NYC Municipal ID Gives New Yorkers Free Access to 33 Museums and More in 2015

New York City’s Municipal ID program, which was announced by Mayor Bill De Blasio earlier this year, will give New Yorkers free access to 33 of the city’s cultural institutions for a full year, according to the Mayor’s office website.

Municipal ID holders throughout the five boroughs will enjoy free benefits, including membership to museums, zoos, botanical gardens, and performing art centers. The program will launch in mid-January and run through the end of 2015.

The Mayor signed legislation to create a municipal ID card for all NYC residents last summer. The municipal ID will be available for all residents of the five boroughs who meet the program’s proof of identity and city residency requirements. The card will be issued at no cost for applicants during the program's first year.

“The Municipal ID Card embodies the values we cherish most about inclusivity and equality, and these memberships are another step forward on providing greater access and opportunity for our people,” said Mayor Bill De Blasio.

Among the institutions ID holders will gain membership to are family-friendly destinations such as:

Wave Hill

This public garden and cultural center in the Bronx is a century-old estate set on 26 acres that allows visitors to interact with nature via its gardens, greenhouses, and conservatories. Visitors can also partake in gardening and woodworking classes, art workshops, and other family-oriented activities throughout the year.

With the new Municipal ID program, each member is granted unlimited free admission to the Wave Hill gardens, along with two guest passes; free weekday onsite parking through March 2015; 10% discounts in the garden shop and The Café; an invitation to the annual members’ picnic and Winter’s Eve at Wave Hill; access to special members-only day trips and tours; exclusive concert pre-sales; and more.

The American Museum of Natural History

The museum is one of the most renowned tourist attractions in Manhattan, and one of the largest museums in the world. It features 45 permanent exhibition halls, in addition to a planetarium and a library. The museum’s vast collections contain more than 32 million specimens of plants, humans, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, and meteorites. 

Each Municipal ID cardholder is granted free unlimited general admission to the museum (plus up to four visitors under 18 years of age when accompanied by ID holder). Admission includes access to the Biodiversity and Environmental Halls, Birds and Reptiles and Amphibians Halls, Earth and Planetary Sciences Halls, Fossil Halls, Human Origins and Cultural Halls, Mammal Halls, Rose Center for Earth and Space and the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial; free admission to the LeFrak Theater; complimentary tickets for 3D films at the LeFrak Theater; a one-year subscription to Rotunda (member’s magazine featuring behind-the-scenes looks at the museum’s exhibitions and scientists;  discounts in the Museum Shop; and more.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

This 52-acre botanic garden situated in the center of Brooklyn, features more than 10,000 kinds of plants and thousands of different trees from all over the world. The garden is open year-round, where visitors can explore some of the city’s most valued botanical collections, including the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, the Cranford Rose Garden, and the Steinhardt Conservatory.

ID program membership benefits include unlimited free admission for 1; 2 single-time-use guest passes; admission for member plus 1 guest to all members-only summer events; admission for 1 to the Members’ Plant Sale Preview; 10% discount at Garden Shop and Café; member discounts on adult classes, trips, and tours; and more.