Map view
Adirondack Mountains
Best time to visit: May-Aug
- The Adirondack Mountains are a prominent mountain range located in northeastern New York
- This region is characterized by its diverse landscapes, including more than 3,000 lakes and over 2,000 miles of hiking trails
- The region is not only known for its natural beauty but also for its historical significance, having hosted events like the Winter Olympics
USS Slater, Albany
- The USS Slater (DE-766) is a Cannon-class destroyer escort that served in the United States Navy during World War II
- Built in 1944, it is notable for being the last destroyer escort still afloat in the United States today, out of 563 similar ships constructed between 1943 and 1945
- Currently, it is docked on the Albany waterfront in New York and operates as a floating museum
Coney Island Beach, Brooklyn
- Coney Island Beach is a renowned recreational area located in Brooklyn
- It features nearly three miles of sandy beaches along the Atlantic Ocean, making it a destination for visitors seeking sunbathing, swimming, and various beach activities
- The beach is part of a larger entertainment district that includes the famous Coney Island Boardwalk, amusement parks, and attractions like roller coasters and games
#70 in Best Beaches in the USA
Darwin D. Martin House, Buffalo
Best time to visit: June-Sept
- Darwin D. Martin House is a historic house museum located in Buffalo, designed by the renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright
- The house was constructed between 1903 and 1905 for Darwin D. Martin, a prominent businessman and executive at the Larkin Company
- The Martin House is considered one of Wright's most important works and is the largest and most developed example of his Prairie School style on the East Coast, which Wright referred to as his "opus"
- The complex includes multiple interconnected structures, showcasing Wright's innovative approach to residential design, and features open spaces, natural materials, and incorporates the surrounding landscape
- Today, the Darwin D. Martin House operates as a museum, offering tours to visitors interested in the house's architecture and history
Main Beach, East Hampton
- Main Beach is a beach located in the Village of East Hampton, in eastern Long Island
- It is a center of the summer resort and upscale locality at the East End of Long Island known as The Hamptons and is generally considered one of the area's two most prestigious communities
- East Hampton's beaches are highly regarded because of their clean white sands, the fact they're relatively accessible and because there is minimal development along the beach, which is strictly residential
- Parking space at the village beaches is limited, which prevents crowding
- Parking is prohibited on neighboring street, but there is no law that restricts people from accessing the beaches via bike, foot or being dropped off
#40 in Best Beaches in the USA
Mirror Lake, Lake Placid
- Mirror Lake is in the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York
- It is located in the village of Lake Placid
- During the summer it is popular for canoeing, kayaking, and stand-up paddle boarding
- In the winter, you can ice skate on a maintained track around the perimeter of the lake
Letchworth State Park
- Letchworth State Park is a natural area renowned for its dramatic landscapes, which include deep gorges carved by the Genesee River
- The park features a 17-mile stretch along the Genesee River, showcasing three major waterfalls
- Letchworth offers a variety of recreational activities, including hiking, whitewater rafting, kayaking, and swimming
Lake Minnewaska Carriage Road Loop, Minnewaska State Park Preserve
Walk difficulty: easy
- The Lake Minnewaska Carriage Road Loop is a scenic hiking trail located in Minnewaska State Park Preserve, near Kerhonkson
- It offers views of Lake Minnewaska and the Shawangunk Ridge, known for its distinctive rocky cliffs
- The area is popular for birdwatching, enjoying scenic vistas, and has a swimming area nearby
#23 in Best Easy Hikes in the USA
American Museum of Natural History, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- The American Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum on Manhattan, in New York City
- Located across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 21 interconnected buildings housing 45 permanent exhibition halls, in addition to a planetarium and a library
- The museum collections contain about 32 million specimens of plants, animals, fungi, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, human remains, and human cultural artifacts, as well as specialized collections for frozen tissue and genomic and astrophysical data, of which only a small fraction can be displayed at any given time
#19 in Best Museums in the USA
Broadway, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- Broadway refers to both a famous street in New York City and a genre of theater known for its high-quality productions
- Broadway theater consists of theatrical performances presented in 41 professional theaters
- It is considered the pinnacle of American theater, showcasing a mix of plays and musicals
Brooklyn Bridge, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed/suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn
- Opened in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River
