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NYC itself tends toward the weird and quirky, and these museums will take you further down that rabbit hole. So if you're itching for something different than MoMA or the Met, any one of these places is sure to satisfy you.
If you think living in early 21st-Century NYC is difficult, take a trip back to a hundred or so years ago and see what it was like for immigrants and the underclass on the Lower East Side. The museum offers a range of tours as well as interactive experiences involving "visiting" actors playing characters from the LES's past.
Now part of Crown Heights, Weeksville was settled in 1838 by African-Americans seeking to establish a community of their own. Three homes remain available for tours, each decorated with memorabilia from eras significant to the area.
Looking at porn -- of all kinds -- has never been so academic (or so much fun, or at least in public). The gift shop also offers a wide range of sex toys so you can bring the party home with you.
Besides a plethora of magic supplies, Fantasma houses a Houdini museum, complete with a Houdini animatronic that "escapes" from a straitjacket every 15 minutes.
If you want actual pieces of New York City, this is the place to go. From the city's detritus to random tidbits of collections on loan from NYC residents, the reliquary is an amazing day-long exploration just waiting to happen.
If Gangs of New York and The Godfather are among your favorite films, or you just have an affinity for the underbelly of gangster society, you won't be disappointed here. And a fun fact: the museum is housed above a former speakeasy.