Your weekend plans begin here, with a dozen or so FREE and cheap things to do this holiday weekend that includes Valentine’s Day, President’s Weekend and the start of Spring Break for many families.
Get more NYC for less money with NYC on the Cheap. That’s our motto and we’re sticking to it.
Everything on NYC on the Cheap is family friendly, and nearly everything is FREE.
Let’s hope the weather cooperates with outdoor events, but if it doesn’t, here are some rainy day activities in NYC, besides re-arranging your sock drawer.
Know Before You Go
Be sure to check the street closures advisory so you are not stuck in traffic.
Official NYC Bridge & Street Closures weekly advisory
Official NYC FREE parking calendar 2020
Today, Valentine’s Day
Last Chance for Comp Train
Get aboard the Comp Train to get FREE tickets to shows and concerts, foodie and art events, party cruises and more, in New York City and in cities nationwide, including nearby Philadelphia and Washington, DC, and further away including Miami and Los Angeles.
Comp Train tickets available for dates through late Spring and early Summer.
Weddings and Vow Renewals in Times Square
If you haven’t already registered for FREE wedding or vow renewal ceremonies on the Red Steps in Times Square, it’s too late.
But you can watch the ceremonies and throw confetti at the strangers you are celebrating.
And everybody can take selfies at this year’s Valentine Heart Exhibit, on display trough the end of the month.
Get Married in Times Square
Vow Renewal in Times Square
Heart Exhibit in Times Square
Avoid the Tourist Traps and Chains:
Where to Eat in Times Square at Local Restaurants
Last Chance for These Shows
18th Annual Holiday Train Show
Every holiday season, the New York Transit Museum’s Grand Central Gallery plays host to a city within a city with the display of a miniature electric railroad running over, through, and beneath some of New York’s most magnificent landmarks.
This beloved FREE annual holiday exhibit features model trains traveling along a 34’ long, two-level, “O” gauge model train layout.
The model trains depart from a miniature replica of Grand Central Terminal, and feature the Transit Museum’s collection of Lionel trains including Metro-North, Polar Express and vintage subway train sets.
The model trains make their way past multiple New York landmarks and on to the North Pole.
Who doesn’t love trains?
- FREE, through Feb. 23, 2020
- New York Transit Museum’s Grand Central Gallery
Holiday Express: All Aboard to Richard Scarry’s Busytown
This popular annual exhibit has reimagined to celebrate the 100th birthday of Busytown author and illustrator Richard Scarry.
The installation showcases artwork and graphics of Scarry’s characters (like Huckle Cat and Lowly Worm!) from publisher Penguin Random House alongside Jerni Collection toys. Children and adults can also experience dynamic displays exploring the workings of the railroad, the services it provides, and the jobs required to keep people and goods moving.
Kids hop on our custom-made Busytown vehicle-themed benches and take photos throughout the gallery with Busytown characters.
And there are plenty of additional miniature antique trains to gawk at and enjoy.
Also: Pick up an “I Spy” scavenger hunt brochure and take everybody on an adventure through the exhibition.
- FREE with admission, through Feb. 23, 2020
- New York Historical Society, 77th St. and Central Park West
The World of Anna Sui
This charming exhibit explores the whimsy and creativity of the iconic fashion designer. It’s a retrospective of more tan 75 looks from the designer’s archives illustrating of Sui’s enduring impact on American fashion design.
- FREE with admission, through Feb. 23, 2020
- Museum of Art and Design (MAD), Columbus Circle
Need more things to do in NYC?
My new book is full of them. 100 Things to be exact.
100 Things to Do in New York City Before You Die is a great guide to discovering the quirky treasures of NYC, or re-discovering some of the most famous spots in the world.
Available online and in bookstores now.
Contact evelyn@nyconthecheap.com for autographed copies.
FREE Things to do in NYC every weekend
Weekend Walks – Join FREE weekend walks, every weekend from April to December, in all five boroughs.
Weekend Walks are sponsored by NYC.
Check the NYC website for the schedule.
FREE Things to do in NYC every Friday
Freebie Friday – FREE admission to NYC museums including MOMA. No passes or coupons needed. Just go.
FREE Friday morning admission to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, until Noon.
Get FREE admission to more than a dozen NYC museums with the IDNYC card. Enrollment is also FREE.
Freebie Friday: Family Fridays at MoMath – Solve puzzles, family-style, and learn how math affects everything, from music to space flight. 6:30pm, FREE The National Museum of Mathematics is at 11 E. 26th St.
Freebie Friday – Grand Central Neighborhood Tour. FREE every Friday at 12:30, docents from the Grand Central Partnership guide you through the history of the fabled Grand Central Terminal and some equally-fabled nearby landmarks including the Chrysler Building.
There are no tickets, no reservations. Just meet at Sculpture court at 120 Park Avenue (southwest corner of East 42nd Street). Tour is 90 minutes.
FREE Things to do in NYC every Saturday
FREE Saturday admission at top NYC museums every Saturday all year includes the Jewish Museum
FREE Things to do in NYC every Sunday
FREE Sunday admission at top NYC museums including Morgan Library and Museum.
FREE Flatiron Walking Tour – Join professional guides on a 90-minute journey through this vibrant neighborhood, viewing some of the City’s most notable landmarks, including the New York Life Insurance Building, the MetLife Clock Tower, the Appellate Courthouse and the famous Flatiron Building.
SEE ALSO
You now get FREE admission to more than 30 NYC museums and cultural institutions with the new CulturePass. It’s a new perk to use with your library card from the NYPL, Brooklyn Museum or Queens Museum systems.
The NYCOTC Free & Cheap Weekend Guide is $25 or less, with an occasional splurge because we deserve to treat ourselves once in a while.
NYC isn’t expensive when you know where to go and what to do, and we do. And we love to share.
- Unless a price is noted, our weekend list is FREE, but we usually remind you anyway.
- Unless otherwise noted, outdoor events are rain or shine, so let’s hope for shine.
- Street fairs are 11am to 6pm, unless otherwise noted.
Getting Around NYC – Know Before You go
FREE apps on subway track work and schedulng delays – Know what trains are bypassing what stations so you aren’t late for one of these free and cheap weekend events.
NYC official street closures website – Know what streets are closed when for street fairs, parades, political protests and more.
2018 NYC parking calendar – Know when you have to move your car, or not.
Where to eat at LaGuardia Airport – Top NYC restaurants and cafes are replacing fast food joints.
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Enjoy your free and cheap NYC weekend.
Evelyn Kanter is a native New Yorker who has written for the NY Times, NY Daily News, NY Post, New York Magazine, and is a former on-air reporter for WCBS Newsradio 88 and WABC-TV Eyewitness News.
Evelyn Kanter also is the author of several NYC and Hudson Valley guidebooks, including my latest, 100 Things to Do in NYC Before You Die.
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