- It was also the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time of its opening
- The span was originally called the New York and Brooklyn Bridge or the East River Bridge but was officially renamed the Brooklyn Bridge in 1915
#24 in Best Attractions in the USA
#15 in Best Landmarks in the USA
Brooklyn Bridge Park, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- Brooklyn Bridge Park is an expansive waterfront park located on the Brooklyn side of the East River
- The park features a variety of landscapes, including rolling hills, lush gardens, and riverfront promenades, offering views of the Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge
#37 in Best Attractions in the USA
Bryant Park, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- Bryant Park is a public park located in Midtown Manhattan
- It is known for its lush gardens, seasonal activities, eateries, and bars
- The park offers a range of amenities including New York City's only free admission ice skating rink during the winter months
Central Park, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- Central Park is an urban park on Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States
- It is the most visited urban park in the United States
- It is also one of the most filmed locations in the world
- The park's main attractions include the Ramble and Lake, Hallett Nature Sanctuary, the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, and Sheep Meadow; amusement attractions such as Wollman Rink, Central Park Carousel, and the Central Park Zoo; as well as, formal spaces such as the Central Park Mall and Bethesda Terrace; and the Delacorte Theater
Chelsea Market, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- Chelsea Market is a renowned food hall and shopping destination located in the Meatpacking District
- The market features a diverse array of food vendors, restaurants, and shops
- Chelsea Market is known for its global culinary offerings, showcasing everything from artisanal bread and gourmet tacos to fresh seafood and international snacks
Empire State Building, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Manhattan in New York City, built from 1930 to 1931
- Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of the state of New York
- The building stands a total of 1,454 feet (443.2 m) tall, including its antenna
- The Empire State Building was the world's tallest building until the first tower of the World Trade Center was topped out in 1970; following the September 11 attacks in 2001, the Empire State Building was New York City's tallest building until it was surpassed in 2012 by One World Trade Center
#3 in Best Attractions in the World
#3 in Best Attractions in the USA
#12 in Best Landmarks in the USA
Grand Central Terminal, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- Grand Central Terminal is a commuter rail terminal located at in Manhattan, New York City, opened in 1913
- The terminal is the third-busiest train station in North America, after New York Penn Station and Toronto Union Station
- Its Beaux-Arts design incorporates numerous works of art, such as the celestial ceiling in the Main Concourse, the Glory of Commerce work, and the statue of Cornelius Vanderbilt, as well as, the two cast-iron eagle statues adorning the terminal's facades
- The terminal's Main Concourse is often used as a meeting place
High Line, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- The High Line is a 1.45-mile-long (2.33 km) elevated linear park, greenway, and rail trail created on a former New York Central Railroad spur on Manhattan in New York City
- The High Line was inspired by the 4.7 km (2.9 mi) long Coulée verte (tree-lined walkway), another elevated park in Paris completed in 1993
- Due to a decline in rail traffic along the viaduct, it was effectively abandoned in 1980
- Since opening in 2009, The High Line's success has inspired cities throughout the United States to redevelop obsolete infrastructure as public space
#44 in Best Attractions in the USA
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art is an encyclopedic art museum in New York City
- By floor area, it is the largest art museum in the Americas, and is the most-visited museum in the United States
- The museum's permanent collection consists of works of art ranging from the ancient Near East and ancient Egypt, through classical antiquity to the contemporary world
- It includes paintings, sculptures, and graphic works from many European Old Masters, as well as an extensive collection of American, modern, and contemporary art
- The Met also maintains extensive holdings of African, Asian, Oceanian, Byzantine, and Islamic art
- The museum is home to encyclopedic collections of musical instruments, costumes, and decorative arts and textiles, as well as antique weapons and armor from around the world
Mmuseumm, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- Mmuseumm is a modern natural history museum located in Tribeca, Manhattan in New York City
- It is dedicated to its signature curatorial style of "Object Journalism" and draws parallels to the older cabinet of curiosities model
- Mmuseumm is dedicated to the curation and exhibition of contemporary artifacts to illustrate the modern world
- The museum, which totals 36 square feet, is accessible 24 hours a day via peepholes in its door
#28 in Best Museums in the USA
Museum of Modern Art, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Manhattan, New York City
