Rain is not a problem in New York; it is a filter. The lines get shorter, the museums get quieter, and the city's enormous supply of indoor space finally gets used properly. The trick is picking places where you can stay put for two or three hours, and stringing them together so you never walk more than five minutes in the wet.
Here are 26 things to do in NYC when it rains, grouped by mood, with prices and the neighborhoods where you can chain several stops together without a cab.
Big museums worth a whole afternoon
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Address
- 1000 5th Ave, Upper East Side, Manhattan
- Neighborhood
- Upper East Side
- Price
- Pay-what-you-wish for NY State residents; roughly $30 general admission
- Best for
- Two million square feet of never running out of things to look at
- On a rainy day head to the Egyptian wing, the arms and armor hall and the American Wing courtyard — all interior spaces with skylights, so you get daylight without weather.
American Museum of Natural History
- Address
- 200 Central Park West, Upper West Side, Manhattan
- Neighborhood
- Upper West Side
- Price
- Pay-what-you-wish for NY residents; around $28 general
- Best for
- Families, dinosaurs, and the Gilder Center's canyon-like atrium
- Connected directly to the 81st Street subway station, so you can arrive and leave without stepping outside.
The Museum of Modern Art
- Address
- 11 W 53rd St, Midtown, Manhattan
- Neighborhood
- Midtown
- Price
- Around $30; free Friday evenings via UNIQLO Free Friday Nights
- Best for
- A focused two hours plus a very good café
The Frick Collection
- Address
- 1 E 70th St, Upper East Side, Manhattan
- Neighborhood
- Upper East Side
- Price
- Around $30
- Best for
- Old masters in a mansion, with a garden court and a fountain
The Cloisters
- Address
- 99 Margaret Corbin Dr, Washington Heights, Manhattan
- Neighborhood
- Washington Heights
- Price
- Included with Met admission
- Best for
- Medieval architecture, tapestries and covered cloister walks in the rain
Brooklyn Museum
- Address
- 200 Eastern Pkwy, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
- Neighborhood
- Prospect Heights
- Price
- Around $20 suggested
- Best for
- Big shows without Manhattan crowds — and it connects to the Botanic Garden conservatory next door
New York Transit Museum
- Address
- Boerum Pl & Schermerhorn St, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn
- Neighborhood
- Brooklyn Heights
- Price
- Around $10
- Best for
- Kids, trains, and a decommissioned 1936 station full of vintage cars
Greenhouses and indoor gardens
Brooklyn Botanic Garden conservatory
- Address
- 990 Washington Ave, Brooklyn
- Neighborhood
- Crown Heights / Prospect Heights
- Price
- Around $18
- Best for
- Tropical humidity, bonsai and a desert pavilion while it pours outside
New York Botanical Garden's Haupt Conservatory
- Address
- 2900 Southern Blvd, The Bronx
- Neighborhood
- Bronx Park
- Price
- Around $35 all-garden ticket
- Best for
- A glasshouse the size of a cathedral; the Metro-North Botanical Garden stop is a five-minute walk
The Ford Foundation Atrium
- Address
- 320 E 43rd St, Midtown East, Manhattan
- Neighborhood
- Turtle Bay
- Price
- Free
- Best for
- A free 12-story indoor garden on a weekday
Escape rooms, arcades and games
Escape rooms
- Address
- Mission Escape Games (Midtown), Komnata Quest (Brooklyn), Beat the Bomb (DUMBO)
- Neighborhood
- Midtown / Brooklyn
- Price
- $35–$60 per person
- Best for
- Groups of four to six who need something to actually do
- Reservations
- Book ahead; weekend slots fill days out
- Beat the Bomb is the most physical of the bunch — laser rooms, paint bombs, and a bar attached.
Barcade
- Address
- 388 Union Ave, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (plus Chelsea, St. Marks)
- Neighborhood
- Williamsburg
- Price
- Quarters plus beer
- Best for
- Classic arcade cabinets and a long afternoon
Fat Cat / Village pool halls
- Address
- Greenwich Village, Manhattan
- Neighborhood
- West Village
- Price
- Hourly table rates
- Best for
- Pool, ping-pong, chess and shuffleboard in one basement
Bowling at The Gutter or Frames
- Address
- 200 N 14th St, Williamsburg / 550 9th Ave, Midtown
- Neighborhood
- Williamsburg / Hell's Kitchen
- Price
- $8–$12 per game
- Best for
- Rain that lasts all day
Cinemas, theater and live music
Film Forum and Metrograph
- Address
- 209 W Houston St / 7 Ludlow St, Manhattan
- Neighborhood
- West Village / Lower East Side
- Price
- $17–$20
- Best for
- Repertory double features; Metrograph has a restaurant upstairs
Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Brooklyn
- Address
- 445 Albee Square W, Downtown Brooklyn
- Neighborhood
- Downtown Brooklyn
- Price
- $16–$20
- Best for
- Full food-and-drink service at your seat
Off-Broadway matinees
- Address
- Playwrights Horizons, the Public Theater, Signature Theatre
- Neighborhood
- Midtown / NoHo / Hell's Kitchen
- Price
- $40–$80
- Best for
- A better-value rainy afternoon than a Broadway evening
Jazz at Mezzrow or Smalls
- Address
- 163 & 183 W 10th St, West Village, Manhattan
- Neighborhood
- West Village
- Price
- $30–$40 cover
- Best for
- A basement, a piano, and nowhere else to be
Eating your way through a downpour
Chelsea Market
- Address
- 75 9th Ave, Chelsea, Manhattan
- Neighborhood
- Chelsea
- Price
- Free to browse
- Best for
- A covered food hall connected to the High Line's covered stretch
Grand Central's dining concourse and Oyster Bar
- Address
- 89 E 42nd St, Midtown, Manhattan
- Neighborhood
- Midtown East
- Price
- $15–$60
- Best for
- Vaulted tile ceilings, oyster pan roast, and zero exposure to weather
- Grand Central connects underground to the 4/5/6, 7, S and Long Island Rail Road — a whole rainy afternoon without a coat.
