Things to do in New York City

Ride to the 86th-floor open-air deck of the world's most famous skyscraper for sweeping 360° views of the city.

Ferry out to Lady Liberty and walk the halls where 12 million immigrants first set foot in America.

Dinosaurs, the great blue whale and a planetarium under one roof, one of the world's great museums, beloved by kids.

5,000 years of art, Egyptian temples, European masters and rooftop skyline views, on Fifth Avenue's Museum Mile.

Rockefeller Center's three-tiered deck serves the best view in town, Central Park one way, the Empire State the other.

The classic NYC boat tour, cruise past the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge and skyline with live narration.

Hop-on, hop-off double-decker loops past Times Square, the Empire State and downtown, sightseeing on your own schedule.

843 acres of lakes, lawns and leafy paths in the heart of Manhattan, rowboats, Bethesda Terrace, the Mall and more.

An elevated freight rail line reborn as a garden-lined park floating over Manhattan's West Side, with art and city views.

One of the world's largest urban zoos, gorillas, tigers, sea lions and more across 265 wild acres in the Bronx.

Climb aboard a real WWII aircraft carrier, plus a space shuttle, a Concorde and a submarine, on the Hudson River.

Twin reflecting pools and a profoundly moving museum honor the lives lost at the World Trade Center.

A block-long food hall in a former Nabisco factory, tacos, lobster, fresh pasta and quirky shops under one brick roof.

Score same-day Broadway tickets at up to 50% off under the glowing red steps in the heart of Times Square.

Ride to the top of the Western Hemisphere's tallest tower for 360-degree views from floors 100–102 of One World Trade Center.

Mirrored infinity rooms, glass skyboxes, and Midtown views from 1,000+ feet above Grand Central, one of NYC's most photographed observation decks.

Van Gogh's Starry Night, Monet's Water Lilies, and the world's defining modern art collection across six Midtown floors.

Frank Lloyd Wright's spiraling white rotunda on Fifth Avenue, a UNESCO-listed building as famous as the art inside it.

The Art Deco 'Showplace of the Nation', home of the Rockettes, the Great Stage, and marquee concerts at Rockefeller Center.

Walk the 1883 granite-and-steel icon between Manhattan and Brooklyn, 1.1 miles of skyline, harbor, and gothic arches. Free, always.

The 1913 Beaux-Arts landmark with a starry celestial ceiling, the famous opal clock, and a Whispering Gallery, free to wander.

NYC's oldest deli, slinging hand-carved pastrami on rye since 1888, and home of the famous 'When Harry Met Sally' table.

An interactive Times Square museum tracing Broadway from its beginnings to tonight's marquees, packed with costumes, props, and photo-ready sets.

Canoe, kayak, and raft rentals for trips down the Delaware River in the Poconos.

Boutique extended-stay hotel residences with locations across Manhattan.

The historic financial district and waterfront neighborhood at Manhattan's southern tip.

A massive entertainment and retail complex in the Meadowlands with an indoor water park, ski slope, and theme park.

A Hudson Valley county of river towns, historic estates, and farm country north of the city.

A classic Jersey Shore boardwalk with an amusement park, aquarium, arcades, and mini golf steps from the beach.

The five-borough metropolis behind Broadway, world-class museums, and some of the country's densest sightseeing per block.

The long-running Kander and Ebb musical of murder, fame, and jazz-age Chicago, still playing on Broadway.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's hip-hop retelling of Alexander Hamilton's life, still one of Broadway's hottest tickets a decade in.

The Tony Award-winning Broadway musical adaptation of S.E. Hinton's classic novel of Greasers and Socs.

The untold story of the witches of Oz, one of Broadway's longest-running and most beloved musicals.

A self-guided wine, spirits, and cider trail through the Hudson Valley beneath the Shawangunk Ridge.

Disney's Broadway musical brings the magic carpet, the Genie, and Agrabah to life on stage.

Disney's Tony-winning musical, famous for its hand-crafted puppetry, has played Broadway since 1997.

The Tony Award-winning satirical musical from the creators of South Park, following two mismatched Mormon missionaries in Uganda.

A Tony-winning folk-opera retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, set in a Depression-era underworld.

A high-energy jukebox musical bringing Bobby Darin's life and songbook to Circle in the Square Theatre.

