Baby it’s cold outside. However, don’t let the cold weather keep you indoors all winter long. Here are the seven best winter activities in NYC to keep you busy in the Big Apple this season. From immersive experiences, holiday activities to incredible festive food and drinks, we have your winter guide right here. We are excited to share the best winter activities in NYC in 2022 with you.
The Best Winter Activities in NYC: The Santa Clauses Winter Wonderland at Watermark
Sleigh it ain’t so! It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Ever wonder what the North Pole looks like? Look no further than Watermark. This season, Bucketlisters, Disney Plus and The Santa Clauses partnered to transform Watermark into a scene right out of a Christmas movie. The Santa Clauses Winter Wonderland features several activations like Santa’s Hallway, Santa’s Living Room, a Giant Snow Globe, Santa’s Sleigh, Santa’s Workshop and more. The glasshouses are a perfect way to enjoy the experience too. There is also a festive food and cocktail menu. We also visited Watermark Winter Wonderland last year.
Pier 15 | 78 South Street, New York, NY 10038
Monday to Wednesday: 4:00PM – 11:00PM | Thursday: 4:00PM – 12:00AM | Friday 2:00PM – 12:00AM | Saturday: 11:00AM – 12:00AM | Sunday: 12:00PM – 11:00PM
Tickets: Free until November 23 | General Admission: Starting at $20 per person (includes guaranteed entry plus a cup of hot cocoa) | Premium Express Entry: Starting at $30 per person (includes Express Admission on Santa’s VIP list line, 1 cup of hot cocoa, personal pair of hand warmers + souvenir Santa hat) Dates: Open until December 30th 2022
The Best Winter Activities in NYC: Lillies Victorian
Tis the season for bubbles, tinsel, ornaments and being extra santamental. Our friends Nancy and Liesel hosted a Christmas happy hour at Lillies Victorian. Once you walk inside you are surrounded by a Christmas masterpiece and lots of holiday cheer. The Christmas garlands, ornaments, the Poinsettia- it’s all amazing from top to bottom. We sipped on Cava and snacked on Nachos. It is the perfect way to catch up with friends during the holidays. They also have a location in Times Square and we dined at their sister restaurant Oscar Wilde in the past.
13 E17th Street, New York, NY 10003
Monday to Wednesday: 4:00PM – 1:00AM | Thursday and Friday 4:00PM – 2:00AM | Saturday: 11:30AM – 2:00AM | Sunday: 11:30AM – 1:00AM |
Dates: Open all year round; Christmas decorations in December
The Best Winter Activities in NYC: The Golden Girls Kitchen
Thank you for being a friend. Remember that song? Yes, we do too. It’s the Golden Girls theme song and now there’s a Golden Girls popup in NYC. Head over to the South Street Seaport, and transport yourself to Miami. At the Golden Girls Kitchen, you can immerse yourself in all things Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia. This dining experience is inspired by their favorite Miami hangouts. You can also sit at the Rusty Anchor Bar and choose specialty cocktails based on this iconic series. There are also several photo ops such as Blanche’s Boudoir, the yellow kitchen phone and a step and repeat.
We also met the Golden Gays, a Golden girls inspired musical group. They were fantastic.
