn.
Now, before you get all “A museum about the NYC subway? Pffftt.” on me, don’t knock it until you visit it. I myself am not one of those “train people.” But what I am though is someone who loves history, who enjoys learning how things work, who likes to time travel, who enjoys visiting TV and movie filming locations, and someone who loves all kinds of quirky museums. If you’re any of those people, you’ll love it here too. (But train people, you’re always welcome here too!)
If you’re headed to NYC, also check out my posts on visiting the Statue of Liberty and visiting Ellis Island. You can visit both sites at the same time on the same ticket.
How to get to the New York Transit Museum
Guess. What. In the most ironic twist of fate, you can take New York City transit of all types to the New York transit museum. To get to the New York Transit Museum you can:
- Grab one of the almost 14,000 taxis in New York City driving past you right now, and now, and now, and now…
- Summon an Uber or Lyft and plug in the New York Transit Museum address: 99 Schermerhorn St, Brooklyn
- Catch a bus
- Take the A, C, F or R trains to the Jay St./MetroTech subway station, the #2, 3, 4 or 5 trains to Borough Hall, or the A, C, G trains to Hoyt-Schermerhorn Street. If that sounds like gibberish, here’s a pretty subway map.
- However, my preferred mode of travel is my own two feet.
Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is a tourist attraction in its own right and just so happens to lead from downtown Manhattan right to the New York Transit Museum. “Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge” is probably on your New York City itinerary anyway.
And it should be! Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge is a great way to spend some time here. It offers great skyline views, great photo ops, great history to absorb, and great googly moogly don’t you dare step into the bike lane! Well, not unless “get yelled at by a real New Yorker” is also on your bucket list. If so, this is the most effortless way to check that one off.
Where to enter the NY Transit Museum
At the corner of Schermerhorn Street and Boerum Place, you’ll see what looks like the entrance to a subway station. This is actually the main entrance to the New York Transit Museum.
Museum accessibility
The New York Transit Museum has made sure they’re accessible to visitors of all abilities. They offer a wheelchair accessible entrance (at the corner of Schermerhorn and Court Sts.), offer sign language interpreters and assistive listening devices, are service animal friendly, and so much more. Click here to visit their page on accessibility.
What to see at the New York Transit Museum
“Who in their right mind would want to spend a couple hours underground in a New York City subway station?” Sure, we’ve all had that thought. It kind of sounds like the prologue to a dystopian horror novel, actually.
But this subway station has so much more to offer than stale hot air, the smell of urine, and a man in the corner having a conversation with his tub of Vaseline. (I’ve seen this with my own eyes.) This subway station tells the story of how that all came to be, once upon a time.
New York Transit Museum exhibits
At the New York Transit Museum you’ll find exhibits on:
- How they constructed the NYC subway system in the first place
- How the New York transit authorities deal with crisis situations (with a special emphasis on their response to the 9/11 attacks)
- Subway turnstiles and tokens through time, beginning in Yore and continuing on to our current digital age
- All times New York transit has wound up as a guest star of its own in popular culture
- Galleries of past subway advertisements and etiquette best practices
- Traffic lights, actual buses, and other things you can examine up close
- But the best part of the museum (in my humble, okay-fine-I-love-trains opinion) is…
Vintage subway cars
The collection of vintage subway and elevated cars that spans an entire city block. Here you can see and enter and sit on twenty subway and trolley cars dating from when the systems were first installed (early 1900s) to today (whatever year it is when you read this). We have now entered the time travel portion of our program.
Take your time going through each of these, noting how subway cars have changed over time. But mostly, just to be like what the hell were they thinking putting ceiling fans in subway cars?
Each car is outfitted with era-appropriate ads, vintage signage, and most likely some bratty kid thinking this museum is his personal playground. All of this in a real-life, decommissioned-yet-still-plugged-in subway station that totally has enough voltage to shock you back to the 1920s, should you touch the rails. In other words, train people, your world is about to be rocked.
Tips for visiting the New York Transit Museum
Here are a few helpful tips to make your trip to the NY Transit Museum the best and weirdest it can be:
Visiting with children
When visiting the New York Transit Museum, you should know what to expect. For instance, on many-a-website you’ll be told that the museum is “great for families!” and other nonsense like that.
I’m not sure what they think the kiddos will enjoy more… learning about the process of digging a subway tunnel in pre-electricity times, or how the transit authorities handled the 9/11 crisis. Hmm… it’s a toss up.