A campy, puppet-driven revival of the cult musical about a man-eating plant, running Off-Broadway since 2019.

A Tony-winning jukebox musical built around Michael Jackson's music and electrifying choreography.

Roundabout Theatre Company's campy 2026 Broadway revival of the cult sci-fi horror musical comedy.

A lavish Jazz Age musical adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel of love and excess.

A coastal Connecticut town with five miles of Long Island Sound shoreline and a walkable downtown, about 50 miles from NYC.

A new Broadway musical adaptation of the 1987 vampire cult film, playing at the Palace Theatre.

Award winning Broadway musical comedy about a true World War II British deception operation, at the John Golden Theatre.

Tony Award winning concert style musical reimagining the six wives of Henry VIII as a pop girl group, at the Lena Horne Theatre.

Observation deck and multimedia exhibits in the historic building famous for the New Year's Eve ball drop.

Off-kilter Broadway comedy musical retelling the story of Titanic through Celine Dion songs.

Official visitor guide to Somerset County, New Jersey, covering local attractions, dining, lodging and events.

Bilingual bus and van sightseeing tours across NYC's five boroughs plus day trips to nearby cities.

A 250-seat performance venue and cultural center in the Bronx hosting live music, dance and theater.

Locally led walking and food tours exploring Newark's history, galleries, shops and eateries.

Guided one hour horseback trail rides through Allaire State Park, suitable for beginners.

Long Island amusement park with over 30 rides including three roller coasters, open seasonally since 1962.

Nonprofit waterfront center in Oyster Bay offering sailing, kayaking, paddleboarding and harbor tours.

Official tourism guide to Westchester County, NY, covering outdoor trails, historic sites, and Hudson Valley attractions.

Family entertainment center in the Hudson Valley with go-karts, laser tag, mini golf, bowling and an arcade.

Broadway musical following two strangers through three life-changing days together in New York City.

Military and space history museum aboard the retired aircraft carrier USS Intrepid on the Hudson River.

An indoor-to-outdoor observation experience at Hudson Yards with the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere.

A fast-paced comedy about an amateur troupe whose stage production keeps disastrously falling apart, playing Off-Broadway.

Guided walkthroughs of Yankee Stadium covering Monument Park, the Yankees Museum, and behind-the-scenes stadium areas.

Wax museum in Times Square featuring 200+ celebrity and pop-culture figures across interactive themed galleries.

The world's largest repertory opera house, staging opera at Lincoln Center in New York City.

A family run ski and snowboard area near Warwick, New York, about an hour from New York City.

County agency promoting Passaic County's historic sites, including Lambert Castle and the Dey Mansion.

Regional tourism office for the Pocono Mountains with trip-planning help and visitor guides.

Historic 83-acre arts campus on Staten Island with botanical gardens, museums and a contemporary art center.

Revolutionary War museum in Manhattan's oldest surviving building, where George Washington bid farewell to his officers in the Long Room in 1783.

See the relit marquee of Harlem's historic stage and catch Amateur Night and concerts at the Apollo's stages next door.

Catch a Brooklyn Nets or New York Liberty game or a major concert inside an arena wrapped in weathered steel panels.

Hear live jazz every night in two rooms, the Birdland Jazz Club and the Birdland Theater, with food and drinks served at your table.

Sit close to the stage for nightly live jazz with dinner and drinks at this Greenwich Village club.

Stroll 52 acres of themed gardens, from a Japanese hill-and-pond garden to a bonsai museum and conservatory.

Relax on the lawn behind the New York Public Library, play games, ride the carousel or skate in winter.

Walk boardwalks, bridges and forest trails past eight waterfalls in the Pocono Mountains.

Hear a concert in one of three halls, take a guided tour of Stern Auditorium, or browse the free Rose Museum.

See snow leopards, penguins, sea lions and red pandas at a compact 6.5-acre zoo inside Central Park.

Pose with the 7,100-pound bronze bull on Broadway, a Financial District landmark since 1989.

Walk narrow streets like Mott, Pell and Doyers lined with dim sum halls, bakeries, shops and sidewalk food vendors.

See the stainless steel Art Deco crown from the street, then step into the red granite lobby with its ceiling mural.

