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8 Great Spots for History Fans in NYC

From its days as a Dutch settlement known as New Amsterdam to its thrumming present as America's cultural capital, there's something about the history of New York that's completely unparalleled. And the city's forefathers saw to it that the rich and diverse cultural heritage that makes Gotham unique would be well represented across the city in  art, museums, landmarks, and a multitude of stops between. If you’re headed to NYC with a desire to get your fill of American. and world history, you’ll want to check out these great stops while you’re here.

Best of NYC for History Fans: New-York Historical Society (Upper West Side)

An embarrassment of riches greet history buffs at the New-York Historical Society, where there are more than 1.6 million artifacts waiting to be seen. The N-YHS is also New York City’s oldest museum, and, as such, houses a world-class collection of American portraits, Hudson River School paintings, manuscripts, and more than 800 works of sculpture demonstrating the breadth of its collection. 170 Central Park W., 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org

Best of NYC for History Fans: Museum of the City of New York (Upper East Side)

new york at its core museum city new york

FThe documentary New York at Its Core —some five years in the making—at the Museum of the City of New York  tells the sprawling story of NYC’s evolution from struggling Dutch colony to the “Capital of the World” it's considered today. The exhibition captures the titanic strides that allowed NYC to become a city like no other and a spot that inspires awe the world over.  It's by turns inspiring, important, and bemusing. Also included: New York City “big personalities,” including both the noble (Alexander Hamilton and Walt Whitman, for example), as well as the notorious.  1220 Fifth Ave., 212-534-1672, mcny.org

Best of NYC for History Fans: Washington Square Park (Greenwich Village)

Washington Square Park

m01229/Flickr

It's glorious: A 9.75-acre Lower Manhattan public park that isn’t just a hangout for NYU students and Greenwich Village locals. It’s a landmark. The Washington Square Arch honors the country’s first president (who was inaugurated in the city), as does the central fountain inside the park. Featuring the famous sculpture designed by Stanford White (whose murder set off the first "trial of the century" in the early 1900s, Washington Square Park has undergone a series of changes, from its humble beginnings as a marsh to first become a cemetery, then a parade ground, and later, a magnet for avant-garde artists. 1 Washington Sq. E., 212-639-9675, nycgovparks.org 

Best of NYC for History Fans: Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum (Midtown West)

For military buffs, this is the motherlode. The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum offers an array of astonishing exhibits to explore—not the least of which is that the museum itself is housed aboard a decommissioned  aircraft carrier. The Intrepid not only saw action in the Korean conflict and Vietnam, but assisted in plucking astronauts from the ocean during the space race. Visitors can also learn about life aboard the submarine Growler, check out a  British Airways Concorde, and even visit the Space Shuttle Pavilion where a prototype NASA orbiter is on display. Pier 86, W 46th St. & 12th Ave., 929-341-0636, intrepidmuseum.org 

Best of NYC for History Fans: The Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect (Tribeca)

The Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect

As a full-service gallery, The Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect houses interactive displays and a permanent exhibition on the life of Anne Frank—not unlike her secret home in Amsterdam. Inside, you'll be able to see pages from the diary she left behind, collected family photos, and other aHolocaust artifacts that comprise this poignant reminder of how innocents were hunted and persecuted under Nazi rule. An enclosed area of the museum provides life-sized photography of Anne Frank’s bedroom. 44 Park Pl., 212-431-7993, annefrank.com

Best of NYC for History Fans: Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration (Ellis Island) 

For more than 12 million immigrants, Ellis Island was the final stepping stone to a new life and opportunity in the United States. The island served as the country’s bustling immigrant inspection station from the end of the nineteenth century on to the mid-twentieth century. Here, you can learn the stories of immigrant families while you take in exactly what they saw: the first glimpses of America. Taking the trek out to the island is a must for history lovers. The boats of Statue Cruises provide the only access, with cruises leaving from both Battery Park on Lower Manhattan and Liberty State Park, across the harbor on the New Jersey side. Ellis Island, 212-363-3200, nps.gov

Best of NYC for History Fans: Morgan Library & Museum (Midtown East)

Morgan Library

It's impossible to overestimate the impact of religion on both American and world culture. At the Morgan Library & Museum, you’ll be able to fix your eyes on an original Gutenberg Bible, which alone is worth the visit. Housed along with this rarity, you'll find a splendid display of spiritual artifacts and exhibitions, as well as manuscripts in the hand of Henry David Thoreau, an ancient cylinder seal, and Mozart sheet music written the composer himself. 225 Madison Ave., 212-685-0008, themorgan.org

Best of NYC for History Fans: Museum of American Finance (Financial District) 

The Museum of American Finance, which is located within a historic bank building, features a bevyof permanent exhibits focused on currency, the financial markets, U.S. entrepreneurship, Alexander Hamilton, and the history of American banking. From the numerous ways gold has influenced life in America to educational classes on banking that are open to the public, the Museum of American Finance seeks to educate, inspire, and excite the history buff within. 48 Wall St., 212-908-4110, moaf.org

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