Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum


Part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, this is the only US museum dedicated to both historic and contemporary design. Housed in the 64-room mansion built by billionaire Andrew Carnegie in 1901, the 210,000-piece collection offers artful displays spanning 3000 years over three floors of the building. The beautiful garden is open to the public and accessible from 90th St or from inside the museum. Free tours are at 11:30am and 1:30pm on weekdays, and at 1pm and 3pm on weekends.

Technology is a big feature of the museum. Some exhibitions have interactive touch screens or huge digital design tables that allow you to create your own works using a nifty electronic 'stylo' and save them to a website for later retrieval. The same pen can also be used to save your favourite exhibits to an online lookbook; you'll be given it upon entry. There’s also a problem-solving Process Lab and a mesmerizing Immersion Room, where you can project images onto the walls from patterns dating back to the 18th century.

The museum's design store is one of Manhattan's best. There's also a cafe. Note that it's a couple of dollars cheaper to buy tickets in advance online.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Jewish Museum

0.08 MILES

This gem occupies a French-Gothic mansion from 1908, housing 30,000 items of Judaica including torah shields and Hannukah lamps, as well as sculpture,…

2. Guggenheim Museum

0.11 MILES

A New York icon, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, more commonly known as the Guggenheim, is an internationally-renowned art museum and one of the most…

3. Neue Galerie

0.25 MILES

This restored Carrère and Hastings mansion from 1914 is a resplendent showcase for Austrian and German art, featuring works by Paul Klee and Ernst Ludwig…

4. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir

0.26 MILES

Don’t miss your chance to run or walk around this 1.58-mile track, which draws a slew of joggers in the warmer months. The 106-acre body of water no…

5. Central Park

0.45 MILES

One of the world’s most renowned green spaces, Central Park comprises 843 acres of rolling meadows, boulder-studded outcroppings, elm-lined walkways,…

6. Metropolitan Museum of Art

0.45 MILES

What started with a handful of paintings brought over from Europe or donated by a coterie of philanthropically minded robber barons in the 19th century…

7. Great Lawn

0.54 MILES

Located between 79th and 85th Sts, this massive emerald carpet at the center of Central Park is many a New Yorker's unofficial backyard. Created in 1931…

8. Museum of the City of New York

0.63 MILES

Situated in a Georgian Colonial Revival–style building at the top end of Museum Mile, this local museum focuses solely on New York City’s past, present…