3 Best Sights in New York City, New York

Although it's full of Hollywood and television memorabilia, this museum's core exhibition is Behind the Screen, which demonstrates how movies and TV shows are produced and shown and has stations where you can create your own short animation, experiment with sound effects, or view the behind-the-scenes editing process of a live Mets baseball game. The Jim Henson Exhibition tells the stories of Henson's film and TV works and has a build-a-muppet station. A wide range of films (more than 400), from classic Hollywood to avant-garde works to foreign-festival hits, is generally shown on weekend evenings and afternoons. Special programs include film retrospectives, lectures, and workshops, as well as daily short films in Tut's Fever Movie Palace, a fab Red Grooms-- and Lysiane Luong–designed installation.

Much of the fun here comes from photo opportunities—you're encouraged to pose with and touch the more than 200 realistic replicas of the famous, infamous, and downright super. Croon with Tina Turner and Taylor Swift, swoon to your favorite heartthrob (be it Justin Bieber or Justin Timberlake), strike a fierce pose with fashionista Heidi Klum, or enjoy a royal chat with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, aka William and Kate. 

The Marvel 4-D Experience includes wax likenesses of heroes like the Hulk, Captain Marvel, Iron Man, and Thor, as well as a short animated movie shown on a 360-degree screen. Other interactive options include a karaoke café, a celebrity walk down the red carpet, and a Sports Zone where you can see how you measure up to legends like Serena Williams and Eli Manning. Note that closing hours vary during peak seasons, but the last tickets sold are always one hour prior.

With an exhibition gallery, small cinema, screening room, and a computerized catalog of more than 160,000 television and radio programs, the Paley Center's New York outpost examines the constantly evolving state of media. Temporary exhibits on the first floor showcase anything from game shows to sporting events through photographs, recordings, and artifacts. The center also hosts public seminars, lectures, and screenings that explore the history of broadcasting. The fourth-floor library is the top draw: if you want to see an archived awards show, news program, sitcom, or historic event, simply check into a semiprivate computer terminal, enter your search terms, and enjoy. Possibly the most entertaining part of these TV shows from yesteryear is that the original commercials are still embedded in many of the programs. If ads are your thing, you can watch compilations of classic commercials.