The Stunning New York City Location That Takes You Straight To Medieval Europe

It comes as no surprise that New York City is packed with history. After all, it served as the first capital of the United States after the Constitution was ratified. But even its oldest parts don't date all the way back to the Middle Ages. This is an era more associated with Europe than the U.S., given the thousands of years of recorded historical events and dozens of well-preserved pieces of architecture you can find from that era. However, New York City has replicated something that offers a taste of medieval Europe that is just a little over 30 minutes from the ultra-modern Times Square.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, also known as the Met, is located on the eastern side of Central Park in Manhattan. This destination is incredibly popular on its own, but perhaps a lesser-known fact some might not realize about the Met is that it also has another location called the Met Cloisters, located just north of Harlem in Upper Manhattan. Cloisters, historically, are similar to monasteries and you can find many of them around Europe –– some of which are leftover from the Middle Ages. In the 1930s, the classic architecture and purpose of European cloisters inspired the construction of this special New York City museum after John D. Rockefeller Jr. obtained a medieval art collection from artist George Grey Barnard. Today, the Met Cloisters make for a quiet and underrated attraction that you should add to your NYC itinerary.

The Met Cloisters looks like something out of a historical drama, and its stunning Gothic and Romanesque layout is just one of the reasons to spend an afternoon there. In medieval times, the gardens you might find inside cloisters in Europe were tranquil spaces where the inhabitants (namely monks and nuns) grew herbs, vegetables, and other plants. The three gardens at the Met Cloisters each show off greenery from all over the world, making them perfect for peaceful relaxation and reflection. Of course, some plants only bloom seasonally, but the Met Cloisters are lovely to visit at any time of year. Each season brings something beautiful for both your eyes and nose, such as sprigs of lavender in warmer months and rosemary in cooler months.

As you wander through the vaulted ceilings and archways of the Met Cloisters, you'll get to see amazing medieval art directly from Europe. The collection includes anything from big tapestries to stained glass to small artifacts like boxwood carvings. While you explore the displays, pay attention to the details of these works, as some feature mythical creatures like unicorns, as well as real-life animals and musical instruments that were common during the Middle Ages. Such themes and iconography represent both real and fantastical aspects of medieval life and art.

On a map, it may seem like the Met Cloisters are far away from the Big Apple's main attractions. However, the A train on New York City's subway system can take you up to the 190th Street Station in Manhattan in a short time. In fact, it may even be a great way to take a break from the chaos of Midtown. From here, you can take a half-mile walk on Margaret Corbin Drive through Fort Tryon Park to reach the Met Cloisters. There is also a bus that can also drop you off right at the museum's parking lot.

Fort Tryon Park in its own right is also a peaceful green space and a worthy destination. Fort Tryon Park surrounds the Met Cloisters, and both offer sweeping views of the Hudson River. Take some detours from Margaret Corbin Drive to check out the park's gardens and walking trails, including the Alpine Garden trail near the southwest corner of the Met Cloisters. Right by the 190th Street Station is Cabrini Woods Nature Sanctuary, a forest best viewed from the Cabrini Boulevard sidewalk. Keep your eye out for birds like red-tailed hawks, which really make you feel like you've stepped into a world vastly different from what you would expect from New York City.