19 Fulton St, New York, NY 10038
Wednesday and Thursday: 2:00PM – 10:30PM | Friday 2:00PM – 11:15PM | Saturday: 10:00AM – 11:15PM | Sunday: 11:00AM – 10:30PM | Closed Monday and Tuesday
Drag Brunch every Sunday starting Jan 8, 2023
Tickets: $40+
Dates: Open until Feb 26, 2023
The Best Winter Activities in NYC: Holly Jolly
Have a holly jolly Christmas. It’s the best time of the year. Bucketlisters has done it again. They transformed Mad Morton in the West Village into a whimsical Christmas pop up with a Christmas tree, lots of Christmas decor, lots of Nutcrackers, Snowman. Tickets include a signature holiday cocktail. We recommend the chicken tacos and the chicken sandwich. Both were quite tasty. Santa’s Boozy Brunch starting at $49 per person (includes an entree and a signature holiday-themed cocktail. Santa After Dark-Fridays and Saturdays at 11:00 PM: $15 per person (includes a welcome shot)
47 7th Ave S, New York, NY 10014
Wednesday and Thursday: 5:00PM – 10:30PM | Friday 5:00PM – 12:30AM | Saturday: 11:00AM – 12:30PM | Sunday: 11:00AM – 10:30PM | Closed Monday and Tuesday
Santa After Dark-Fridays and Saturdays at 11:00 PM: $15 per person
Tickets: $27+ and $49+ for brunch
Dates: Open until Jan 8, 2023
The Best Winter Activities in NYC: Wonderland Dreams
This way to the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party! Experience a real life Wonderland and Mad Hatter Tea Party at Wonderland Dreams. Wonderland Dreams by artist, Alexa Meade, as well as Morgan First and Tyler Balliet, the team behind Rosé Mansion, brings you inside Lewis Carrol’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. This immersive experience allows you to step out of reality and into 3 dimensional art. Be the Queen or King of hearts, sip tea at the Mad Hatter tea party, open tiny doors, walk inside tiny houses and more. After the adventure, stop by the Wine Bar and Café.
529 5th Ave, New York, NY 10017
Monday, Wednesday and Thursday: 2:00PM – 10:00PM | Friday 2:00PM – 11:00PM | Saturday: 10:00AM – 11:00PM | Sunday: 12:00PM – 8:00PM | Closed Tuesday
Tickets: $36 for Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and $46 for Friday through Sunday.
Dates: Open until April 2023
The Best Winter Activities in NYC: Monet’s Garden
Grab the Monet and let’s Gogh. Want to experience the best winter activities in NYC through Claude Monet’s eyes? If so, then head over to Monet’s Garden. Monet’s Garden is a 360-degree journey through the history of the most iconic artist of the past century. These elaborate 3-D multimedia technology installations make Monet’s paintings come alive and even let you become part of the art. This self guided tour also tells you the history of Monet and his process. The tour concludes with an immersive 45-minute film about Monet.
30 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005
Monday to Wednesday: 10:00AM – 6:00PM | Thursday 10:00AM – 8:00PM | Friday and Saturday: 10:00AM – 9:00PM | Sunday: 10:00AM – 7:00PM
Tickets: $35 for Monday to Thursday and $39 for Friday through Sunday.
Dates: Open until January 8th, 2023
The Best Winter Activities in NYC: Rise NY
In a New York State of mind with Rise NY. Whether you are a local or tourist, this immersive experience about NYC is for you. Step back in time to 1904 and visit NYC’s very first subway station at City Hall. Then we watched an immersive film by documentarian Ric Burns. Then we took a subway ride and walked through seven exhibits about Finance, Skyline, TV/Radio, Fashion, Music, Broadway and Film. The experience concludes with a rollercoaster ride that suspends you 30 feet in the air through landmarks and highlights of NYC.
160 West 45th Street, New York, NY 10036
Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday: 10:00AM – 6:00PM | Friday and Saturday: 10:00AM – 8:00PM | Closed Tuesday
Tickets: $34 for Adults ($49 for VIP); $30 for Children ($45 for VIP); discounts available for parties or more
Dates: Open (no close date listed)
The Best Winter Activities in NYC: Museum of Illusions
We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion where nothing is as it seems. Looking for one of the best winter activities where you can experience the world of Harry Houdini? Then head over to the Museum of Illusions (MOI). MOI offers a fascinating visual, sensory and educational experience. There are over 70 visual and sensory tricks inside the museum designed to trick your eyes and surprise your brain. Unlike other ephemeral pop-ups, this museum is here to stay and will be in NYC for 17 years. This museum is not for the passive observer. Be an active participant and feel free to jump, run, scream and/or touch the exhibits.
