15 Fun Things To Do In NYC For First-Timers

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After many years of living in the United States and traveling all over the world, we finally made our first visit to New York City!

What took us so long? I don’t know. I wasn’t sure if I’d like it, but I came away loving it. The food and energy are great, and it’s surprisingly safe for being the biggest city in the U.S.

There are lots of fun things to do in NYC. It’s a global center of business, culture, and technology, and it’s full of nice restaurants, shopping, museums, and famous landmarks.

There are even observatories where you can go to the rooftop of one of the skyscrapers and see the city from above.

In this article, I’ll share some of the best things for first-timers to do in New York City!

1. Statue of Liberty

You can’t visit NYC without seeing the Statue of Liberty! In my opinion, it should be one of the top things on your list.

The statue is a timeless symbol of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the American Dream. It was a gift from France to the American people in 1884.

There’s a ferry that runs from Manhattan out to Liberty Island so you can see the statue up close, go inside the pedestal, or climb to the crown for views from the top.

       

The only way to visit Liberty Island is by ferry, and the only place you can buy tickets is on the official website here.

The normal tickets don’t sell out, but if you plan to go inside the crown you need to buy special tickets for that several months in advance.

If possible, I’d recommend going first thing in the morning (8 or 9 AM), that way you can enjoy the island before the biggest crowds get there.

Aside from the statue, they also have two museums where you can learn about its history and how it was made.

       

Afterwards, the same ferry visits nearby Ellis Island, which served as the main U.S. immigration processing station from 1892 to 1954.

More than 12 million immigrants to the United States passed through Ellis Island, and nowadays the island has a national museum dedicated to the history of American immigration.

This was especially interesting for us since my wife is a first generation 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 one of the biggest stock exchanges in the world.

Even if you’re not really into trading or economics, it’s interesting to see this historic area. They don’t let visitors go inside the building, but you can take pictures of it from outside.

There’s also a statue of a charging bull a short walk away that’s meant to symbolize financial optimism. The bull is super popular for photos, so you may have to wait in line!

 

3. Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge is another famous landmark of New York City, and it was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it opened.

There’s a nice pedestrian path you can use to walk across the bridge, above the bicycle lanes and away from the car traffic.

In my opinion, the best way to do this is to go to Pier 11, take the cheap and quick ferry over to the DUMBO neighborhood, and then walk across the bridge from there.

That’ll give you the very best views, because then you’re walking toward the Manhattan skyline and you have all the big buildings in front of you. Here’s a map you can use for the ferry and walking route.

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

We did it with a baby stroller and it was easy enough. There are some stairs on either end of the bridge, but aside from that, everything is pretty flat.

It’s such a nice walk! Don’t forget to snap some pictures of the Manhattan bridge too when you’re walking below it in the DUMBO area.

       

 

4. 9/11 Museum & Memorial

The 9/11 Museum in downtown Manhattan is one of the most impactful things I’ve seen. It isn’t fun, but it’s very worthwhile.

The terrorist attack at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, was the deadliest terrorist attack in history, killing almost 3,000 people. It changed the world. I remember watching it on TV as a kid when it happened.

Today, in the place where the twin towers stood, there are two memorial pools honoring the victims and heroes of that day. You could spend hours at the museum.

 

5. Oculus Plaza

The Oculus is an interesting building that doubles as both a shopping mall and a subway station.

Designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, it’s a beautiful building inside and out. Very unique.

If you’re visiting the World Trade Center complex, it’s definitely worth checking out. There are lots of nice shops and places to eat.

 

6. American Museum of Natural History

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

It has four floors full of exhibits — things like plants, animals, insects, rocks, and minerals. There are lots of great dinosaur fossils too, including a complete Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Nature lovers could spend an entire day just seeing this one museum. It’s that big. For others, 3 or 4 hours would probably be enough time.

 

7. Vessel

The Vessel is a creative building and tourist attraction at the Hudson Yards area in Manhattan.

It looks kind of like a giant honeycomb, with interwoven layers of floors and stairways. The view at the top is great.

If you want a workout, you can walk all the way to the top, but most people will probably prefer to go up with the elevator, and then walk back down. That’s what we did.

       

 

8. Times Square

Love it or hate it, you should see Times Square at least once. It’s the heart of New York City.

This is one of the world’s busiest pedestrian intersections — bright, noisy, and overwhelming. Sometimes it’s tacky, sometimes it’s annoying. Sometimes if you aren’t careful, you might get scammed.

But it’s also full of nice stores, restaurants, and tourist attractions. And it’s worth going there just to witness the action!

 

9. Madame Tussauds

This one’s cheesy, but we had a lot of fun with it.

Madame Tussauds is a wax museum in Times Square where you can take pictures with dummies of your favorite celebrities, movie characters, and public figures.

The faces range from very convincing (Clint Eastwood), to so-so (Steve Jobs), to not very realistic at all (Tom Cruise).

