Blog

School is back in session, and that means fall is right around the corner. Here in the Upper West Side, that means a fresh influx of brisk air, the leaves changing color in Central Park, and new exhibits to discover in the many museums within walking distance from Hotel Beacon. As we’ve mentioned here before, there are many museums just blocks away from Hotel Beacon ready to take you on an exciting journey into the past, into creativity, and into hours of fun. Here are some of the fresh exhibits you can explore this fall.

Harry Potter: A History of Magic at the New-York Historical Society

Discover original material from Harry Potter publisher Scholastic and J.K. Rowling’s own archives — from medieval descriptions of dragons and griffins to the origins of the sorcerer’s stone. Explore the subjects studied at Hogwarts and see original drafts and drawings by J.K. Rowling. The Harry Potter: A History of Magic exhibit also features rare books, manuscripts, and magical objects from the collections of the British Library and New-York Historical Society.

The Butterfly Conservatory at the American Museum of Natural History

Summer may be fading away, but you can still enjoy some nature with the Butterfly Conservatory exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History. The exhibition features butterflies from three of the families: the Pieridae , commonly known as whites and sulphurs; the Papilionidae , or swallowtails; and the Nymphalidae, which includes morphos, longwings, and others. This is one of the museum's most popular annual seasonal exhibitions.

Art, Artists & You at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan

A new interactive experience, Art, Artists & You encourages children and their families to explore self-expression and identity through art-making. It’s a dynamic, hands-on environment that offers you a unique opportunity to collaborate with contemporary artists in studio workspaces created especially for this exhibit at the Museum — part exhibit, part art studio.

Roadside Attraction at the American Folk Art Museum

Oddities and curiosities, miniatures and gigantics, relics and totems, and other homegrown marvels. That’s what the Roadside Attraction exhibit at the American Folk Art Museum is about. Tradeshow signs, circus banners, and object bottles are exhibited alongside artworks illustrating the paranormal, fantastic, and carnivalesque. Highlighting works created within artist-built environments, this exhibition examines the relationship between curiosity and entertainment, illuminating the ways they interweave to make space for extraordinary ideas and other worlds.

MAD Collects at the Museum of Art and Design

Focusing on MAD’s collecting mission and recent acquisitions over the last five years, the MAD Collects: The Future of Craft Part 1 exhibit features works by David Harper, Bayne Peterson, Cauleen Smith and other artists and places them within the context of the museum’s current collections plan. The exhibition is curated in relationship to The Burke Prize 2018: The Future of Craft Part 2 to feature and champion the ever-changing field of art and design practices that sustain, expand and interpret the craft media the Museum was founded to support.

All of the museums above are close to Hotel Beacon, and we’d love to be your home base for any NYC adventure. Check out our latest special offers. And if you need meeting space for 10 to 150 people, we can help.