New York Art at Night: Brooklyn Museum Extended Hours
Free Museum Night
Brooklyn used to be a city of its own. It is in fact, one of
the largest cities of the US. It is also home to the fabulous Brooklyn Museum,
home to permanent collections and stunning limited exhibitions. It just got a
lot easier to see the exhibitions in Brooklyn Museum as they will not be open
at night, too.If you live in Brooklyn, this is a must. If you are just visiting New York staying at a hotel or with a friend, do not leave without seeing this attraction.
Art in Brooklyn
Brooklyn has a vibrant art scene that is just as exciting as Manhattan if not more. In fact, more and more artists prefer to live in Brooklyn and keep their studios here, too. Almost every neighborhood close to downtown Brooklyn such as Williamsburg, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Bed Stuy, Bushwich, Greenpoint, Dumbo, Crown Heights have a significant artistic community and is home to many galleries.
Brooklyn Museum
There are also a number of museums in Brooklyn that attract a less touristic and more local crowd. One of these is the grand Brooklyn Museum of Art.
Brooklyn Museum is located by Grand Army Plaza in Prospect Heights, a short walk from Park Slope, Lefferts Gardens, Clinton Hill and Crown Heights neighborhoods, and a short ride to many other Brooklyn neighborhoods and Manhattan.
Considering its proximity to the Q and G trains, it is not at all far from Queens either.
Museum Hours
However, for most people who do not have relaxed schedules
as artists, and who work 9-5 jobs, which is most of the population, it is hard
to go to museums, simply because most museums are also open during those hours.
Surely, there are the weekends, and several museums will have a couple of
extended hours, but during those times the museums will be so packed that it
will not be as pleasant as visiting during normal hours.
Well, the good news is that Brooklyn Museum just changed its
hours. Now, it will be open till 10 pm at night on Thursday and Friday nights!
With all the great restaurants and bars just minutes away from the museum, that
brings the opportunity to have a more interesting idea for a date night out in
Brooklyn.From Astoria, Sunnyside or Jackson Heights for instance, it will take about 40 minutes.
A couple of other tips:
It is fairly easy to park around the museum around the night, there are also places to park right behind the museum.
The museum has a decent café, restaurant and gift shop.
Every first Saturday of every month, it is Target Free Friday, make sure to check the program and parties on those days.
Brooklyn Museum’s entrance fee is a suggested donation. Try to support the museum as much as you can, but if you are on a budget, you can still have a great night out.
Around Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn Museum is right next to Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and the Grand Army Plaza Green Market/ Farmer’s Market, the Children’s Library, and Brooklyn Library Central Branch at Grand Army Plaza.It is a short walk from Prospect Park Zoo, Mount Prospect Park, Prospect Park, Children’s Toy Museum, Note that the museum is closed on Monday and Tuesdays.
Museum Directions
Take the 2-3 train to Eastern Parkway Brooklyn Museum stops, or the 4-5 or the S shuttle to Franklin Avenue stops. The C and the Q-B trains are also a quick 10 minute walk away. There are many buses that also come near the museum. For more schedules check MTA’s website. For driving directions check google maps or mapquest.
