Want to get out of New York?
Here are my favorite spots to nerd out in the tri-state area.
The Edison Museum
What can I add when TMBG has it covered? Although you’ll be lucky if it’s as quiet as they lead you to believe. You can even walk there from NJ Transit, if you’re not afraid of getting run over by a car.
Cradle of Aviation Museum & American Airpower Museum
Long Island has dueling aviation museums. The Cradle of Aviation Museum is bigger and lets you climb into cockpits and go wild, but I’ve always had a soft-spot for small museums. It’s worth making a weekend of it and checking out all the planes.
City Island Nautical Museum
Okay, City Island is technically in the Bronx, but let’s be honest about how it’s really not part of New York City. There’s a slightly hodge-podge collection, lots of ship models, and staff that will happily chat you up. The fact that it’s housed in an old school adds to the charm.
The Long Island Maritime Museum
More boats! Blind sailor tour guides named Mr. T! What else could you possibly want? Way more fun than a day in Montauk.
Old Barracks Museum
Perhaps I am partial to a museum that explains how my family ended up in the US, but I’m not the only one who found it unexpectedly interesting. Tour some really old buildings that have been a museum since 1914 and enjoy having people from Trenton explain why their little city is kind of a big deal.
Sterling Hill Mining Museum
New Jersey is, I kid you not, famous for its rocks. Sterling Hill gives you tours of the oldest mine in the US. They even get all 90s with a florescent rock room. Make sure to find out when the tours are running before you trek out there.
InfoAge Science/History Center
I would be disowned if I didn’t include InfoAge on this list. They have a radio museum, a shipwreck museum, military vehicles from WWII, and vintage video games. They also have a really big satellite dish that bounces signals off the moon. The biggest thing they’re known for is their over-the-top haunted house, so don’t be alarmed if you veer off the tour and find a bloody clown mannequin. Not that that’s ever happened to me. Okay, it’s totally happened to me.
Great selection for science geeks to geek out on! My dad would love the martime museum and I’m sure my nephew would love to see the planes!
I’d love a little off the beaten path nerdy adventure in NCY. I went to an Edison museum here in Korea of all places and found it rather interesting. I’d like to see the NYC take of it.
Wow, I am a nerd and live in NYC but even I haven’t heard of some of these places! I spend a lot of time on Long Island, I will have to check out a few of those museums next summer.
Wow, these places might sound nerd, but I guess they’re all interesting to visit. I always love museum and whenever I get to visit one place I always make sure to check their museum. I haven’t heard about all these places and would love to visit them one day if given a chance.
haha I have not heard of any of these. My husband would like the Maritime museum because he used to design ships to be built. Great list.
Haha, what a great list of nerdy things to do around NYC! Thanks for sharing. The Edison museum sounds like my cup of tea so I will make sure to drink it at once with some hints of rum and excitement! :))
Thanks for sharing some different things to do in New York. I would love to spend a couple of months there are truly have the time to explore. I vote to add the New York Public Library to the list. I could spend all day there.
You can climb into cockpits at the aviation museum!? I’m there! I think I’d be really interested in the Old Barracks Museum as well. Thanks for this list! I am planing on a NY trip in the spring to Governor’s Island. Some of these would be great stops along the way =)
I’m in NYC at the moment and as my mum lives here I come every few months. I have never even heard of any of these places let alone visited! I’m going to have to check out a few of them I think! Thanks for sharing.
LOL…I must be pretty nerdy, because all of these sound pretty good to me. The Old Barracks Museum…love it!