The best attractions and things to do in Manhattan

Not only does it have the trippiest elevator in the city, One World Observatory is also a fierce contender for best views in the city. Ride up to the 102nd floor surrounded by a VR-like film, then admire the 360-degree views at the top of the tower. Standing at 1,776 feet, One World Trade Center is the tallest building in the United States. 

Gawk at the entirety of Manhattan and the Empire State Building on one side and the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges on the other. 

Sure, it’s a tourist attraction, but that doesn’t make the sights any less amazing. 

Some things get better with age. The Empire State Building—now approaching its 100th birthday—is definitely one of them. 

The Empire State Building became an icon when it opened in 1931 as the world's tallest building. Though the landmark may have lost its No. 1 height status, it's remained a beloved destination with incredible views of the city. Thanks to recent updates, it's not just about the views anymore. The building now spotlights art, architecture, and history; plus, it offers a slew of cool events and excellent dining options. 

Tourists tend to make the Empire State Building their first stop upon arriving in New York City, and they're onto something—it's worth a visit, no matter if you're a lifelong New Yorker or just passing through town. 

Lady Liberty—or Liberty Enlightening the World, as she’s officially known—was a gift from France on America’s 100th birthday. A universal symbol of freedom that welcomed over 10 million immigrants sailing past to Ellis Island during the turn of the 20th century, the copper-plated sentinel stands 305 feet tall from the bottom of her base to the tip of her torch.

The National Park Service offers daily tours of Liberty Island as well as neighboring Ellis Island, which served as the first stop for more than 12 million immigrants between 1852 and 1954. While admission to both parks is technically free, visitors must buy ferry tickets to get there. Be sure to book online well in advance, as day-of tickets tend to sell out quickly—especially in the summer months.

Sprawling doesn’t even begin to describe this Manhattan institution: It’s one of the few spots in the city where you could spend literally an entire day and see only a fraction of the holdings. Behind the doors of its iconic neoclassical facade lie 5,000 years of art history from pre-history to the present, boasts 36,000 objects, including 2,500 European Old Master, Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, as well as the greatest collection of Egyptian art and artifacts outside Cairo—among them, the full-scale Temple of Dendur.

In addition to the trove of permanent exhibitions, The Met also stages special exhibits, including its annual fashion exhibition in connection with The Met Gala.

Central Park is made up of 843 acres in the center of Manhattan. It includes sprawling lawns, rural woodlands, babbling brooks, and several lakes. The park also features running paths, walking trails, baseball fields, a skating rink, a zoo, formal gardens, theaters, a concert venue, and lots of commemorative art. 

You can really choose your own adventure at Central Park. Whether you have just 20 minutes for a quick stroll on your lunch break or hours to meander on a weekend, it's all possible at Central Park. If you want to loop around the entire park, budget at least three hours. Biking is another great way to see the park and to cover ground more quickly.

The opulent residence that houses a private collection of great masters (from the 14th through the 19th centuries) was originally built for industrialist Henry Clay Frick. The firm of Carrère & Hastings designed the 1914 structure in an 18th-century European style, with a beautiful interior court and reflecting pool. The permanent collections include world-class paintings, sculpture and furniture by the likes of Rembrandt, Vermeer, Renoir and French cabinetmaker Jean-Henri Riesener. 

Following its 2020 closure for renovations, the Frick Collection reopened on April 17, 2025 inside its historic Gilded Age mansion. Now, visitors can see the museum's permanent collection inside restored spaces on the first floor while also walking around a new roster of galleries on the mansion's second floor—once the Frick family's private quarters—now open to the public for the very first time. That means you can walk into the original bedroom of Henry Clay Frick!

Read more on The Frick's incredible new offerings, including a new 218-seat auditorium, an airy class room, an expanded reception hall, new state-of-the-art conservation studios and the museum’s first-ever cafe.