They also have a mock Oval Office where you can pretend to be sitting at the U.S. president’s desk or podium.

The tickets are a bit pricey, but it’s a unique experience and we enjoyed it.

       

       
 
 

10. The Metropolitan Museum of Art

‘The Met’ is one of the biggest art museums in the world, with almost 2 million works spanning 5,000 years of human history.

You’ll find way more than just paintings here, although they have those too. There are medieval arms and armor, musical instruments, sculptures, and art from all over the world: Africa, America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

They have an entire section for ancient Egypt that is just amazing. It’s world class. I loved it.

 

11. Central Park

Central Park is just what the name says: a park in the center of Manhattan with walking paths, lakes, and forests.

The park is nice all year round, but fall is especially beautiful because you can see the leaves changing color.

My favorite area of the park is Bow Bridge and the Wood Chip vantage point. It’s super photogenic. Another nice spot is Belvedere Castle, a miniature castle built on the edge of one of the ponds in 1867.

If you happen to visit one of the museums near Central Park, like The Met or the Natural History museum, then it’s easy to combine those with a visit to the park. That’s what we did.

 

12. NYC Observatories

New York City has a bunch of different rooftop observatories where you can go to the top of a skyscraper and see the city from above.

Here are the four main options:

• Empire State Building. One of the most iconic buildings in Manhattan, and it’s been featured in a lot of Hollywood movies. It was the world’s tallest building from 1931 to 1970.
• Summit One Vanderbilt. This is my top choice because it’s so unique. They have a mirror room, a room full of silver balloons, a rooftop bar, and more. There are three levels, and each of them are great.
• Top of the Rock. Unobstructed 360 degree views from the Rockefeller Center. The 70th floor has no glass barrier, so it’s one of the best places for taking photos of the city.
• One World Observatory. Rooftop views from the successor of the World Trade Center complex. As of 2025, it’s currently the tallest building in the United States, and you can go to floors 100-102.
• The Edge. This one is located at Hudson Yards and it’s billed as the highest sky deck in the Western Hemisphere, but the views are kind of limited because of the glass wall.

You should visit at least one of these observatories when you’re in NYC. They’re all nice, and seeing the city from above is a must.

       

       

 

13. St. Patrick’s Cathedral

This one will give you a nice change of pace from the other things on the list.

St. Patrick’s cathedral was built from 1858 to 1878, and it’s the largest Roman Catholic cathedral in the United States.

It’s a grand building inside and out, with Gothic spires and stained glass windows. It’s also free to enter.

 

14. Museum of Modern Art

Here’s where to go if you enjoy paintings. The Museum of Modern Art has over 200,000 works from famous artists, including Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, and Vincent Van Gogh.

I have to admit one of the main reasons I went there was to see the ‘Starry Night’ painting by Van Gogh. I don’t know much about art, but it’s such a relaxing painting to look at. I love the wavy skies and the colors.

Another good one they have is ‘The Persistence of Memory’ by Dali, with the surreal melting clocks being eaten by ants. If you enjoy art, this is a great museum to visit.

 

15. Flagship Stores — Disney, Nintendo, Etc

You can’t leave New York City without doing some shopping. There are a bunch of nice brand stores in and around the Times Square area, in midtown Manhattan.

The main ones are Disney, Hershey’s, Lego, M&M, and Nintendo. We went to all of these and bought some souvenirs for relatives. At the Nintendo store, you can play videogames on a big screen and there are lots of fun photo ops.

NYC also has clothing stores like Adidas, H&M, Macy’s, Old Navy, and UNIQLO. You could spend a whole day just shopping.

       

 

Map Of New York City Sights

Here’s a map of sights and activities in NYC you can use when planning your trip.

Most of the best things are clustered in the midtown and downtown areas of Manhattan, so it’s easy to cover a bunch of them in just a few days.

 

Recommended NYC Itinerary

Here’s a sample itinerary you can use for a 5 day trip in New York City.

This is very similar to the itinerary we used for our own trip:

• Day 1. Go to downtown Manhattan and visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Then, see the New York Stock Exchange and walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.
• Day 2. Go to Hudson Yards in the morning to climb the Vessel, and then spend most of the day at the American Museum of Natural History. Spend the evening in and around Times Square.
• Day 3. Go back to downtown, this time to visit the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Shop at the Oculus Plaza, and if you still have time left over, go to the top of the One World Observatory.
• Day 4. Spend the day at Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the evening, visit Summit One Vanderbilt for prime views of the city from above.
• Day 5. Visit the Museum of Modern Art and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Explore the Times Square area some more, and then catch the sunset at Top of the Rock.

 

More Things To Do In NYC

Thanks for looking! I hope you enjoyed this guide for some fun things to do on your first trip to New York City.

Don’t forget to bookmark my blog for more NYC travel guides coming soon!