Some of the most famous museums in the world make their home in New York City, but there are plenty of other museums across the state that are worth visiting.
If you’re aiming to get out of town this spring or summer and happen to be looking for road trip ideas, here are five museums in New York worthy of packing up the car and hitting the road.
1. Bannerman Castle
Where: Pollepel Island, Beacon; 4 hours, 35 minutes from Rochester
Hours and tickets: Open May-October; Tour and event prices vary
A site steeped in history, Pollepel Island — also known as Bannerman’s Island — is home to Bannerman Castle, an abandoned military surplus warehouse. The castle, built by Francis Bannerman VI in 1901, operated as both a home and storage facility for his business during the 20th century, but today hosts a number of walking tours and events during its open months.
2. National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum
Where: 25 Main St., Cooperstown; 2 hours, 45 minutes from Rochester
Hours and tickets: Open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Ticket prices vary
Baseball fans the world over may already know about the National Baseball Hall of Fame, where the sport’s most iconic players and moments are enshrined. Open nearly every day of the year, the museum features 250,000 photographs, 40,000 items and more than 14,000 hours of video for fans.
3. Trailsides Museum and Zoo
Where: 3006 Seven Lakes Drive, Bear Mountain; 4 hours, 30 minutes from Rochester
Hours and tickets: Open daily 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; $1 donation for trail admission
A largely self-guided nature trail, Trailsides Museum and Zoo offers the chance to learn about local ecology and wildlife, as well as opportunities to see native animals in a natural habitat. Visitors will also be able to walk a paved section of the Appalachian Trail and see a tribute to American poet Walt Whitman.
4. Northeast Dirt Modified Museum & Hall of Fame
Where: 1 Speedway Drive, Weedsport; 57 minutes from Rochester
Hours and tickets: Open Sunday and Thursday, noon-5 p.m.
Founded in 1992 by Glenn Donnelly, the Northeast Dirt Modified Museum & Hall of Fame is home to a vast collection of stock car racing memorabilia, classic cars and honorees who have made history in the sport. The museum, located next to Weedsport Speedway, also hosts several events and fundraisers throughout the year.
5. Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center
Where: 341 Delaware Ave., Buffalo; 1 hour 11 minutes by car, 1 hour 45 minutes by rail from Rochester
Hours and tickets: Open Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
The Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, commonly known as Hallwalls, is a nonprofit museum dedicated to showing works from diverse artists to better serve the public.
“We are dedicated in particular to work by artists which challenges and extends the traditional boundaries of the various art forms, and which is critically engaged with current issues in the arts and — through the arts — in society,” according to the center’s website. “… we believe that the right of freedom of expression for artists, and for free access to their works by interested individuals, must be protected as a fundamental and necessary condition of our mission.”
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