Museum of the Moving Image

The Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria calls itself the only museum in the country dedicated to the art, history, technique and technology of the moving image in all its forms, and it backs that up with a highly interactive core exhibition that lets you pull apart how film, television and video games are made, and play some of them too. Its theater screens classic and contemporary films from around the world and hosts conversations with leading figures in film and television, which makes it as much a cinema for local movie lovers as a museum.

Admission is $20 for adults, $12 for seniors and students and $10 for ages 3 to 17 as of October 2026, and the galleries are free on Thursday afternoons. Advance tickets aren't required but save time, and screenings are ticketed separately, with a cheap same-day gallery add-on. The lobby, café and courtyard are free to use. Take the M or R to Steinway Street or the N or W to 36th Avenue, then make an afternoon of Astoria.