New York Met Museum Family Tour with Skip-the-Line Entry

4.47

(17 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

"Is that really a sword from the Middle Ages?" my son blurted out before we’d even made it past the first gallery. Our guide, Maya, just grinned and nodded — she had this way of making every answer sound like the start of a story. We met her right outside the main entrance of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which was already buzzing with people (even on a weekday morning). She handed us special stickers so we could skip the line — honestly, I didn’t realize how much time that would save until I saw the crowds behind us.

The first thing that hit me inside was this faint smell — old paper and something metallic, maybe from all those ancient coins and armor. Maya led us straight to the Greek and Roman statues. She knelt down to my daughter’s level and asked if she could spot any “missing noses” (she could — kids notice everything). There was this moment in front of a marble goddess where Maya whispered about ancient myths, and I swear even I got goosebumps. The museum felt huge but somehow less overwhelming with her guiding us.

We wandered through the Egyptian collection next. My youngest tried to pronounce “Isis” after Maya explained about the Roman temple built for her — Li laughed when I tried to say it in Mandarin (probably butchered it). The light in that room was soft and golden, almost like late afternoon even though it was barely noon outside. At one point, my son asked if he could touch one of the sarcophagi (he couldn’t), but Maya had brought along little activity cards so he didn’t get bored. Honestly, I still think about that view through the reconstructed temple — something about seeing New York through ancient stone is hard to explain.

By the time we reached the Arms and Armor Hall, both kids were pretending to be knights. There were other families around but it never felt crowded or rushed; maybe because it’s a private tour or maybe just because Maya kept things moving at our pace. We finished up in Modern Art, where my daughter decided she liked Jackson Pollock best (“it looks like spaghetti,” she said). We left with tired feet but everyone was still talking about their favorite part as we walked down those big Met steps into Central Park. So yeah — if you’re looking for a day trip at the Met from anywhere in New York with kids, this is probably as easy as it gets.