Turn the New York State Museum into your classroom where students can explore, engage with, and learn about New York State’s unique treasures. Register for a group program tailored to compliment classwork in social studies, science, art and culture.

Read Course Descriptions and identity a program for your group.  

Prepare for your visit by reviewing the following Museum policies and procedures. Also included is information regarding parking and lunchroom reservations.

• Directions and Arrival Procedures

  Location

  The New York State Museum is housed in the Cultural Education Center in Albany, New York. The Cultural Education Center (CEC) is at the south end of the Empire State Plaza, across Madison Avenue (Route 20) from the Plaza (at the opposite end from the Capitol). 

   

  Group Entrance

  The Group Entrance to the New York State Museum is at the rear of the Museum on Park Avenue between South Swan and Eagle Streets, directly across from Lincoln Park. All School bus and/or group carpool loading/unloading takes place through the group entrance. 05-visitprep-groupentrance.pdf 

   

  Parking: Buses (School Buses and/or Coaches)

  After dropping groups off at the Museum's Group Entrance on Park Avenue, buses are required to park at a free, off-site lot. Please review the off-site directions and map prior to your departure. 05-visitprep-busparking.pdf 

  Free Shuttle Service from the off-site lot to the State Museum/Empire State Plaza is available through the Office of General Services (OGS). For Bus Drivers and/or staff who wish to join their group at the Museum after parking, please review the shuttle schedule and be sure to return to your vehicle with enough time to promptly pick up students from the Group Entrance at the conclusion of their visit.

   

  Parking: General Public (includes groups arriving with cars or vans)

  Parking for the general public is available in the two lots adjacent to the Museum, both located off of Madison Avenue. Prior to 10:00 a.m., the parking fee is $10. After 10:00 a.m., the parking fee is $5. Parking is free after 2:00 p.m. A visitor lot is available in the Empire State Plaza. 

• Museum Conduct Policy

  Please review the following guidelines with your group, teachers and chaperones prior to your visit. Any groups not able to adhere to these guidelines will be asked to leave. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

   

  Code of Conduct

  • One adult must accompany each group of ten children (1:10).
  • ALL STUDENTS MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADULT CHAPERONE AT ALL TIMES.
  • Be courteous to other visitors: use "inside voices" and share exhibit spaces with other groups and visitors.
  • Safety is important: No running, smoking, yelling, or rough-housing.
  • No food, drink, candy, or chewing gum. Dispose of all trash in trash receptacles.
  • No abusive language or gestures.
  • Groups failing to observe these guidelines will be asked to leave the museum.

   

   

  Artifacts and Displays

  Please help us protect and preserve the priceless objects in our collections. Do not touch the items on display, or use exhibit cases, walls or pedestals as writing surfaces.

   

  Photography

  Photography is allowed is most galleries, except where noted for special exhibits. Tripods and secondary lights may not be used.

• Meal Options

  Bag Lunch: Reserved Seating in the Museum's Lunch Room

  Limited indoor seating is available in the Museum's Student Center, Monday through Friday. A half hour slot will be assigned to your group according to the start of your scheduled tour. This option should be indicated on your Registration Form. Bag lunches can be temporarily stored indoors when group lunches are boxed or contained and marked with your school or group's name. 

   

  Bag Lunch: Picnic!

  Spring, Summer and early Fall are beautiful in Albany and many people enjoy eating lunch on Empire State Plaza, just across from the State Capitol. Bag lunches can be temporarily stored indoors when group lunches are boxed or contained and marked with your school or group's name.

   

  Lunch at the Concourse Food Court

  On the Concourse Level of the Empire State Plaza there are a number of food choices, including McDonalds. No prior notice to the Museum is required. More information on dining selections in the concourse. (link is external)

• Information for Chaperones

  We recognize the valuable contribution chaperones provide to visiting groups. We want to make their visit and experience supervising students throughout the Museum as seamless and rewarding as possible.

  Below you will find materials regarding strategies chaperones can employ to help students navigate through the museum safely and constructively. We have also created a ready-made form you can print and send to chaperones to help them anticipate topics that will be covered during your visit to the State Museum. 

   

  Chaperone Packet for Group Tours (7.35 MB)

• Floor Plans

  Musuem Floorplan (287.99 KB)

• Museum Facts

  Origins of the Museum

  The origins of the New York State Museum can be traced back to the 1836 establishment of the New York State Geological and Natural History Survey. The goal of the survey was to conduct "a grand and comprehensive collection of the natural productions of the State of New York." In 1842, New York State Legislature officially created the "State Cabinet of Natural History", and in 1870, the Cabinet was officially renamed the "New York State Museum".

   

  Museum about Town

  The Museum has been housed in several locations throughout downtown Albany, including the Geological and Agricultural Hall, the Court of Appeals Building, the Capitol Building, the State Education Building, and, at its present location, the Cultural Education Center. In 1911, the Museum lost nearly 10,000 archaeological artifacts and ethnographic objects when the State Capitol was ravaged by fire.

   

  Exhibitions, Collections and Research

  The Museum is not just an exhibit space, but a major research and educational institution that conducts systematic investigations into the fields of geology, biology, anthropology and the history of New York. The Museum's collections include over 12 million specimens and artifacts that reflect over 175 years of research in the earth sciences, biology, and human history.

   

  The Museum Today

  Today, the Museum is the single largest tourist attraction in the Capital Region, welcoming over 750,000 visitors annually.