We won’t argue if you want to call this glimmering pinnacle of Art Deco architecture NYC’s most eye-popping skyscraper. With its steel sunburst crown, the Chrysler Building is the pinnacle of the art deco era and one of the world’s most recognizable skyscrapers.

Despite its historic significance, no public tours are offered of the tower. But during business hours, visitors can explore the elegant lobby with Moroccan marble walls and embellished Sienna marble floors. Since the public observation deck closed in 1945, there has been no official way for tourists to admire the view from the triangular windows of the Chrysler Building’s iconic crown…but there is a dental office located on the 54th floor. So the best way to enjoy a breathtaking view of the NYC skyline is by getting a root canal.

When the weather is pleasant, there’s nothing quite like walking the High Line. NYC’s elevated park is certainly one of more popular New York attractions everyone needs to check off their list. To give you a bit of history, the High Line was once a railway line, in use until 1980. In 2009, the 1.45-mile-long strip was transformed into what is now considered one of the most unique parks in NYC.

The urbanite playground features wildflowers, greenery and outdoor art installations in addition to killer views of New York’s skyline. The High Line runs from Hudson Yards to the northern edge of Chelsea.

Is it possible to visit New York City without catching a show on Broadway? We're not sure it is. It's one of the best ways to experience NYC in all of its live(ly) authenticity and as there are so many wonderful shows to catch, we rate you'll be pretty spoiled for choice. From emotional dramas to belly-laughing comedies, there's a show on Broadway for everyone. Get dressed up and head on down to the theater district. The lights are calling your name.

The 9/11 Museum, located where the Twin Towers once stood, explores the history of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The museum houses artifacts, historical records, firefighting equipment and a memorial exhibition. Tours with expert guides are available. 

Outside the museum is the memorial, which honors the 2,977 people killed in the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center site, near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon, as well as the six people killed in the World Trade Center bombing on February 26, 1993. The Memorial’s twin reflecting pools are each nearly an acre in size and feature the largest man-made waterfalls in North America. 

You'll find a smorgasbord of New York sites in this distinctive, multi-block complex—in fact, the ground level alone is home to the bronze Atlas statue, the "Today Show" plaza, and a bevy of restaurants. During wintertime, Rockefeller Center's iconic ice-skating rink and Christmas tree draw major crowds. Higher up, Top of the Rock rivals the Empire State Building in panoramic city views.

While enjoying the Art Deco architecture, don't miss the triptych above the outdoor entrance to 5 Rockefeller Center or the rinkside Prometheus statue; both purportedly contain secret Freemason symbols.

For over a hundred years, this transit hub has funneled thousands of daily commuters (over 700,000 a day) through its expansive halls and concourses. Though technically a passageway for those looking to go elsewhere, the building is certainly a destination in its own right.

With its grandiose Beaux Arts framework, the terminal is a spectacle of both form and function. Familiar features include the vaulted, constellation-adorned ceiling and the four-faced opal clock topping the main information booth, both located in the Grand Concourse. Above the 42nd Street entrance find symbolism of Mercury, the god of travel (naturally), and an ornate Tiffany-glass timepiece.

The Whitney made contemporary American artists its main focus immediately upon opening in 1931—a then quixotic proposition at a time when New York’s art scene was considered provincial compared to those of Paris and the rest of the Continent. But it is a tribute to the vision of the museum’s founder, Gilded Age heiress Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, that her namesake institution’s mission has grown to succeed beyond her wildest imagination.

Still, the museum’s reputation rests mainly on its temporary shows, particularly the Whitney Biennial. Held in even-numbered years, the Biennial is among the most prestigious (and controversial) assessments of contemporary art in America.

History buffs will love this Upper West Side institution. Built in 1804, it's the oldest museum in New York City. The New York Historical features more than 1.6 million works that explore the history of the city and the country, including exhibits, art and historical artifacts.

