15 Fun Things To Do In NYC For First-Timers

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After a few years of dwelling within the United States and touring everywhere in the world, we lastly made our first go to to New York City!

What took us so lengthy? I don’t know. I wasn’t positive if I’d prefer it, however I got here away loving it. The meals and power are nice, and it’s surprisingly secure for being the largest metropolis within the U.S.

There are a lot of enjoyable issues to do in NYC. It’s a world heart of enterprise, tradition, and expertise, and it’s filled with good eating places, procuring, museums, and well-known landmarks.

There are even observatories the place you possibly can go to the rooftop of one of many skyscrapers and see town from above.

In this text, I’ll share a few of the finest issues for first-timers to do in New York City!

1. Statue of Liberty

You can’t go to NYC with out seeing the Statue of Liberty! In my opinion, it needs to be one of many high issues in your record.

The statue is a timeless image of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the American Dream. It was a present from France to the American folks in 1884.

There’s a ferry that runs from Manhattan out to Liberty Island so you possibly can see the statue up shut, go contained in the pedestal, or climb to the crown for views from the highest.

       

The solely approach to go to Liberty Island is by ferry, and the one place you should buy tickets is on the official web site right here.

The regular tickets don’t promote out, however in case you plan to go contained in the crown you have to purchase particular tickets for that a number of months upfront.

I’d advocate going very first thing within the morning (8 or 9 AM), that manner you possibly can benefit from the island earlier than the largest crowds get there.

Aside from the statue, additionally they have two museums the place you possibly can study its historical past and the way it was made.

       

Afterwards, the identical ferry visits close by Ellis Island, which served as the principle U.S. immigration processing station from 1892 to 1954.

More than 12 million immigrants to the United States handed by way of Ellis Island, and these days the island has a nationwide museum devoted to the historical past of American immigration.

This was particularly fascinating for us since my spouse is a primary technology immigrant to the U.S. from Indonesia. Next time, we plan to spend longer seeing the museum.

 

2. New York Stock Exchange

The New York Stock Exchange is among the largest inventory exchanges on the earth.

Even in case you’re not likely into buying and selling or economics, it’s fascinating to see this historic space. They don’t let guests go contained in the constructing, however you possibly can take photos of it from outdoors.

There’s additionally a statue of a charging bull a brief stroll away that’s meant to represent monetary optimism. The bull is tremendous fashionable for images, so you will have to attend in line!

 

3. Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge is one other well-known landmark of New York City, and it was the longest suspension bridge on the earth when it opened.

There’s a pleasant pedestrian path you should use to stroll throughout the bridge, above the bicycle lanes and away from the automobile site visitors.

In my opinion, one of the best ways to do that is to go to Pier 11, take a budget and fast ferry over to the DUMBO neighborhood, after which stroll throughout the bridge from there.

That’ll provide the perfect views, as a result of then you definately’re strolling towards the Manhattan skyline and you’ve got all the large buildings in entrance of you. Here’s a map you should use for the ferry and strolling route.

If you cross the Brooklyn Bridge by strolling all the best way from DUMBO (on the Brooklyn aspect) to the World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan, it takes about 45-60 minutes of strolling.

We did it with a child stroller and it was simple sufficient. There are some stairs on both finish of the bridge, however except for that, every part is fairly flat.

It’s such a pleasant stroll! Don’t overlook to snap some photos of the Manhattan bridge too once you’re strolling under it within the DUMBO space.

       

 

4. 9/11 Museum & Memorial

The 9/11 Museum in downtown Manhattan is among the most impactful issues I’ve seen. It isn’t enjoyable, however it’s very worthwhile.

The terrorist assault on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, was the deadliest terrorist assault in historical past, killing virtually 3,000 folks. It modified the world. I keep in mind watching it on TV as a child when it occurred.

Today, within the place the place the dual towers stood, there are two memorial swimming pools honoring the victims and heroes of that day. You may spend hours on the museum.

 

5. Oculus Plaza

The Oculus is an fascinating constructing that doubles as each a shopping center and a subway station.

Designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, it’s a stupendous constructing in and out. Very distinctive.

If you’re visiting the World Trade Center complicated, it’s undoubtedly value trying out. There are a lot of good outlets and locations to eat.

 

6. American Museum of Natural History

This is a implausible museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. If you want nature, you’ll love this place!

It has 4 flooring filled with reveals — issues like vegetation, animals, bugs, rocks, and minerals. There are a lot of nice dinosaur fossils too, together with a whole Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Nature lovers may spend a complete day simply seeing this one museum. It’s that massive. For others, 3 or 4 hours would in all probability be sufficient time.

 

7. Vessel

The Vessel is a artistic constructing and vacationer attraction on the Hudson Yards space in Manhattan.

It seems sort of like an enormous honeycomb, with interwoven layers of flooring and stairways. The view on the high is nice.

If you need a exercise, you possibly can stroll all the best way to the highest, however most individuals will in all probability want to go up with the elevator, after which stroll again down. That’s what we did.

       

 

8. Times Square

Love it or hate it, you must see Times Square no less than as soon as. It’s the guts of New York City.

This is among the world’s busiest pedestrian intersections — brilliant, noisy, and overwhelming. Sometimes it’s cheesy, typically it’s annoying. Sometimes in case you aren’t cautious, you may get scammed.

But it’s additionally filled with good shops, eating places, and vacationer points of interest. And it’s value going there simply to witness the motion!