77 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10014
Monday to Thursday: 10:00AM – 11:00PM | Friday to Sunday: 10:00AM – 12:00AM
Tickets: $24 for Adults; $18 for Children 6 to 13; Free for Children under 6, $22 for Students, Seniors and Essential Workers; $75 for Family (2 Adults and 2 Children)
Dates: Open (no close date listed)
The Best Winter Activities in NYC: Candytopia
You don’t need a Golden Ticket to make all your Candy dreams come true at Candytopia! We walked through a dozen curated rooms and tasted a variety of scrumptious candies and chocolates. This pop-up is reimagined as a Charlie and the Candy Factory experience for children and adults. Each room was magical, unique and filled with Instagram-worthy photo ops. It’s perfect for the candy aficionado, who always dreamed about walking through Candyland.
111 W 32nd St, New York, NY 10001
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 12:00PM – 6:00PM | Friday and Saturday: 11:00AM – 8:00PM | Sunday: 11:00AM to 7:00PM | Wednesday: Closed
Tickets: $36 for Adults; $29 for Children 4 to 12; Free for Children under 3
Dates: Open (no close date listed)
The Best Winter Activities in NYC: Color Factory
In living color. Color Factory is the one of the best winter activities dedicated to all things color. The exhibit was originally created by Jordan Ferney of Oh Happy Day in San Francisco. This 20,000 square foot pop-up features 16 unique rooms that stimulate all your senses. Over the course of an hour, we sampled colorful treats, listened to harmonious tunes and learned more about color. New Yorkers often forget the color and beauty of NYC. With Color Factory, New Yorkers can enjoy the color found everywhere throughout the city. There is a temporary Winter Colorland through end of January.
251 Spring St, New York, NY 10013
Sunday to Thursday: 9:00AM – 6:00PM | Friday: 9:00AM – 7:00PM | Saturday: 11:00AM to 8:00PM
Tickets: $38 on weekdays; $45 on weekends; $59 for flexible tickets
Dates: Open (no close date listed)
Some of the best winter activities in NYC are Instagrammable moments and immersive experiences. Make sure to stop by these permanent or temporarily pop-up museums or restaurants. Some of these experiences have been decked out for the holidays too. Go with friends or family and make sure to strike a pose at these Pinterest worthy locations. For more on immersive experiences in NYC, click here.
The more art you see, the more you’ll learn to define your own taste.
– Jeanne Frank
Wow! Looks like there is so much to do this time of year. I wish we had more stuff like that here.
A lot of really good things to do this season! So much stuff to do so little time! I love this season!
The monet garden looks so amazing! Was it hard to get tickets?
So many amazing things to do this time of year! My sister lives in NYC – I’ll need to try and visit around the holidays someday <3
All of these activities look amazing but I have to say you’ve got me with the Holly Jolly! That would be wonderful way to start getting into the holiday mood!
Sounds like a fun time to be around nyc. I’ll totally go and check out these activities when im in the city around that time!
I’m always on the lookout for fun winter activities. I know many of the NYC activities listed here are perfect for me.
Now I want to take a trip to NYC! All these events looks so fun. Monets Garden is my fav.
I guess Monet’s garden would be the most interesting to me, because I used to draw and paint a lot myself, but it’s way too far from Belgium
Your guide to the best winter activities in NYC is a winter wonderland of ideas! Thanks for the fantastic suggestions — it’s got me excited to embrace the magic of winter in the Big Apple!
It looks so much fun and I am glad that you had a great time at the Santa’s workshop and with so many wonderful photos! Would love to visit some of these activities during Christmas. 🙂
Thanks to your blog I have more ideas to travel to NYC in the winter. My kids will surely love taking the same beautiful photos.
Nnniiccceeee…I love what Holly Jolly has done with their place, for the season. It all looks so pretty, to be honest. I wanna visit them already.
This looks like such a fun activity to do! I can’t wait to recommend this for my family and friends! Saving this idea to try soon!