New York City attractions

Even if you’ve never visited New York City, you’ve likely seen 34th Street. Home to iconic attractions, including the Empire State Building and Macy's Herald Square, the lively district has been immortalized in movies and photos. It's the site of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Nearby are Madison Square Garden, the Jacob Javits Convention Center, and the Edge Observation Deck.

Gapstow Bridge spans The Pond in the heart of Central Park, and is one of New York’s most photogenic landmarks. Visitors may recognize it from its appearance in movies including Home Alone 2. This rustic stone bridge, with its graceful arch and serene surroundings, offers a peaceful escape from the city’s hustle and bustle as well as excellent views of the NYC skyline.

Jefferson Market Library looks like a castle, was originally a courthouse, and is now a public library. This 19th-century architectural gem in Greenwich Village was saved by local residents from demolition in the 1960s, and now it’s popular with the laptop crowd. The Venetian Gothic structure is complete with regal spires and turrets, soaring stained glass windows, and an old firewatcher’s tower.

Manhattan’s famous green spaces, like Central Park, often get all the attention from those seeking the great outdoors in NYC. But the East River Esplanade, a tree-lined pathway with river views, provides a scenic alternative. Locals come here to walk their dogs, go for a walk or a run, or kick back on one of the shaded benches, and also attend events here including live music, birding tours, and fishing classes.

With its benches and tables, rows of trees, and open-air artworks like Mark di Suvero’s towering red Joie de Vivre sculpture, Zuccotti Park has been catering to New Yorkers since the late 1960s. Office workers often take their lunch break here, but the space is most famous as the setting of the Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011, when activist encampments took over the park.

Louis Armstrong was already world-famous when he decided to settle in the quiet, working-class Queens neighborhood of Corona in 1943. Decades later, his fourth wife willed the house to the City of New York. The 3-building complex (which now includes another donated house, belonging to a friend and next-door-neighbor) is devoted to preserving Louis Armstrong’s legacy and continuing his mission of jazz education.

Slime takes center stage at the Sloomoo Institute NYC, the first of a growing number of destinations designed to encourage sensory play. This adult-friendly experience for kids lets you experiment with everything from colorful slime to kinetic sand within a 12,000 foot (3600 meter) entertainment space.

Few experiences connect you to the cultural shift of the 1960s like the Museum at Bethel Woods. Located on the original Woodstock festival site, this interactive museum uses artifacts, film, music, and a restored hippie bus to bring the event’s stories to life. Ideal for both nostalgia seekers and first-time visitors, it bridges the past and present, highlighting ideals that still resonate today.

This Brooklyn cemetery is so beautiful that it used to be one of the most popular tourist attractions in the US. With its tree-filled hills and ponds, Green-Wood could easily pass for an elegant urban park, except it houses hundreds of thousands of graves. Despite its peaceful atmosphere, the cemetery was actually founded on a former Revolutionary War battlefield and has a fascinating history.

Riverside Church offers a slice of 13th-century France standing tall in the Manhattan skyline. Modeled after a massive Gothic cathedral in the French town of Chartres, this 1930 church has a nearly 400-foot bell tower—the tallest in the US—along with impressive stained glass windows and an ornate pulpit that has been graced by speakers including Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King, Jr.

At the heart of NYC’s Civic Center neighborhood is Foley Square, a historic quadrangle flanked by the New York Supreme Court and the Thurgood Marshall US Courthouse. But this square hasn’t always been known for ensuring justice is done; it was once a freshwater swamp home to The Bridewell, a detention center infamous for its appalling conditions, and the notorious Five Points neighborhood.

Not far from Brooklyn’s well-known brownstones, gourmet restaurants, and cool-kid bars lies this multicultural, non-denominational megachurch. Located a few blocks from Fort Greene Park in downtown Brooklyn, this church offers Sunday worship services and nighttime prayer meetings for the borough’s diverse community. For the uninitiated, the highlight is typically the music of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, a 300-voice Gospel choir with Grammys—among other awards—under its belt.

Although Bedford Avenue stretches across a large part of Brooklyn, its best-known segment is in the unabashedly hipster neighborhood of Williamsburg. This strip is known for its restaurants, bars, and boutiques and is usually busy with shoppers and diners from Brooklyn and beyond.

Called The Little Shubert Theatre when it opened in 2002, Stage 42 is notable for being the first Off-Broadway theater owned by the century-old Shubert Organization, and their first venue to open in New York City since 1928. The theater hosts contemporary productions with big names, and past hits include the comedy Under My Skin and the Harry Potter parody Potted Potter.

New York City’s Museum of Interesting Things is as weird and wonderful as its name suggests. Curated by Denny Daniel, who has a passion for historical memorabilia, the collection spans the 19th to 21st centuries and features everything from antique toys to quirky household inventions. Visits to the museum, which is housed in Daniel’s Greenwich Village apartment, are by appointment only, but the traveling museum also performs regular Secret Speakeasy events.

