45 Things to See and Do in New York City
Here are the best things to do, see, eat, and buy when you're in the Big Apple.
Every item on this page was chosen by a Town & Country editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.
From the best shops and restaurants to experiences you won't find anywhere else, here's how to get the most out of New York City.
Have breakfast at Tiffany's.
Tiffany & Co. has been a fixture on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street in Manhattan since it opened its doors on October 21, 1940, and the all-day Tiffany Blue Box Cafe drew crowds from around the country when it opened in 2018. Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud took over the cafe following Tiffany's reopening, and now diners can choose from breakfast, afternoon tea, or a seasonal all-day menu. Reservations are available here.
Take in outdoor theater at Shakespeare in the Park.
“Seeing a Broadway show is great, but if you’re in New York in the summertime, nothing beats Shakespeare in the Park. It’s a free series put on by the Public Theater in an open-air venue in Central Park, and combines astonishing performances from incredible talent with a night under the stars for an unbeatable theatrical experience.” —Adam Rathe, Senior Editor (Arts and Culture)
Visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
"Every time I go, I encounter a room I’ve never been to before. But I never leave without visiting the medieval armor on the first floor."—Jamie Rosen, Contributing Editor
Go for a walk in Central Park.
843 acres are open to visitors in America's most-visited urban park, which was designed in 1858 by landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux after they beat out 32 competitors for the project. Now a National Historic Landmark, the park is full of places to explore, starting with its zoo, Bethesda Fountain, the Boathouse, the mall (shown here), and Woolman Rink. Even the Metropolitan Museum of Art technically falls within its confines.
See a show at the Park Avenue Armory.
The expansive 55,000-square-foot drill hall plays host to year-round events, including the Winter Show, TEFAF New York, and its own cultural programming. But what you might not know is that visitors can tour other areas like the first-floor period rooms and restored Board of Officers Room and Veterans Room with a guide. To learn more about the events at the Armory, visit its website here.
Walk around the Columbia University campus.
Even if your college days are in the past, you can still explore the city's only Ivy League institution. Head out on a self-guided tour or choose one of the options with a guide, including one that covers the history, architecture, and sculpture of the Morningside Heights campus. For more architectural splendor in the neighborhood, don't miss the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine.
Go skating in Central Park.
Ice skating at Woolman Rink is a quintessential New York experience—and has been for more than 70 years. Book your tickets here.
Take in a show at the Café Carlyle.
There isn't an Upper East Side experience more traditional than drinks at Bemelmens Bar and a show at Café Carlyle. The cabaret theater has hosted luminaries like Alan Cumming and Judy Collins since its debut in 1955.
Source some rare bottles on Madison Avenue.
Collezione New York is New York's first luxury spirits boutique, and it fits right in among the designer shops on Madison Avenue (Oscar de la Renta is a few steps away). Founder and CEO Stefano Pileggi, a third-generation retailer, emigrated from Italy in 2011. After amassing an enviable Scotch collection, Pileggi decided to offer fellow spirits collectors a better shopping experience. And while you can find extremely rare offerings like a vertical of every 18-year-old Macallan bottled between 1954 and 1986 (available as a lot for $250,000), Collezione also stocks bottles ideal for kicking off a casual dinner at home—like Via Carota's craft cocktails.
Wander around The Cloisters.
Located on four acres overlooking the Hudson River in Upper Manhattan's Fort Tryon Park, this annex of the Metropolitan Museum of Art includes four cloisters and a group of reconstructed chapels and halls from medieval French monasteries and abbeys.
Check out the New York Botanical Garden.
The 250-acre National Historic Landmark in the Bronx hosts more than a million visitors annually. One of its top draws?The Holiday Train Show, which has been on view during the holiday season for 30 years and features more than 190 replicas of New York landmarks.
Explore the history of design at the Cooper Hewitt.
America's only museum dedicated solely to design has been a branch of the Smithsonian since the 1960s. It now has a collection of more than 210,000 design objects that span 240 years, all housed in industrialist Andrew Carnegie's former mansion on the Upper East Side. Plan your visit here.
Tour the Frick Collection.
The Gilded Age mansion of industrialist Henry Clay Frick is one of the most visually interesting places to visit in the city today. But through late 2024, the Frick won’t be where we’ve always known it. While the museum is being upgraded by architect Annabelle Selldorf, its treasures are a few blocks away in the Frick Madison, the building Bauhaus architect Marcel Breuer designed for the Whitney Museum of American Art in the mid-1960s.
Pick up cheese (and a lot more) at Zabar's.
"The king of the old-school appetizing shops, Zabar's is not a deli, as you can’t order lunch. It’s not a supermarket, as there’s no produce (well, not much), and you can’t get paper towels or dish soap. But it has the best selection of cheeses on earth (not an exaggeration), many of them very inexpensive. And prepared foods. And outstanding, reasonably priced coffee. And loose tea of several dozen kinds. And who else has a lox counter—just lox, nothing else. And I haven’t even mentioned the kitchenwares department upstairs, which is one of New York’s best-kept secrets."—James Lochart, Copy Chief
Pay a visit to Lincoln Center.
The Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and New York City Ballet all perform here. The latest change is the newly renovated David Geffen Hall, the home of the New York Philharmonic.
Visit the Museum of the City of New York.
Located at the northern end of Fifth Avenue's Museum Mile, MCNY offers exhibitions on the city's art and history, including the recent "Food in New York: Bigger Than the Plate," which was first developed at London's Victoria and Albert Museum before being adapted to examine eating and food systems in New York City.
Go to the American Museum of Natural History.
Founded in 1869, the American Museum of Natural History now has more than 32 million specimens and cultural artifacts in its collection. Stroll through the museum's 570,000-square-foot space on Central Park West, which includes 45 permanent exhibit halls including dinosaur fossils, stunning dioramas, and, in the Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life, a 94-foot-long, 21,000-pound model of a blue whale suspended from the ceiling.
Dine at one of the world's best restaurants (without breaking the bank).
The city is home to 73 Michelin-starred restaurants, but eating at them doesn't require spending your entire paycheck in one fell swoop. Here's a handy guide with a few tips for making the most of the culinary scene on a tight budget.
Sam Dangremond is a Contributing Digital Editor at Town & Country, where he covers men's style, cocktails, travel, and the social scene.
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