Essex Market
- Address
- 88 Essex St, Lower East Side, Manhattan
- Neighborhood
- Lower East Side
- Price
- Varies
- Best for
- Two floors of vendors, plus the Market Line downstairs
Sunset Park's indoor food courts
- Address
- Around 8th Ave & 55th St, Sunset Park, Brooklyn
- Neighborhood
- Sunset Park
- Price
- $8–$20
- Best for
- Regional Chinese food halls and bakeries in Brooklyn's Chinatown
A long tea or coffee sit
- Address
- Try Sey Coffee (Bushwick), Devoción (Williamsburg), Té Company (West Village)
- Neighborhood
- Brooklyn / Manhattan
- Price
- $6–$18
- Best for
- Skylit rooms designed for lingering
Weird and specific
The Morgan Library & Museum
- Address
- 225 Madison Ave, Murray Hill, Manhattan
- Neighborhood
- Murray Hill
- Price
- Around $25
- Best for
- J.P. Morgan's three-story private library, which looks unreal in gray light
Museum of the Moving Image
- Address
- 36-01 35th Ave, Astoria, Queens
- Neighborhood
- Astoria
- Price
- Around $20
- Best for
- Interactive film and video-game exhibits, plus screenings
The Tenement Museum
- Address
- 103 Orchard St, Lower East Side, Manhattan
- Neighborhood
- Lower East Side
- Price
- Around $30, guided tours only
- Best for
- Indoors by definition — restored apartments and immigrant history
- Reservations
- Timed tours; book ahead on wet weekends
Stay-dry routes by neighborhood
| Route | Chain these stops | Outdoor time |
|---|---|---|
| Midtown East | Grand Central → Ford Foundation Atrium → Morgan Library | Under 10 min |
| Upper East Side | Met → Neue Galerie café → Frick | 10–15 min |
| Chelsea | Chelsea Market → High Line covered section → a gallery block | 10 min |
| Downtown Brooklyn | Transit Museum → Alamo Drafthouse → Dekalb Market Hall | Under 10 min |
| Astoria | Museum of the Moving Image → a beer hall → Bohemian Hall (covered areas) | 15 min |
Rainy day tips that actually help
- Go early. Museums are emptiest in the first 90 minutes and the last 90 minutes.
- Check free hours. MoMA has free Friday evenings; the Met, AMNH and Brooklyn Museum have pay-what-you-wish or suggested admission for New York State residents with ID.
- Use the subway as shelter. Grand Central, Times Square, Fulton Center and Atlantic Terminal are all interior complexes with food and shops.
- Avoid outer-edge parks and ferries. Governors Island, Jamaica Bay and the Staten Island Ferry deck are miserable in heavy rain.
- Reserve timed things. Escape rooms, Tenement Museum tours and matinees sell out fastest on rainy weekends — everyone has the same idea.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best thing to do in NYC when it rains?
A big museum you can stay in for three hours — the Met, the Natural History Museum or the Brooklyn Museum. All three connect closely to subway stations, so you barely get wet.
What can I do in NYC on a rainy day for free?
The Ford Foundation Atrium, Chelsea gallery hopping, browsing Chelsea Market or Essex Market, and MoMA's free Friday evenings. The Met, AMNH and Brooklyn Museum are pay-what-you-wish for New York State residents.
What are good rainy day activities with kids in NYC?
The American Museum of Natural History, the New York Transit Museum, the Museum of the Moving Image and bowling at The Gutter or Frames.
What should couples do in NYC when it rains?
A Metrograph double feature with dinner upstairs, jazz at Mezzrow, or the Morgan Library followed by tea. More options in our romantic things to do guide.
Are outdoor attractions refundable if it rains?
Observation decks generally do not refund for weather but often let you reschedule — check the specific policy before booking. Our observation deck guide covers which ones have indoor viewing levels.
Keep exploring
Related reading: hidden gems in NYC, best speakeasies in NYC, best observation decks ranked, and this weekend's free events.