BROOKLYN MUSEUM OF ART

The Brooklyn Museum, housed in a 560,000-square-foot Beaux-Arts building is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the country. Offering visitors a tranquil alternative to Manhattan’s bustling institutions, its permanent collections range from ancient Egyptian masterpieces to contemporary art and represent a wide range of cultures. Only a 30-minute subway ride from midtown Manhattan, with its own newly renovated subway station, the Museum is part of a complex of 19th-century parks and gardens that also includes Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and the Prospect Park Zoo. On the first Saturday of each month, the Brooklyn Museum stays open late with free family events, which include gallery tours, lectures, arts and crafts and one of the best dance parties in the borough, drawing thousands for a high-energy DJ set that lasts just two extraordinary hours.