Visiting Zimmerli Art Museum: Hours, Tickets, and Practical Details

Zimmerli Art Museum is at 71 Hamilton Street on Rutgers University’s New Brunswick campus. The museum describes itself as one of the country’s largest and most distinguished university-based museums.

Farrington Inn - North Brunswick is about a 13-minute drive from the museum, making this North Brunswick property a base for your visit.

If you arrive by NJ Transit, the museum is a short walk from New Brunswick station: go one block north on College Avenue to Hamilton Street, then one block east to the museum. The Northeast Corridor line serves New Brunswick with local and express service between New York Penn Station, Newark, and Trenton.

Admission is free, and the museum’s regular schedule includes five open days each week.

• Wednesday and Friday: 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
• Thursday: 11 a.m.–8 p.m.
• Saturday and Sunday: noon–5 p.m.
• Monday and Tuesday: Closed

The museum also closes on major holidays and in August. Holiday closures include Juneteenth, observed on the third Friday of June; July 3–4; Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday; and December 25 to January 1. Hours and closures can affect your plans, so check the official site before you go.

The permanent collection has more than 75,000 works, with a focus on Western art from the fifteenth century to the present. Its breadth makes it worth setting aside time for more than one collection area.

American art accounts for more than 16,500 objects. The European collection has close to 10,000 objects, with a particular strength in French nineteenth-century works on paper, including prints and rare books.

Other collections broaden the picture further: Soviet Nonconformist art and arts of Eurasia holdings contain over 22,000 objects and span the fourteenth century to the present. The Asian collection includes more than 200 Japanese woodcuts from the late eighteenth through the twentieth centuries, while the collection of original illustrations for children’s literature has nearly 4,000 works.

You can park at metered spaces in front of the museum and on adjacent streets, or use the paid Gateway Center Parking Garage. A designated accessible metered street-parking space is available in front of the museum.

For drop-off, use Hamilton Street just beyond the George Street intersection. The accessible route to the entrance includes a curb cut and a brick, slip-resistant ramp; the entrance has button-activated door openers and an intercom.

Inside, an elevator in the lobby serves the ground level, lower level, and mezzanine. Manual and electric wheelchairs are welcome throughout the museum, and one manual wheelchair is available free on a first-come, first-served basis.

Service dogs are welcome. Large-print gallery texts are available at the lobby front desk, while braille and audio description can be arranged with advance notice.

Zimmerli is on Rutgers’ New Brunswick campus, so a campus-focused day can include time to get oriented and learn about the university. Use this guide to plan a Rutgers University campus tour alongside your museum visit.

Guided group tours at the museum are intended for groups of 10 or more. They are free, but you need to request one at least three weeks in advance. Another local museum listed in New Brunswick is Rutgers University Geology Museum, at 85 Somerset Street.

State Theatre New Jersey is a performing-arts venue; see details on State Theatre New Jersey tickets.

Does Zimmerli Art Museum charge admission?

No. Admission is free for all visitors.

Is Zimmerli Art Museum open on Mondays?

No. The museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, as well as in August and on major holidays.

Can you request an accessible tour or materials?

Large-print gallery texts are available at the lobby front desk. Braille and audio description are available with advance notice.

Can groups arrange a guided tour?

Guided tours are intended for groups of 10 or more and are free. Requests must be made at least three weeks in advance.