- The institution was conceived in 1929, and it opened just days after the Wall Street Crash
- The museum, America's first devoted exclusively to modern art, began with an exhibition of works by European modernists
- Today the MoMA's collection spans the late 19th-century to the present, and includes over 200,000 works of architecture and design, drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, prints, illustrated and artist's books, film, as well as electronic media
- The collection houses such important and familiar works as the following: Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night; Salvador Dalí, The Persistence of Memory; Pablo Picasso, Three Musicians; Henri Matisse, The Dance; Claude Monet, Water Lilies triptych; and Andy Warhol, Campbell's Soup Cans
#37 in Best Museums in the USA
National September 11 Memorial & Museum, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- The National September 11 Memorial & Museum is a memorial and museum that are part of the World Trade Center complex, in New York City, created for remembering the September 11, 2001, attacks, which killed 2,977 people, and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, which killed six
- The memorial is located at the World Trade Center site, the former location of the Twin Towers that were destroyed during the September 11 attacks
- The September 11 Museum was dedicated in 2014, and its collection includes more than 40,000 images, 14,000 artifacts, more than 3,500 oral recordings, and over 500 hours of video
#38 in Best Attractions in the USA
#3 in Best Museums in the USA
New York Public Library, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- The New York Public Library is a public library system in New York City
- With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress and the fourth-largest public library in the world
- The library system was established in 1895
#22 in Best Museums in the USA
Radio City Music Hall, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- Radio City Music Hall is a renowned entertainment venue, opened in 1932
- It is celebrated as the world's largest indoor theater, known for its Art Deco architecture
- The venue is part of Rockefeller Center and has hosted a wide array of performances, including concerts, dance shows, and special events
Rockefeller Center, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings in Manhattan, New York City
- The 14 original Art Deco buildings, commissioned by the Rockefeller family, are split by a large sunken square and a private street called Rockefeller Plaza
- Described as one of the greatest projects of the Great Depression era, Rockefeller Center is a designated landmark
- The complex is noted for the large quantities of art present in almost all of its buildings, its expansive underground concourse, its ice-skating rink, and its annual lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
#20 in Best Attractions in the USA
Staten Island Ferry, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- The Staten Island Ferry is a free passenger ferry service, that connects Staten Island with Lower Manhattan
- The journey takes about 25 minutes each way, and it allows passengers to enjoy views of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline during the ride
Statue of Liberty, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City
- The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of France, was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and its metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel
- The statue is a figure of a classically draped woman, likely inspired by the Roman goddess of liberty Libertas
- She holds a torch above her head with her right hand, and in her left hand carries a tabula ansata inscribed JULY IV MDCCLXXVI (July 4, 1776, in Roman numerals), the date of the U.S. Declaration of Independence
- With her left foot she steps on a broken chain and shackle, commemorating the national abolition of slavery following the American Civil War
- After its dedication in 1886, the statue became an icon of freedom and of the United States, being subsequently seen as a symbol of welcome to immigrants arriving by sea
#12 in Best Attractions in the World
#12 in Best Landmarks in the World
#47 in Best Attractions in the USA
SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- SUMMIT One Vanderbilt is an observation deck located on the 91st to 93rd floors of One Vanderbilt
- Opened in 2021, it offers a multi-sensory experience that combines art, technology, and architecture, providing visitors with 360-degree views of New York City
The Cloisters, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- The Cloisters, also known as The Met Cloisters, is a museum located in New York City
- It is part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and is dedicated exclusively to the art and architecture of the Middle Ages
- The Cloisters features a collection of medieval artifacts, including sculptures, illuminated manuscripts, and decorative arts, and it is surrounded by gardens that reflect the horticultural practices of the Middle Ages
#43 in Best Museums in the USA
Times Square, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in the Manhattan section of New York City
- Times Square is brightly lit by numerous digital billboards and advertisements as well as businesses offering 24/7 service
