Empire State Plaza

Downtown

518-474-5877

Open daily 10am-5pm

Admission free, Carousel free, donations accepted.

Anchoring the southern end of Empire State Plaza is the state's largest and oldest museum. With three and a half acres of exhibits, the free museum is an inexpensive and interesting way to spend an afternoon. Two recent additions are the widely publicized exhibit of items tied to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Memorabilia include a destroyed fire engine, 10-ton steel columns from the World Trade Center, pieces of the hijacked airplanes, a piece of the fence erected around Ground Zero, and expressions of sympathy and poetry.

The other addition to the museum is a full-size carousel, which was installed in the museum’s new 25,000-square-foot Terrace Gallery. The carousel once was located in a New York State amusement park, and now is the centerpiece of a fourth-floor exhibit on popular entertainment. The carousel’s 36 horses, two deer and two donkeys have already accommodated 300,000 riders. Discovery Place is a fun place designed for children. The museum also has a shop, a cafe, and a bookstore.