Is the Museum of Broadway worth including in your NYC trip? Broadway fans will love immersing themselves in everything that goes into putting together a Broadway show, but what can you expect at the museum of Broadway and is it worth including in your NYC trip.
Broadway is one of the most popular reasons people plan a trip to New York City. Seeing your favorite performer up on the stage is an incredible experience and can only be found in New York.
The Museum of Broadway is located in Times Square and features all things Broadway with immersive experiences and a visual history of Broadway. We have been wanting to plan a visit ever since it opened and finally had an opportunity on a recent trip.
The Museum of Broadway caters to a serious Broadway fan. If this is you, you will love the museum. If you are interested in the history of Broadway and how it played a part in the growth and development of New York City, this museum is for you. If you are not into Broadway at all you might want to skip it.
Planning a full NYC trip with teens? Read our New York City with Teens guide for our complete itinerary- where we stayed, what we did, and everything we loved across four separate trips.
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What to Expect at the Museum of Broadway NYC- My Experience
The Museum of Broadway is a self-guided walking tour through three floors of exhibits featuring the history of Broadway. It starts with a short video about the origins of Broadway history and how it ended up in the Times Square area.
It is located in the heart of Times Square on West 45th Street. Within the building there are photo opportunities within set designs, rare costumes to see up close, and it really is a theater lovers dream.
After the video, guests can walk through at their own pace, stop at the photo-ops, read all the informational exhibits, check out the immersive experiences, and ask questions from the museum ambassadors located at numerous spots.
The rooms are one-way to keep the flow of the museum going. If you have mobility issues there is an elevator available. They suggest using the restroom before you start your tour and there is a coat check as well.
Guests will enter and exit the museum at the gift shop. Be sure to spend a few minutes checking out the gift shop. We found merchandise for shows that have closed as well as some unique Broadway themed gifts.
I really like that it is self-guided and you can spend as little or as much time as you want at the exhibit that interest you the most. We loved seeing the costumes as well as the photo-ops from our favorite Broadway shows.
Broadway Museum- What to Know Before You Go
Before you arrive at the Museum of Broadway there are a few things you want to do to plan your trip. I always recommend purchasing tickets before you arrive, downloading the app to check out what is new, and map out how you will get there from your hotel.
Single-timed ticket pricing start at $41.00 and there are discounts available for students and seniors. Guests 4 and under are free. Strollers are not allowed inside the exhibits and may be checked at arrival. . I like to book the first time slot of the day to be ahead of the crowd when touring the museum. Check ticket availability here.
You will also want to download the Museum of Broadway app. This has a map of the museum floors with the exhibits so you can plan your visit. All guests move in a linear direction through the museum.
If you are staying in Times Square you will have a short walk to the museum. If you are staying in a different part of New York City you may have to take the subway or have a longer walk.
We recently stayed at the Marriott Marquis Times Square and it was the perfect location to the museum. On a previous visit we stayed at the Westin Times Square and that was another great choice. Read my review: Where to Stay in NYC with Family: Westin New York Times Square Review
Browse the map below to find a place to stay in NYC that fits your family.
What Exhibits are at The Museum of Broadway
Guests will start on the third floor and work their way down through the exhibits. The exhibits are in order by a Broadway timeline. Your tour starts with the earliest days of Broadway and finishes with present day Broadway. If you have mobility issues an employee is available to assist you.
The exhibits feature Tony award winning musicals as well as the groundbreaking moments that shaped American theatre. On the third floor you will start in the Playbill room that features current shows. There is a QR code available to purchase tickets for the shows. Then you go to the short film about Broadway in the map room.
After that you tour a series of exhibits at your own pace starting with the timeline of Broadway from 1752-1907, 1907-1927, 1927-1943, 1943-1957, and all the way up to 1975.
Theatre historians will appreciate this area that features the early 1900s and the birth of Broadway. On the third floor you will see exhibits based on Showboat, Oklahoma!, West Side Story, Cabaret, and Hair.
There are rare photos of Broadway’s history, interactive photo-ops and original costumes. Some of these shows we were familiar with and some not so much.
Next you walk downstairs to the second floor. The second floor spans 1975 to present day. This covers the musicals we were more familiar with.
There are costumes from The Lion King and The Phantom of the Opera. A scene from Rent that you can take pictures in. Costumes from Hamilton, Parade, Funny Girl, and Six.
As we started touring this area we were excited to learn more about the musicals we have grown to love! I thought it was really cool they had costumes current and more recent shows.
There was Ben Platt’s suit from Parade and Alex Brightman’s Beetlejuice costume. Seeing the costumes up-close allows you to appreciate the details and creative designs that go into the creation of these costumes.
The last area to visit is the first floor and it is a behind the scenes of musicals area. It gives more insight into the making of a Broadway show.
It features details on how the technical, writing process, and marketing of musicals happens. We found this area to be very interesting because it is not the things you often see or think about when seeing a show.
There is also a special exhibit area on the first floor. During our visit it was a Chicago exhibit. Currently their is an exhibit based on The Craft of Puppetry. Check the latest special exhibition information here.
You can spend as little or as much time walking through the exhibits as you like. Most visitors should expect to spend between 1-3 hours.
During our visit there were people reading every detail on the walls and going through at a slow pace. We are a bit quicker and spent around an hour visiting. We stopped to take photos and read about the musicals that interested us the most.
If you want to take photos without people around book the first time slot at museum open and move a bit faster than the rest of the crowd. We had the place to ourselves for most of our visit and could take a lot of fun photos during our tour.
Is the Museum of Broadway Worth a Visit
NYC is a popular destination in the United States, and with so many things to see and do visitors often have to prioritize where they want to spend their time and money. As a family of five we wondered if visiting the Broadway museum would be worth it for us.
We are pretty big Broadway fans. We love musicals and the excitement of seeing a show on Broadway. If you are visiting with small children and/or not interested in Broadway this may not be a good fit.
For a Broadway fan the Museum of Broadway is worth a visit. It is a fun celebration of musicals and the theater that we enjoyed.
If you are trying to stay on a budget during your trip and are visiting with a family, think about what your kids will like and if this is a good fit for them.
My daughter and I visited, but I do not think the museum would be a good fit for the five of us. My younger boys would like it but I don’t think it would be worth the cost for our family at the time of our visit. Now they are a bit older and I think they would enjoy it. Use your best judgement when deciding if it is a good fit for your family.
It is a great addition to things to do in Times Square! If we go again I would plan a full Broadway day spending the morning at the museum, lunch at Ellen’s diner, and then buy tickets for a Broadway show.
Visiting the Broadway Museum- Final Thoughts
I think the Museum of Broadway is a great addition to a New York City itinerary. It dives into the rise and fall of Broadway and how this area contributed to the growth of NYC. The special exhibits are always intriguing and immersive, and they are always adding new costumes and design aspects to the exhibits.
New York City is just one of the incredible destinations in New York State. Visit our New York State Guide for day trips, weekend getaways, and hidden gems across the Empire State- all within driving distance of the city
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Leah has been traveling with her family of 5 since 2012 and sharing her expertise on planning family vacations and visiting theme parks since 2016. Leah has been featured in Visit Rochester, Undercover Tourist, and Home Publications. She has worked with brands like Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, Hersheypark, Toyota, and various Tourism boards and destinations. Leah creates family travel itineraries based on real trip experiences with her family. Her guides and tips help others plan great family vacations. Learn more about Leah and Five for the Road.