You know the Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum and the Jewish Children’s Museum. Think you may have tapped all Brooklyn can offer a culture junkie? Think again. Brooklyn is a borough that keeps on giving, and there’s plenty more to explore. Take in some history, with a healthy side of quirk, at these eight offbeat Brooklyn museums.
1. City Reliquary Museum
370 Metropolitan Ave. | Williamsburg
Once just a rotating window display, City Reliquary became a full-fledged museum in 2006. The bite-sized Metropolitan Street storefront (the original display remains on Havemeyer, between Grand and Hope Streets) packs rotating exhibits of local art and ephemera, plus a permanent collection of New York memorabilia, into two cozy rooms. Peruse the shelves of Rockaway rocks, Statue of Liberty souvenirs, subway tokens, seltzer bottles, Brooklyn Dodgers photos, and Little Egypt (the mother of belly dance/burlesque) peep show before heading to the gallery in back.
Admission & Hours: $7 general admission, $5 for college students, seniors, and educators, free for children 12 and under; Open hours Sunday through Thursday 12-6pm.
How to get there: L to Lorimer, exit at Metropolitan Ave and Metropolitan Ave (Macri Sq). Go West on Metropolitan Ave.
2. Waterfront Museum
290 Conover Street at Pier 44 | Red Hook
Give Lady Liberty a wave as you hop aboard the 1914 Lehigh Valley Barge #79 for a lesson in the history and current state of New York’s waterways and waterfront. David Sharp, the floating museum’s resident director and tour guide, bought the half-sunken railroad barge in 1985 for one dollar. 300 tons of muck-removal later, the resurrected barge was ready to move from Edgewater, New Jersey to Brooklyn. Today, the Lehigh Valley Barge is a hub for maritime memorabilia and cultural events, like the circus—no surprise given Sharp’s past as a cruise ship clown.
Admission & Hours: Free (donations welcome); Open hours Thursday 4-8pm and Saturday 1-5pm, for special events or by appointment (school and group tours welcome; $7 per person)
How to get there: Take the A, C or F train to Jay St. Metrotech station (Smith Street station is closed until 2013). Walk south along Jay St (which becomes Smith St) to Livingston.
3. New York Transit Museum
Intersection of Schermerhorn Street and Boerum Place | Brooklyn Heights
For all that time you spend underground, wouldn’t it be nice to know a thing or two about MTA history? The New York Transit Museum digs into the history of urban public transportation through public programs and exhibitions of NYC Subway, bus, commuter rail and bridge and tunnel system artifacts. Housed in Brooklyn Heights’ decommissioned 1936 IND Court Street subway station, the museum is the largest of its kind in the country. Long-term exhibits include Steel, Stone & Backbone: Building New York’s Subways 1900-1925, and Fare Collection, an interactive look at collection devices used since the subway’s inception. They also operate the (free) Gallery Annex at Grand Central terminal.
Admission & Hours: Adults $10, Children 2-17 and Senior Citizens (62+) $5, Seniors Free on Wednesdays, Members Free; Tuesday-Friday 10am-4pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am-5pm (Children under 17 must be accompanied by an adult.)
How to get there: Take the 2, 3, 4, or 5 train to Borough Hall. Or consult the museum’s website for other routes.
4. Coney Island Museum
1208 Surf Avenue | Coney Island
See Coney Island antiques and relics, like the Steeplechase Horse, vintage bumper cars, old Mermaid Parade photos and the Boardwalk Rolling Chair. Coney Island offered immersive entertainment long before movie theaters existed. Housed on the second floor of historical 1208 Surf Ave., the small venue offers a great view of Luna Park, and hosts special events like the Coney Island Film Festival (with frequent burlesque shows and more at the ground floor Sideshows by the Seashore).
Admission & Hours: $5; Labor Day through Mid June, Saturdays 12pm – 6pm and Sundays 2pm – 6pm. Mid June through Labor Day, Wednesday through Saturday, 12pm – 6pm and Sunday, 2pm – 6pm.
How to get there: Subway: D, Q N or F train to Coney Island-Stillwell Ave. Exit near Surf Ave and Stillwell Ave and head East on Surf Ave.?Bus: B36, B68, B74, B82 or Express Bus X28, X38 from Manhattan.
