History Museums

New York State is a treasure trove for history buffs, with museums and sites that bring the state's storied legacy to life along its Path Through History. From the nation's oldest state museum, the New York State Museum in Albany, to the oldest surviving house in upstate New York, the Bronck Museum in the Catskills, visitors can explore New York's pivotal role in American history. In Manhattan, the Tenement Museum tells the story of immigration through guided tours of historic buildings while the Whaling Museum in Cold Spring Harbor features New York's only whaleboat with original gear on display, along with maritime artifacts.

Survey military landmarks and sites like Fort Ticonderoga in the Adirondacks, the United States Military Academy at West Point in the Hudson Valley, or the New York State Military Museum in Saratoga Springs, home to the largest state collection of military battle flags. Delve into historic institutions that cover both the sky and sea, including the Dunkirk Historical Lighthouse and Veterans Park Museum in Chautauqua-Allegheny and the Cradle of Aviation on Long Island. 

Art enthusiasts can explore the Hyde Collection in Glens Falls and Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House, one of the architect's greatest tour-able masterpieces. The museum at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute in Utica is in a restored 1850 Italianate mansion and includes works by Dali, Mondrian, O'Keefe, Picasso, Pollock and Tiffany while The Corning Museum of Glass, lets you travel through 35 centuries of glass artistry and get hands-on with the science and technology of glass. Whether touring historic homes, military sites, or transit centers, New York's varied history museums offer a deep dive into the past.