The Patricia D. Klingenstein Library has more than three million books, newspapers, maps, photographs and more from our nation’s founding through slavery and Reconstruction and beyond. The museum is also home to the Center for Women's History, which unearths the lives and legacies of women who have shaped and continue to shape the American experience. And don't miss floor four with a glowing gallery of 100 beautiful Tiffany lamps.

New York's Guggenheim is as famous for its landmark building—designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and restored on its 50th birthday in 2009—as it is for its impressive collection and daring temporary art shows. The museum owns Peggy Guggenheim’s trove of cubist, surrealist and abstract expressionist works, along with the Panza di Biumo Collection of American minimalist and conceptual art from the 1960s and ’70s.

In addition to works by Manet, Picasso, Chagall and Bourgeois, the Guggenheim holds the largest collection of Kandinskys in the U.S. Keep an eye out for temporary exhibitions as well, often featuring contemporary artists.

Times Square in NYC—New York's most crowded attraction—is a global icon in its own right. It's the "center of the world" and the epicenter of NYC tourism with the best Broadway shows and photo opportunities with The Naked Cowboy and even those creepy mascots. Its fabled days of grime and crime are a distant memory, thankfully, but it still has much to experience, especially during the holiday season. 

The century-old main branch of the NYPL is about as regal a setting for reading—either on your laptop or those old dusty things called books—as you’ll find in the city. Two massive Tennessee-marble lions, dubbed Patience and Fortitude, flank the main portal and have become the institution’s mascots.

Once inside, check out the cavernous Rose Main Reading Room, spanning almost 300 feet and outfitted with chandeliers and stunning ceiling murals. Free guided tours (at 11am and 2pm) stop at Rose Main Reading Room and the Bill Blass Public Catalog Room.

Don't miss the permanent Polonsky Exhibition, featuring a true treasure trove of more than 250 unique and rare items culled from the library's various research centers—we're talking Thomas Jefferson’s handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence, the stuffed animals that belonged to the real-life Christopher Robin and inspired the Winnie-the-Pooh stories, and more. 

This 21-story Beaux Arts edifice once dominated midtown. Although it’s now dwarfed by other structures, when it debuted in 1902, the triangle-shaped monolith represented the threat and the thrill of modernity: Naysayers claimed it would never withstand the high winds plaguing 23rd Street, while revered photographer Alfred Stieglitz—who captured it in an iconic shot in 1903—wrote that it was “a picture of a new America still in the making.”

Today, it’s possibly the least tourist-friendly New York landmark, but it sure is pretty from the outside (when it's not under scaffolding, that is).

Beyond the iconic, show-stopping displays—the grizzly bear in the Hall of North American Mammals, the 94-feet long blue whale, the prehistoric Barosaurus skeleton rearing up as if to scare the adjacent Allosaurus skeleton—is an expertly curated, 150-year-old museum that fills visitors of all ages with a curiosity about the universe.

Whether you’re interested in the world below our feet or the cultures of faraway lands or the stars light-years beyond our reach, your visit is bound to teach you a few things you never knew. With four floors filled to the brim with artifacts, you could spend a whole day just looking at the taxidermied animals and studying ancient cultures.

Don't miss the new wing called the Gilder Center, which houses a butterfly vivarium, an insectarium and a 360-degree immersive experience, in an architectural masterpiece.

While the giant signs that adorn this department store with the label of “The World’s Largest Store” are not true anymore, there’s no doubt that the flagship Macy’s is massive (with a big history to boot). For over a century, New Yorkers and visitors from the world over have been visiting Macy’s at its iconic location at 34th Street and Broadway. Though originally founded as a dry goods emporium in the 19th century, today shoppers flock to the store's 2.2 million square feet—which takes up a whole city block—to buy clothes, accessories and home goods.

Be sure to look for the cool wooden escalators, which feel like stepping back in time. And mark your calendar for the annual spring flower show, which fills the front windows and the store's ground level with blooming displays.