5 small museums in New York

This intimate historic house museum in Corona, Queens, is the house that Louis Armstrong and his wife Lucille Wilson lived in from 1943 until his death in 1971. Lucille gave ownership to New York after his passing. Since 1978, it is a National Historic Landmark that hosts concerts and educational programs.

Take a guided tour and meet the residents (played by actors). This building, where more than 7000 immigrants passed through, was built in 1863. The house is staged to look exactly the way it did when the immigrants lived there. People are encouraged to share their own stories to preserve the history of NYC’s early immigration.

The place for turn-of-the-century German and Austrian art and design. There are stunning tabletop items by Josef Hoffman and others, drawings and paintings by Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka, and Egon Schiele – all tucked inside a Beaux-Arts mansion. An authentic, lovely Viennese cafe sits inside, which also hosts live European music of the 1890s-1930s on Thursday nights.

A museum whose mission is to exhibit and preserve LGBTQIA+ art, and foster the artists who create it. In addition to their collection (which can be viewed online), go to view the current exhibits or if you’d like a more interactive scenario, participate in their Salon series, where queer issues and ideas in art, public health, and organizing are discussed following traditions of ideological movements of the 17th and 18th centuries.

This is a tribute to the man who broke the color barrier in baseball. The main gallery tells the tale of Robinson’s extraordinary
life and how he was able to cross racial lines to become the superstar baseball player beloved by millions. See actual fan letters, listen to audio recordings of people whose lives were affected by his bravery, and witness how his legacy endures in pop culture today. Open Thursday through Sunday.