NY Museums with free or pay-as-you-wish hours in 2012

I have to apologize in advance that this article is pretty long, but that just means that every day you can visit some museums for free or without paying full price.

Although several of New York’s biggest museums increased the price of admission within the past year, many operate as always free or always suggested-donation museums, (including the Met.)
Others offer free or pay-as-you-like hours on a weekly or monthly basis. Here’s the updated list for 2012 of where and when to get into NYC museums, zoos, and gardens for free.

Museums with free or pay-as-you-wish hours in 2012
 
Mondays
Museum at Eldridge Street - free 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (normally $10)
Yeshiva University Museum - free 5 to 8 p.m. (normally $8)

Tuesdays
McKim rooms of the Morgan Library & Museum - free 3 to 5 p.m. (full museum access is $15)
Brooklyn Botanical Garden - free all day (normally $10)

Wednesdays
Bronx Zoo - pay-what-you-wish all day (normally $16)
Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust - free 4 to 8 p.m. (normally $12)
NY Botanical Garden - free grounds access all day, excluding the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, Rock and Native Plant gardens and tram tour (grounds-only access normally $10; a one-day all-garden pass is $20)
Yeshiva University Museum - free 5 to 8 p.m. (normally $8)
Queens Botanical Garden - free 3 to 6 p.m. (normally $4)

Thursdays
Museum of Arts & Design - pay-what-you-wish 6 to 9 p.m. (normally $15)
China Institute Gallery - free 6 to 8 p.m. (normally $7)

Fridays
Museum of Modern Art - free 4 to 8 p.m. (normally $25)
Whitney Museum of American Art - pay-what-you-wish 6 to 9 p.m. (normally $18)
Morgan Library & Museum - free 7 to 9 p.m. (normally $15)
Museum of Arts & Design - pay-as-you-wish 6 to 9 p.m. (normally $15)
New York Aquarium - pay-what-you-wish 3 to 5 p.m. (normally $14.95)
International Center of Photography - voluntary contribution admission 5 to 8 p.m. (normally $12)
Museum of the Moving Image - free 4 to 8 p.m. (normally $12)
Rubin Museum of Art - free 6 to 10 p.m. (normally $10)
Yeshiva University Museum - free 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (normally $8)

Saturdays
Guggenheim - pay-what-you-wish 5:45 to 7:45 p.m. (normally $18)
Brooklyn Botanic Garden - free 10 a.m. to noon (normally $10)
NY Botanical Garden - free grounds access 10 to
11 a.m., excluding the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, Rock and Native Plant gardens and tram tour (grounds-only access normally $10; a one-day all-garden pass is $20)
First Saturdays only: Brooklyn Museum - Free admission and programs 5 to 11 p.m. (normally a suggested $12)

Sundays
Frick Collection - pay-what-you-wish 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (normally $18)
McKim rooms of the Morgan Library & Museum - free 4 to 6 p.m. (full museum access is $15)
September through June: NY Hall of Science - free 10 to 11 a.m. (normally $11)
Studio Museum in Harlem - free noon to 6 p.m. (normally $7 recommended)
Museum of Biblical Art - free 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (normally $7 recommended)
Queens Botanical Garden - free 4 to 6 p.m. (normally $4)

Additional free hours:
Brooklyn Children’s Museum - some Thursdays and weekends
Renoir Night at the Frick Collection - April 27, 2012
International Museum Day - May 18, 2012
Museum Mile Festival - June 12, 2012
Smithsonian Museum Day - Sept. 29, 2012