A kid-friendly New York City attraction, the Everett Children's Adventure Garden is an ideal place for young visitors to find educational activities, outdoor exploration, and hands-on science projects. With more than 12 acres (4.9 hectares) to visit—whether dashing through mazes or exploring plants at Habitat Hub—kids have plenty of fun.

Few people think of farming when they think of the Big Apple, but Brooklyn Grange, a rooftop farming and green roofing business, is trying to change that. Started in 2010, it now produces upwards of 80,000 pounds (36,300 kilograms) of organic produce yearly—grown in sustainable rooftop gardens atop two Brooklyn buildings. While the spaces primarily operate as working farms, they’re also open for tours and private events.

A magnet for locals in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood, this sprawling park is beloved for its lush surroundings and vibrant community events. It stands at the site of a fort that was built during the Revolutionary War and rebuilt during the War of 1812.

In the heart of downtown White Plains, this theater presents Broadway-quality musicals, comedy, concerts, and family performances, just 30 minutes north of NYC. Housed on the third floor of City Center, with only 410 seats, it offers a cozy, community-focused setting that appeals to both local audiences and day-trippers seeking live entertainment close to home.

The perfect place to shop for clothing, jewelry, gifts, and accessories at discount prices, Finger Lakes Premium Outlets—also known as Waterloo Premium Outlets—is an outdoor retail destination featuring dozens of designers and major fashion brands. Visitors come here for savings of up to 65 percent from stores such as Calvin Klein, Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Coach, Puma, and many, many more.

Located at the site of the historic Woodstock concert, the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is a nonprofit organization working to make the arts more accessible to a wider public. The sprawling cultural center encompasses a campground, an outdoor pavilion and music venue, a café open for breakfast and lunch, and a museum dedicated to preserving the legacy of the original Woodstock festival.

With more than five floors of themed galleries including games, multimedia displays, and interactive exhibitions, Brooklyn’s Jewish Children’s Museum is the largest and most comprehensive of its kind in the United States. Here, children can learn about biblical stories, discover Jewish traditions and customs, and explore Jewish history through interactive exhibitions. Children of all faiths are welcome to learn, play, and take part in special activities like cooking classes at this hands-on museum.

Covering 39 acres (16 hectares), Queens Botanical Garden is an often-overlooked oasis within Queens, a borough of New York across the East River from Manhattan. Composed of themed areas, such as roses and herbs, the garden offers a restorative escape from the city and boasts historical roots, having originated as an exhibition at the 1939 New York World’s Fair.

A must for animal lovers of all ages, Brooklyn’s Prospect Park Zoo is home to around 400 creatures belonging to 100 species. The enclosures mirror the natural habitats of the animals, enhancing the wellbeing of the animals and making for a pleasant visitor experience. You’ll spot sea lions, Himalayan red pandas, Australian dingoes, and more.

One Times Square is New York City’s newest observation deck—and one of its most recognizable buildings, even if you don’t know its name. Home to the famous New Year’s Eve ball drop, the landmark has reopened to visitors for the first time in decades. You can now ride a glass elevator to an open-air skywalk above Times Square, view digital-art installations inside the building, and see the site of one of the world’s most famous annual celebrations from a completely new perspective.

In Flushing Meadows Corona Park you’ll find New York City’s Queens Zoo, a small zoo that houses animals native to the Americas. There are separate areas for wild and domestic animals, as well as an aviary, a waterfowl marsh, and a pool with sea lions. The animals aren’t kept in cages and are free to roam in natural-like habitats.

In a city with tens of thousands of eateries, it’s hard to stand out—and yet, New York City’s Tavern on the Green may just be the Big Apple’s best-known restaurant. Located in Central Park overlooking the Sheep Meadow, Tavern on the Green has been a destination for well-heeled New Yorkers and visitors since 1934, and it remains a staple today.

You’d be forgiven for confusing this tiny island for a fishing village in New England. But no, this tranquil slice of the Long Island Sound coast is part of New York City, located in the northeastern corner of the Bronx. The area draws sailing and boating aficionados, locals looking to tuck into a meal at a seafood shack, and travelers in search of a quiet escape.

The restored opulent interior of Kings Theater is like something from a bygone era—think chandeliers, plush velvet, and art deco splendor—making this performance arts venue one of the loveliest in Brooklyn (Flatbush, to be exact). A powerhouse of cultural events, it hosts big-name concerts, comedy shows, film screenings, and red-carpet events.

Queens is known for its multicultural population, which is reflected in its diverse food scene. The seasonal Queens Night Market, held in the grounds of the New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, is a great place to sample this local cuisine and is a must-visit for foodies. It operates from mid-April to mid-October.