Tour the Great Museums

New York City is home to some of the greatest museums in the world. From medieval art and architecture at the northernmost museum, the Cloisters, to the Ellis Island Museum of Immigration, New York City museums have range, depth and incredible variety.

American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West, 10024, 212/769-5100. Dinosaurs, mastodons and saber-tooth tigers "live" in this museum. This cavernous structure documents the cultural history of each continent. The IMAX Theater and the Hayden Planetarium are located here.

Cloisters Museum, Fort Tryon Park, 10040, 212/923- 3700. This Metropolitan Museum branch exhibits medieval art and architecture.

Ellis Island Immigration Museum, Ellis Island, 10004. One of the most significant moments in the life of an immigrant was passing into this country via Ellis Island. A museum on the island chronicles the genealogical background and history of immigration.

Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Avenue, 10128, 212/423-3500. Modern masterpieces of art are displayed in this landmark building, which was designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

Guggenheim Museum Soho, 575 Broadway, 212/423- 3500. Modern and contemporary art exhibits are drawn from the Guggenheim.

Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, Pier 86 at West 46th Street and 12th Avenue, 10036, 212/245-0072. This WWII aircraft carrier was converted to display naval technology and history as it was employed to keep the country free.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street, 10028, 212/535-7710. Often described as the greatest art museum in the world, hundreds of world-famous masterpieces are on display. Musical instruments throughout the centuries and exhibits on the world's great religions are housed here.

Museum of the City of New York, Fifth Avenue and 103rd Street, 212/534-1672. New York City's development from Dutch settlement to the present is on display.

Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53rd Street, 10019, 212/708-9480. Great art from the 1880s to the present is displayed in paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints and more.

Museum of Television and Radio, 25 West 52nd Street, 10019, 212/621-6800. Some 70 years of radio and television programming are described.

Statue of Liberty Museum, Liberty Island, 10004, 212/363-3200. Accessible by ferry, this museum tells the story of the statue, a gift from the French in 1886 and now an American icon.