What they’re really saying without saying, is that their kids had a great time running amok, totally unsupervised, treating the museum’s exhibits on turnstiles and vintage subway cars like a McDonald’s PlayPlace. Forget the fact that the museum still has a live third rail with 600 volts of direct current running through it. That’ll just be a fun surprise for later.
It’s hot down here
If it’s hot outside and you’re planning to walk to the museum from Manhattan, you may want to bring a small handheld fan. (Something like this little battery-powered one or even just a foldable fan.) I left about three liters of sweat in the “Steel, Stone & Backbone” portion of the New York Transit Museum. And always travel with plenty of water in the summer!
It’s underground
Which reminds me, maybe leave your claustrophobic friends and family members back in the wide open expanse of Manhattan? Well, at least above ground then. The majority of the museum isn’t cramped, but it is in a low-ceiling-ed, windowless space underground, which may not be for everyone.
Don’t miss the vintage subway cars
Another tip that sounds kind of stupid up front (I know this) is to not miss the vintage subway cars. Look, I realize it’s a major part of the museum but upon first inspection, you may think you’ve missed them.
The New York Transit Museum is actually two floors, with the vintage car portion on the lowest of the two levels. Just when you think you’ve seen the entire museum, backtrack towards the entrance/exit and the stairs down into the former Court St. subway station will be right there.
Why visit the New York Transit Museum
There are many, many popular museums in New York City worth your time and money. I mean, they don’t call it “New Dork City” for nothing. Okay, I just made that up.
But really, you’ve got the Met, the Museum of Natural History, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, MoMA and the Guggenheim, the 9/11 Museum and Memorial, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, and sooo many others. And, obviously, you should visit every single one of them. #knowledgeispower
However, don’t stop after just seeing the top listed ones. For instance, it took me (a museum lover) 14 years of visiting New York City on a pretty regular basis to even hear about the New York Transit Museum. Here’s why I think you should visit the New York Transit Museum on your next trip to NYC:
It’s so relevant
Because it’s a museum dedicated to one of the largest, most sprawling aspects of life in New York City that most people don’t know the first thing about. (Except as a place where rats drag pizza slices back to their lairs, but what can you do?)
It’s interactive
Because it’s a museum where you can touch the exhibits, get inside them, and get a real taste for what it’s all about.
A hidden gem
Because it’s (quite literally) a hidden gem and therefore provides you with an experience free of lines, cattle herding, and airport-like security protocols.
Something to do in Brooklyn
Because once you walk across the Brooklyn Bridge you’ll need somewhere to go instead of just “back from whence you came.”
Filming locations
Because you can step onto the 1950s-era subway car and be instantly transported into a Marvelous Mrs. Maisel setting.
Where to stay near the New York Transit Museum
Just because you’re visiting New York City doesn’t mean you have to stay in Manhattan. No sleep ’til Brooklyn, right? Check out these hotels for your next stay in New Dork City:
Pod Hotel Brooklyn
I’m a big fan of the New York City Pod Hotels. (Read my full NYC Pod Hotel review here!) And the best part is that there’s also a location in Brooklyn. It isn’t within walking distance of the NY Transit Museum, but you can find deals here so good they’re worth the taxi fare to get here.
Book your stay here: Pod Hotel Brooklyn
Nu Hotel
Want funky wall art? Want a hammock in your room? How about a sidewalk cafe? Of course you do! The Nu Hotel is just a four minute walk from the New York Transit Museum, breakfast is included, and it’s considered one of the best values in Brooklyn.
Book your stay here: Nu Hotel
Ace Hotel
Funky, modern, fabulous hotel just a 10-minute walk from the New York Transit Museum. Excellent reviews, its own garden and bar, and just an all around great option.
Book your stay here: Ace Hotel Brooklyn
More info for your visit to NYC
- Hotels: Head to Booking.com for your best options. (But Expedia and Hotels.com usually have good deals too.) Or head to VRBO for the best apartment rentals.
- Rental cars: Check out the best rental car deals here.
- Save some money: Pick up either a New York GoCity Pass or a New York CityPASS to save nearly half on visiting the city’s top attractions.
- Travel Planning: Pick up a New York City guidebook and this USA customs and culture guide if you’re coming from abroad.
- Local tours & activities: See all there is to do in NYC here on Viator and Get Your Guide.
- Want more? Check out all my New York City posts.
Like this post? Have any questions about the New York Transit Museum? Let me know in the comments below. Enjoy NYC!
Save this info, pin these images:
