From Times Square to Broadway shows to fine dining and cocktails, New York City offers more events and attractions than perhaps any other city in the country. Often, however, it seems like exploring New York can cost an arm and a leg. Fortunately, the Big Apple offers many free Sunday activities for adults and kids alike.
Every Sunday from noon to 6 p.m., admission to Harlem's Studio Museum is free. The museum features works by local, national and international black artists. Past exhibitions have included "Harlem Postcards" and "Charles Ethan Porter: African-American Master of Still Life."
Studio Museum
144 W. 125th St.
New York, NY 10027
212-864-4500
studiomuseum.org
The Central Park Conservancy offers ten different free walking tours of New York's largest park. These volunteer-led tours are given daily, except in cases of severe weather, and provide information on the park's ecology, history and design. A complete tour schedule can be found on the park's website.
Central Park Walking Tours
14 East 60th St.
New York, NY 10021
212-360-2726
centralparknyc.org/site/PageNavigator/programs_walkingtours
Brooklyn's Coney Island boardwalk and beach are open year-round and are free of charge. Those who feel like splurging can ride the Cyclone roller coaster and the massive Wonder Wheel, or shell out 99 cents for a ticket to the Coney Island Museum, which offers memorabilia and artifacts from park attractions and rides.
Coney Island USA
1208 Surf Ave.
New York, NY 11224
718-372-5159
coneyisland.com/tourism.shtml
Locals, visitors, artists and celebrities all shop at the free Hell's Kitchen Flea Market, held year-round every Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Antiques, collectibles, clothing, mid-century modern furniture, jewelry and more fill dozens of booths along West 39th Street in this historic rejuvenated neighborhood.
Hell's Kitchen Flea Market
W. 39th St. Between 9 and 10th Ave.
New York, NY 10019
212-243-5343
hellskitchenfleamarket.com
The proprietors at Pete's Candy Store have cleverly transformed an old Italian luncheonette into one of the coolest spots in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. Every night this cozy hipster bar, whose backroom has been redesigned to look like a train car, offers free live music by local pop rock, blues and roots singers and songwriters.
Pete's Candy Store
709 Lorimer St.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
718-302-3770
petescandystore.com
The third Sunday of every month, the online magazine "Sunday Salon" hosts a free reading by literary luminaries and up-and-coming writers at Jimmy's No. 43, an East Village beer and oyster house. These events often feature musical guests as well. Past readers have included notable novelists and nonfiction authors Andrei Codrescu, Hettie Jones and Darin Strauss.
Sunday Salon at Jimmy's No. 43
43 E. 7th St.
New York, NY 10003
212-982-3006
sundaysalon.com/nyc-salon
