A tranquil trip to the Cloisters brings visitors back in time to the medieval ages right in Manhattan.

The Met Cloisters allow visitors to escape some of the craziness of 2020 and find some peace.

"We have beautiful gardens which reflect growing practices in the middle ages, and so we have historically accurate gardens on view as well,” says curator Julia Perratore.

There are three gardens visitors can stroll through with a mixture of plants. 

Inside the Bonnefont Cloister, visitors can find hops which were used to make beer in the 14th century and still used to make IPAs today.

“This is something you’re not going to experience at any other museum, certainly not in New York City,” says Perratore.

In addition to the gardens, the cloisters guide you through the art and architecture of medieval Europe, in a new way these days.

"A change that we've made because of COVID is that you need to follow a specific path this is actually how the museum was intended to be visited and designed as such by the architects," says Perratore. 

The museum was built in the 1930s, but the building does incorporate medieval architecture.

"We actually have fragments of medieval buildings, which is the really unusual feature of the cloisters," says Perratore.

As you walk through history social distancing etiquette is required and masks are a must. Hand sanitizer is available and to keep the museum at 25% capacity you can make an appointment to visit online.