Watch the New York Mets play, see the Home Run Apple rise in center field and browse the team's Hall of Fame.

Stroll a 2.7-mile oceanfront boardwalk, ride the Cyclone and Wonder Wheel, and eat a hot dog at the original Nathan's.

See red pandas, Amur leopards, maned wolves and Andean bears, then ride the historic carousel and walk the rainforest building.

Paddle the Delaware River, hike to waterfalls and climb Mount Tammany for a view of the Water Gap.

Photograph the Manhattan Bridge framed by brick warehouses on Washington Street, then wander cobbled blocks to the waterfront.

Stroll Manhattan's signature avenue past flagship stores and boutiques, then head north along Central Park to Museum Mile.

See the 22-story triangular tower from 1902 where Fifth Avenue and Broadway cross at 23rd Street.

See the domed mausoleum where Ulysses S. Grant and his wife rest in red-granite sarcophagi above the Hudson.

Ride a short ferry to a car-free harbor island with two old forts, lawns, hammocks, public art and skyline views.

Stroll from the Washington Square Arch along Bleecker and MacDougal Streets past jazz clubs, cafes and small theaters.

Walk 125th Street past the Apollo Theater, hear jazz and gospel, and eat soul food in the historic center of Black culture.

Climb to New Jersey's highest point, where a 220-foot obelisk looks out over three states and the Delaware Water Gap.

Climb the honeycomb Vessel, shop seven floors of stores, and step out on the Edge observation deck on Manhattan's west side.

Swim, walk the two-mile boardwalk and catch a concert along 6.5 miles of Atlantic beach on Long Island.

Ride, climb and build with bricks across seven Lego-themed lands, including Miniland, made for kids ages 2 to 12.

Explore hands-on science exhibits, live animals and a 100-foot planetarium dome inside Liberty State Park.

Walk a waterfront promenade facing the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan, and catch ferries to Liberty and Ellis Islands.

See opera, ballet, symphony and theater at a 16-acre arts campus built around a central plaza and its fountain.

Stroll Mulberry Street north of Canal past Italian restaurants, long-running bakeries and a family grocer selling imported cheeses.

Ride the landmark Cyclone wooden coaster, the Thunderbolt and other rides and games beside the Coney Island boardwalk.

Shop the 11-level flagship that covers nearly a whole city block, ride its old wooden escalators and see the animated holiday windows.

Catch Knicks basketball, Rangers hockey or a major concert in the arena that sits on top of Penn Station in Midtown.

See Giants and Jets football, major concerts and soccer in an open-air stadium, or take a behind-the-scenes weekend tour.

Tour Washington's headquarters at the Ford Mansion and walk the soldier hut sites of the 1779-80 winter encampment.

Order hot dogs and crinkle-cut fries at the original 1916 stand on Surf Avenue, steps from the Coney Island boardwalk and beach.

Walk through a 14-acre Coney Island aquarium with a shark exhibit, the Aquatheater and an invertebrate gallery called Spineless.

Walk 250 acres of gardens, a Victorian glass conservatory and a 50-acre old-growth forest in the Bronx.

Walk past the marble lions Patience and Fortitude to see the Rose Main Reading Room and a free exhibition of library treasures.

Stand under the white steel ribs of Santiago Calatrava's World Trade Center transit hall, lined with shops and restaurants.

Watch the Passaic River drop 77 feet over a basalt cliff in the middle of the historic mill district of Paterson.

Sit down to a dry-aged porterhouse for the table at a Williamsburg steakhouse established in 1887.

Roam Olmsted and Vaux's Brooklyn park, from the 90-acre Long Meadow to a wooded ravine and the 60-acre Prospect Lake.

Downtown Newark arena where you catch New Jersey Devils hockey, Seton Hall basketball and touring concerts.

Stroll an Art Deco complex of plazas, public art, shops and a skating rink, with Top of the Rock observation decks above.

Tour Theodore Roosevelt's Long Island home and walk the grounds of his former Summer White House.

Swim at ocean and bay beaches, tour a historic lighthouse and walk the old Army post of Fort Hancock.

Shop boutiques and flagship stores among Lower Manhattan blocks lined with 19th-century cast-iron buildings.

Step off Fifth Avenue into a Gothic Revival cathedral of marble spires, stained glass windows, side chapels and bronze doors.

