The Metropolitan Museum of Art welcomes people with dementia and their care partners. Consult the Visit section for more information about how to get to the Museum and planning your visit. Detailed information about accommodations for visitors with disabilities and helpful hints will make your visit as smooth as possible. Caregivers of visitors with disabilities will be admitted for free. These tickets may be obtained at a Museum ticket counter.
For a thorough guide to visiting the Museum with a person with dementia, including suggestions for looking at art together, please consult the Resource for Care Partners (PDF).
We recommend you enter The Met Fifth Avenue at Fifth Avenue and 81st Street, through the Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education. This entrance tends to be less busy than the main entrance at 82nd Street. It is also level with the plaza in front of the Museum and therefore has no steps. Wednesday and Thursday mornings are often less busy than other times of the week. In general, mornings are less busy than afternoons and evenings.
The Met is very large, spanning four city blocks from 80th to 84th Streets. The Museum map can help you select which galleries to visit. Consider some of the following suggestions:
Galleries Nearest to the 81st Street Entrance
There is plenty to see and do in the galleries at the south end of the Museum, near the 81st Street entrance. Use the elevator in Diane W. Burke Hall in the Uris Center for Education to get to the first and second floors.
First Floor
Greek and Roman Art
Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
Modern and Contemporary Art
Second Floor
Ancient Near Eastern Art
19th- and Early 20th-Century European Paintings and Sculpture
Photographs
Drawings and Prints
Modern and Contemporary Art
Quieter Galleries
The Metropolitan Museum welcomes over six million visitors each year. The galleries and other public spaces can get very crowded. The following spaces are often quieter and less crowded than other parts of the Museum:
Oceanic Art
Ancient Near Eastern Art
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
The Robert Lehman Collection
Asian Art
Taking a Break
Seating is located throughout the Museum, but is sparse in some areas. Consider taking breaks in courtyard spaces such as the Carroll and Milton Petrie European Sculpture Court and The Charles Engelhard Court in The American Wing, where you can stop to recharge with a drink or snack at one of the Museum's cafés. The Met also offers a wide range of dining options.
In addition to Met Escapes, the Museum offers many programs that are free with admission, including gallery talks, guided tours, films, and lectures. Check the calendar for listings.
Examine images of works of art at home in Collection or the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History.
The Museum's resources for educators can also help you learn more about the Museum's collections. Fully illustrated publications provide overviews of various collections and pre-visit guides conveniently highlight key works of art.
We would love to hear about your visit to the Metropolitan Museum. Please contact us at access@metmuseum.org or 212-650-2010, or take our survey.
