The museum houses art, artifacts (prehistoric and historic), and ecofacts that reflect New York’s cultural, natural, and geological development.

The current location opened on July 4, 1976, and 15,000 people took part in the ceremony which included a performance by Don Mclean.

The fourth floor features a functioning carousel built between 1912 and 1916 which visitors may ride free of charge, plus supplementary exhibits covering regional topics and several historic cities in New York State, such as Buffalo and Rochester.

The collections of the New York State Museum include geological samples, paleontology specimens, historic materials, and art.

A supplementary storage facility in Rotterdam, New York, houses material not presently displayed, including artifacts from the September 11 attacks.