- One of the world's busiest pedestrian areas, it is also the hub of the Broadway Theater District and a major center of the world's entertainment industry
#16 in Best Attractions in the World
#17 in Best Attractions in the USA
Top of the Rock, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- Top of the Rock is an observation deck located at the Rockefeller Center in New York City
- It features three levels of indoor and outdoor viewing areas, providing spectacular, unobstructed views of the city skyline
- Visitors can take a high-speed elevator that ascends 850 feet in about 50 seconds
Whitney Museum, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- The Whitney Museum of American Art is a modern and contemporary American art museum located in Manhattan, in New York City
- The institution was originally founded in 1930 by a prominent American socialite, sculptor, and art patron after whom it is named
- The Whitney focuses on collecting and preserving 20th- and 21st-century American art
- Its permanent collection, spanning the late-19th century to the present, comprises more than 25,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, films, videos, and artifacts of new media by more than 3,500 artists
#35 in Best Museums in the USA
Rockaway Beach, New York City
Best time to visit: Jan-Dec
- The Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk is a public park in Rockaway, Queens, New York
- The beach became a popular resort area in the late 19th century - Today Rockaway Beach is the only one of New York City's beaches that sees significant surf, and the city's only legal surfing beaches are along Rockaway Beach
#52 in Best Beaches in the USA
Cave of the Winds, Niagara Falls
Best time to visit: June-Aug
- Cave of the Winds is an attraction located within Niagara Falls State Park
- It provides visitors with an opportunity to experience the power and beauty of the falls up close
- Visitors take an elevator 175 feet down to the base of the falls
- The experience includes a viewing area known as the Hurricane Deck, which allows guests to feel the mist and hear the roar of the falls directly
- The wooden decks are rebuilt each season to ensure safety and enhance the visitor experience
Niagara Falls
Best time to visit: June-Aug
- Niagara Falls is a city and park to the famous waterfall, which consists of three waterfalls: the American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Horseshoe Falls
- These falls mark the border between the United States and Canada
- Niagara Falls State Park is the oldest state park in the U.S., established in 1885
- The park offers views of the falls up close, hiking trails, and various attractions
- The area has a history that includes early settlements dating back to the 18th century
- Notable attractions include, Cave of the Winds, which is an experience that allows visitors to get very close to the falls; as well as, Goat Island, which is a small island that offers scenic views and access to various trails
#31 in Best Attractions in the World
#25 in Best Attractions in the USA
Mount Jo Loop Trail, North Elba
Walk difficulty: moderate
- The Mount Jo Loop Trail is a popular hiking route located near Lake Placid in the Adirondack Mountains
- The summit offers views of the High Peaks and the MacIntyre Range
- There are two main trails leading to the summit, allowing hikers to choose between different paths and make a loop hike out of it
George Eastman Museum, Rochester
- The George Eastman Museum, located in Rochester, is the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the oldest film archives
- It opened in 1949, and the museum is situated on the estate of George Eastman, who was a pioneer in popular photography and the founder of the Eastman Kodak Company
- The museum encompasses two main components: a museum of photography and cinema, and the historic home and gardens of George Eastman
Coopers Beach, Southampton
- Coopers Beach is a renowned beach located in Southampton, often celebrated for its natural beauty and amenities
- Coopers Beach is frequently ranked among the top beaches in the United States, noted for its picturesque views of the Atlantic Ocean and historic mansions
#16 in Best Beaches in the USA
Watkins Glen State Park
- Watkins Glen State Park is a renowned natural area located in the Finger Lakes region
- It is celebrated for its scenery, featuring a gorge that descends 400 feet over a distance of about two miles, which includes 19 waterfalls along its path
Whiteface Mountain
- Located in the Adirondack Mountains, Whiteface Mountain Ski Area is a prominent ski resort
- Whiteface Mountain's east slope is home to a major ski area which boasts the greatest vertical drop east of the Rockies, and which hosted the alpine skiing competitions of the 1980 Winter Olympics
Untermyer Park and Gardens, Yonkers
- Untermyer Park and Gardens is a historic city public park, located in Yonkers, and built from 1916-1940
- - The park's principal feature is the Walled Garden, inspired by ancient Indo-Persian gardens, in which are found a small Grecian-style open-air amphitheater with two opposing sphinxes crouching atop paired Ionic columns; a classical pavilion; and a circular, open-air tempietto called the Temple of the Sky
- A long staircase leads from the Walled Garden to an Overlook with views of the river and the Palisades (a line of steep cliffs along the west side of the lower Hudson River)