 

9. Madame Tussauds

This one’s tacky, however we had lots of enjoyable with it.

Madame Tussauds is a wax museum in Times Square the place you possibly can take photos with dummies of your favourite celebrities, film characters, and public figures.

The faces vary from very convincing (Clint Eastwood), to so-so (Steve Jobs), to not very life like in any respect (Tom Cruise).

They even have a mock Oval Office the place you possibly can fake to be sitting on the U.S. president’s desk or podium.

The tickets are a bit expensive, however it’s a singular expertise and we loved it.

       

       
 
 

10. The Metropolitan Museum of Art

‘The Met’ is among the largest artwork museums on the earth, with virtually 2 million works spanning 5,000 years of human historical past.

You’ll discover far more than simply work right here, though they’ve that too. There are medieval arms and armor, musical devices, sculptures, and extra.

They have a complete part for historic Egypt that’s simply wonderful. It’s world class. I cherished it.

 

11. Central Park

Central Park is simply what the title says: a park within the heart of Manhattan with strolling paths, lakes, and forests.

The park is good all 12 months spherical, however fall is very stunning as a result of you possibly can see the leaves altering coloration. My favourite space of the park is Bow Bridge and the Wood Chip vantage level. It’s tremendous photogenic.

If you occur to go to one of many museums close to Central Park, like The Met or the Natural History museum, then it’s simple to mix these with a go to to the park. That’s what we did.

 

12. NYC Observatories

New York City has a bunch of various rooftop observatories the place you possibly can go to the highest of a skyscraper and see town from above.

Here are the 4 essential choices:

• Empire State Building. One of essentially the most iconic buildings in Manhattan, and it’s been featured in lots of Hollywood motion pictures. It was the world’s tallest constructing from 1931 to 1970.
• Summit One Vanderbilt. This is my best choice as a result of it’s so distinctive. They have a mirror room, a room filled with silver balloons, a rooftop bar, and extra. There are three ranges, and every of them are nice.
• Top of the Rock. Unobstructed 360 diploma views from the Rockefeller Center. The seventieth flooring has no glass barrier, so it’s among the finest locations for taking images of town.
• One World Observatory. Rooftop views from the successor of the World Trade Center complicated. As of 2025, it’s presently the tallest constructing within the United States, and you may go to flooring 100-102.
• The Edge. This one is positioned at Hudson Yards and it’s billed as the very best sky deck within the Western Hemisphere, however the views are sort of restricted due to the glass wall.

You ought to go to no less than considered one of these observatories once you’re in NYC. They’re all good, and seeing town from above is a should.

       

       

 

13. St. Patrick’s Cathedral

This one provides you with a pleasant change of tempo from the opposite issues on the record.

St. Patrick’s cathedral was constructed from 1858 to 1878, and it’s the biggest Roman Catholic cathedral within the United States.

It’s a grand constructing in and out, with Gothic spires and stained glass home windows. It’s additionally free to enter.

 

14. Museum of Modern Art

Here’s the place to go in case you take pleasure in work. The Museum of Modern Art has over 200,000 works from well-known artists, together with Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, and Vincent Van Gogh.

I’ve to confess one of many essential causes I went there was to see the Starry Night portray by Van Gogh. I don’t know a lot about artwork, however it’s such a calming portray to take a look at. I really like the wavy skies and the colours.

Another good one is The Persistence of Memory by Dali, with the surreal melting clocks being eaten by ants. If you take pleasure in artwork, it is a nice museum to go to.

 

15. Outlet Stores — Disney, Nintendo, Etc

You can’t depart New York City with out doing a little procuring. There are a bunch of good model shops in and across the Times Square space, in midtown Manhattan.

The essential ones are Disney, Hershey’s, Lego, M&M, and Nintendo. We went to all of those and purchased some souvenirs for kinfolk. At the Nintendo retailer, you possibly can play videogames on a giant display and there are many enjoyable photograph ops.

NYC additionally has clothes shops like Adidas, H&M, Macy’s, Old Navy, and UNIQLO. You may spend a complete day simply procuring.

       

 

Map Of New York City Sights

Here’s a map of sights and actions in NYC you should use when planning your journey.

Most of the most effective issues are clustered within the midtown and downtown areas of Manhattan, so it’s simple to cowl a bunch of them in just some days.

 

Recommended NYC Itinerary

Here’s a pattern itinerary you should use for a 5 day journey in New York City.

This is similar to the itinerary we used for our personal journey:

• Day 1. Go to downtown Manhattan and go to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Then, see the New York Stock Exchange and stroll throughout the Brooklyn Bridge.
• Day 2. Go to Hudson Yards within the morning to climb the Vessel, after which spend a lot of the day on the American Museum of Natural History. Spend the night in and round Times Square.
• Day 3. Go again to downtown, this time to go to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Shop on the Oculus Plaza, and in case you nonetheless have time left over, go to the highest of the One World Observatory.
• Day 4. Spend the day at Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the night, go to Summit One Vanderbilt for prime views of town from above.
• Day 5. Visit the Museum of Modern Art and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Explore the Times Square space some extra, after which catch the sundown at Top of the Rock.

 

More Things To Do In NYC

Thanks for trying! I hope you loved this information for some enjoyable issues to do in your first journey to New York City.

Don’t overlook to bookmark my weblog for extra NYC journey guides coming quickly!