Ride the free ferry across New York Harbor past the Statue of Liberty and the Lower Manhattan skyline.

Walk Christopher Park and the streets outside the Stonewall Inn, where the 1969 uprising gave momentum to the LGBTQ rights movement.

Walk a 25-acre harborfront park at Manhattan's southern tip, with gardens, memorials and Statue of Liberty ferries.

See paintings by Vermeer, Rembrandt and Goya hung in the rooms of Henry Clay Frick's Gilded Age mansion on Fifth Avenue.

Tour Philip Johnson's 1949 glass-walled house and the galleries and pavilions spread across his New Canaan estate.

Wander medieval cloisters, chapels and gardens in Fort Tryon Park and see the Unicorn Tapestries at this branch of The Met.

See American art, a major Tibetan collection, a planetarium and the restored 1885 Ballantine House in downtown Newark.

Step into the 1907 chateau-style hotel on Grand Army Plaza for afternoon tea in The Palm Court or a drink at the Champagne Bar.

Catch a live show at the Asbury Park rock club tied to Bruce Springsteen, indoors or on the outdoor Summer Stage.

Follow an NBC Page through working studios at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, where shows like Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show are made.

Tour Thomas Edison's laboratory complex, library and machine shops, then visit the grounds of his Glenmont estate.

Step inside an 1846 Gothic Revival church on Broadway and find Alexander Hamilton's grave in the churchyard outside.

Take a guided tour through the General Assembly Hall and Security Council Chamber at the UN's riverside headquarters.

Climb the copper-clad honeycomb of staircases at Hudson Yards for views of the city and the Hudson River.

Walk down fifteen steps to a small triangular basement and hear two sets of live jazz a night.

Walk the narrow street from Trinity Church past the New York Stock Exchange and Federal Hall to the East River.

Stroll under the marble Washington Square Arch, sit by the fountain and watch chess players and performers.

Start at the visitors center, then join a guided bus tour of the academy grounds above the Hudson River.

See 20th and 21st century American art in the galleries, then step out onto terraces above the Meatpacking District.

A pop jukebox musical at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre that asks what happens if Juliet lives, set to songs by Max Martin.

A loft-style Aloft hotel on Ann Street in the Financial District, a short walk from Wall Street and the 9/11 Memorial.

A large Applebee's on 42nd Street near Eighth Avenue serving American grill food and drinks in the middle of Times Square.

A giant camera and electronics superstore near Penn Station where your orders ride overhead conveyor belts to the counter.

Stay in a 58-room hotel on Walker Street with free breakfast, a short walk from SoHo galleries, shops and cast-iron buildings.

Hear the songs of the famed 1997 Cuban album played live in a Broadway musical at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.

A casual Times Square barbecue spot for chicken and ribs, burgers, wings and oversized frozen cocktails.

A big arcade, sports bar and restaurant on 42nd Street in Times Square, with arcade games, simulators and VR.

A 399-room hotel on historic Stone Street in Lower Manhattan, a short walk from Wall Street and Battery Park.

Watch Harry, now a grown father, and his son Albus face the past in a stage play full of live illusions at the Lyric Theatre.

A 44-story Hilton on West 42nd Street, steps from Broadway theaters, with every guest room on the 22nd floor or higher.

An eight-floor Delancey Street hotel steps from the Delancey St-Essex St subway and Lower East Side eateries.

A Tony-winning Broadway musical about two helper robots, Oliver and Claire, playing at the Belasco Theatre near Times Square.

See George Balanchine's company dance its repertoire and The Nutcracker at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center.

A four-story mall with an ice rink, a 60-foot Ferris wheel in the food court, a ropes course and a 21-screen AMC.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow is a Tony-winning prequel play at the Marquis Theatre, built around large-scale stage illusions.

A Midtown hotel on West 35th Street with large family rooms, bunk beds for kids and Penn Station steps away.

A Black-owned Harlem tour company running walking tours, gospel brunch outings and intimate jazz nights in brownstones.

Sleep in the former Hotel Tudor in Tudor City, steps from Grand Central Terminal and close to the United Nations.

Hotel on Paterson Plank Road with free shuttles to Secaucus Junction and PATH trains for trips into Manhattan.