5. Brooklyn Historical Society Museum & Library
128 Pierrepont Street at Clinton Street | Downtown
Founded in 1863, the Brooklyn Historical Society aims to connect Brooklyn’s past to the present. If you too are Brooklyn (or Long Island) born and bred, the museum might inspire you to explore your own family history in the building’s Othmer Library (appointment recommended).
Admission & Hours: Adults $10, Seniors (62+) and Teachers $6, Students (with ID), BHS members and Children (under 12) Free. Wednesday-Sunday 12-5pm. Library open Wednesday-Saturday 1-5pm.
How to get there: Subway: 2,3,4,5 to Borough Hall, A,C,F to Jay Street/Borough Hall, or M,R to Court Street. Bus: B38, B52, B25, B26, B41 to Montague/Court Street. B67, B65 to Jay Street. B51 City Hall from Manhattan to Court St. /Cadman Plaza (weekdays only).
6. The Wyckoff House
5816 Clarendon Road | East Flatbush
The kid- (and adult-) friendly Wyckoff House is the city’s oldest house (ca. 1652). The farmhouse museum offers house tours and hands-on experiences to educate visitors about early colonial life and agriculture. The museum is open only to guided tours, including small walk-in tours and special group tours (6 or more people). Reserved tours include a “Cellar-to-Attic” tour, “Farming & Science,” with an opportunity to make your own coleslaw, relish, pickles or ketchup and “Colonial Life,” a look at an indentured laborer’s path to riches, with a lesson in butter churning or herb and sachet-making.
Admission & Hours: Adults $5, Seniors, Youth (10-18) and Students (with ID) $3, Children (Under 10) and Members Free; Friday and Saturday 11am-4pm, third saturday 11am-3pm. Tuesday through Thursday by appointment only. See site for tour times and booking information.
How to get there: Wyckoff is easily accessible by a variety of public transit options. Consult the website for specific directions.
7. Lefferts Historic House
Children’s Corner | Prospect Park
Once the kids have had a good run around Prospect Park, take them over to the Lefferts Historic House. Tucked into the Park’s “Children’s Corner,” by the carousel and zoo, Lefferts was transported from Flatbush, where it was once home to an 18th-century Dutch family (visit the Wyckoff Museum, above, to really connect the dots). The museum utilizes traditional games, toys, tools and farming practices to teach visitors about Brooklyn’s history, from pre-Colonial Flatbush farm days to the present. Visit period rooms inside, and take advantage of craft activities like candle- or fire-making, plus seasonal events like fall’s Harvest Days and the springtime Flax & Fleece Fest.
Admission & Hours: Free (admission requested for adults touring the House); Saturday-Sunday & holidays 12-4pm
How to get there: Subway: Q, S, or B train to Prospect Park station; Bus: B16 to Ocean Ave and Empire Blvd. B41to Flatbush Ave and Empire Blvd. B43 to Ocean Ave and Empire Blvd. B48 to Flatbush Ave and Empire Blvd.
8. BLDG 92: Brooklyn Navy Yard Center
63 Flushing Avenue | Navy Yard
A prolific shipyard-turned-green industry hub, the Brooklyn Navy Yard holds 300 acres and over 165 years of fascinating history. BLDG 92 opened its doors to visitors in November 2011, providing an outlet for exploring the complex’s past, present and future; and viewing the art, designs and innovations of the Yard’s current tenants. While museum admission is free, bike and bus tours of the Navy Yard are also available for a fee. Read oM’s full museum review here.
Admission & Hours: Free; Wednesday-Sunday 12-6pm
How to get there: F train to York Street or the A train to High Street. Walk North to the Brooklyn Navy Yard (via Flushing Avenue). On Saturdays and Sundays from 12-6pm, the complimentary blue Brooklyn Navy Yard van will make continuous loops between BLDG 92 and downtown Brooklyn (intersection: Jay Street and Willoughby Street). The shuttle is easily accessible from the Jay St/Metrotech station (A,C,F,N,R) and is a quick walk from Borough Hall Stations (2,3,4,5).
Photo: City Reliquary
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Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram