Step Off Fifth Avenue and Into the Carnival
You come up out of the subway at 28th Street and walk a block or two to the corner of Fifth Avenue and East 27th Street in Manhattan. There, at 233 Fifth Avenue, a museum has been presenting the history, evolution, and cultural significance of human sexuality since October 5, 2002. The doors are open to adults only; every visitor must be at least 18 years old. Step inside and the city noise drops away, replaced by galleries that treat erotic art, fetish culture, contraception, the sex lives of ancient civilizations, and the science of sexual pleasure as subjects worthy of scholarship rather than snickering. This is the Museum of Sex, known to many as MoSex, and it asks you to look closely rather than glance away.
See What the Exhibits Actually Show
The museum's mission is to preserve and present the history and cultural significance of human sexuality through exhibitions, programs, and publications, and to bring the public the best in current scholarship. In practice, that means you move through themed galleries and special exhibitions that rotate over time. Expect the range to be wide: lesbian and gay history and erotica, BDSM, pornography, and sex work all fall within the museum's focus. The inaugural exhibition, NYC Sex: How New York City Transformed Sex in America, rooted the museum in its home city, and later shows have roamed further afield and further back, including Sex Among the Lotus: 2500 Years of Chinese Erotic Obsession, GET OFF: Exploring the Pleasure Principles, Vamps & Virgins: The Evolution of American Pinup Photography 1860–1960, and Men Without Suits: Objectifying the American Male Body. The museum has also expanded its focus to contemporary art and historically marginalized voices under Associate Curator Lissa Rivera, who curated Leonor Fini: Theatre of Desire, the first U.S. museum survey of the Surrealist artist, and Canon: Juan José Barboza-Gubo & Andrew Mroczek, the museum's first bilingual exhibition. Because exhibitions rotate and some require an additional ticket beyond entry, check what is on before you go.
Play, Drink, and Take Your Time
- Give yourself one to two hours; the galleries and exhibitions cover more than 22,000 square feet.
- Wander a collection of over 20,000 artifacts spanning ancient times to the present.
- Stop at the Carnal Carnival bar for drinks and games, or at the aphrodisiac-themed cafe the museum added during its expansion.
- Browse the retail store, which the museum describes as five-time award-winning.
- Bring your camera: photography is allowed inside, though flash photography and video recording are not.
- Know that the museum is wheelchair accessible, with an elevator to the second floor, and all exhibits are located on one level.
This is a museum built for conversation, and it works as a date-night destination precisely because the interactive exhibitions and playful attractions are designed for shared participation. If you want the calmest possible visit, come on a weekday; weekends typically sell out in advance. Standard hours run Monday through Thursday from 1:00pm to 10:00pm, Friday from 1:00pm to midnight, Saturday from noon to midnight, and Sunday from noon to 10:00pm, with last ticket entry two hours before closing; note that some listings give shorter hours earlier in the week and on Sunday, so confirm the day's hours before you set out. The museum is closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, and on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve the last entry is 8:00pm.
Plan Around the Fifth Avenue Address
The museum sits at the corner of Fifth Avenue and East 27th Street, in the Madison Square North/NoMad area, and the nearest subway stops are the 28th Street stations on Broadway, Park Avenue, and 7th Avenue. That address puts you within walking distance of Midtown's museum belt, and it is worth knowing that many New York museums close on Mondays, so check hours before you build your day around one. If you are weighing a multi-attraction pass, note that the Museum of Sex appears as an attraction on the New York Pass. And if your travels take you south, the museum opened a second location in Miami, Florida, in October 2024, in a converted warehouse designed by the Norwegian architectural firm Snøhetta, at 2200 NW 24th Avenue.
A Museum That Took Its Lumps and Kept Going
The museum was founded in 2002 by Daniel Gluck, an entrepreneur and cultural preservation advocate, who wanted a museum dedicated to the history, evolution, and cultural significance of human sexuality. The New York State Board of Regents rejected its application for non-profit status, objecting that the idea of a "museum of sex" made "a mockery" of the concept of museums, and because Gluck opted not to accept funding from the pornography industry, the admission fee was initially $17. Before it opened, William Donohue of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights called it a "museum of smut." What happened next is the more interesting story: since opening, the museum has faced no opposition from religious officials, and it has even hosted an event called "Faith in Latex," which brought together leaders from the Catholic, Pentecostal, Episcopalian, Buddhist, and Jewish faiths to explore sexuality and religion. New York City authorities have also allowed the museum to locate within 500 feet of a church or school, unlike restrictions placed on adult entertainment venues.
If you are planning a New York trip, put the Museum of Sex on the map alongside the city's larger institutions and decide which of its rotating exhibitions you want to catch. Check the current schedule and ticket options before you go, aim for a weekday if you can, and set aside an afternoon or an evening for it. The address is 233 Fifth Avenue, the phone number is (212) 689-6337, and admission is sold through the museum's own ticketing site. Build the rest of your day around it: a walk through NoMad, a drink at the Carnal Carnival bar, and a conversation you probably would not have had anywhere else.