There’s no place like the concrete jungle. NYC is no stranger to immersive experiences and museums. You can find everything from Wonderland, candy, color, flowers, illusions, ice cream and more in NYC. Now there’s even a museum dedicated to all things NYC. That’s right you can be in a New York State of mind with RiseNY. RiseNY begins with a short film and concludes with a rollercoaster ride, sprinkled with cultural NYC artifacts. We are excited to share our RiseNY reviews with you.
What is RiseNY?
Whether you are a local or tourist, this immersive experience about NYC is for you. RiseNY is located in the heart of Times Square on 45th Street between 6th and 7th Ave. RiseNY is a three-part journey through the history of the five boroughs- think of it like a New York themed highlight reel. This experience is open Sunday to Thursday from 10AM to 6PM and Friday and Saturday from 10AM to 8PM.
RiseNY Review
The RiseNY experience begins with a trip back in time to 1904 at NYC’s very first subway station at City Hall. Then you’ll watch a short, immersive film by documentarian Ric Burns and narrated by Jeff Goldblum. The arch shaped screen mimics movement through an actual subway station. After the film, the subway appears and you’ll walk through a simulated subway door to the next part of the experience.
Next we walked through seven exhibits about Finance, TV/Radio, Skyline, Fashion, Music, Broadway and Film. First up Finance. The Finance exhibit was interesting experience even for former Wall Street veterans.
The TV/Radio gallery at RiseNY was quite immersive. Talk about a walk through memory lane. This exhibit began with a wall of vintage radios.
There was even a radio station with a microphone. Made you think about entertainment and media before TV.
After radio comes TV! We sat down at a few iconic TV sets at RiseNY. First up was The Honeymooners. Just look at this kitchen and dining table. Makes you feel like you are part of The Honeymooners set.
Next up was the iconic Friends couch and Columbus Circle fountain. Friends was our go-to show during our high school and college years.
Last up was The Tonight Show. Make sure to have a guest too.
Dress to impress. NYC is one of the world’s fashion capitals. We walked through Fashion exhibit with gorgeous gowns and stylish menswear at RiseNY. One of the highlights was the pastel dress worn by Beyonce.
Music to my ears. The Music gallery at RiseNY featured everyone from Bob Dylan to Bruce Springsteen to Madonna to Biggie and more. The hip hop-themed turntable photo op and original graffiti murals were quite fun. Make sure to spin the records!
The Biggie mural was large, colorful and quite impressive.
Then we saw some Films with scenes from NYC.
Next we went to Broadway. If you like Broadway, you’ll love the Broadway exhibit. This stunning costumes from iconic musicals are on display. Clips from the live performances are also playing in the background. There are also fashions from various decades and a mini documentary about fashion.
The RiseNY experience concludes with a rollercoaster ride that suspends you 30 feet in the air through landmarks and highlights of NYC. That’s right, think Six Flags or Disney rollercoaster without having to leave NYC. This 5 minute ride is spectacular. You sit in a giant swing and watch a giant screen simulate your adventure over New York and see all of the cities highlights and landmarks. For video, make sure to have a smartphone with a wrist strap. Your phone has to be secure or you will drop it.
RiseNY tickets are $34 for adults and $30 for children. VIP tickets are $49 for adults and $45 for kids. We recommend VIP tickets because of their flexible anytime entry for date/time of ticket, priority access to the immersive theater and ride and can ride a second time with your guests, a FREE surprise merch item and 20% on all other merchandise in the RiseNY store. So for the price of one ticket, you’ll get to walk a short documentary film about NYC, a museum gallery with 7 exhibits about NYC and a rollercoaster ride through NYC. Talk about a great deal.
RiseNY is a love letter to New York City. This immersive experience is great for adults and kids. Go on a mesmerizing journey about the history of NYC. Make sure to interact with all of the exhibits too. For more on what to do this winter in NYC, click here and for more on immersive experiences in NYC, click here.
New York in not a city. It’s a world
Iman
This is such a beautiful and memorable experience. And you did it with your friends!
What an amazing way to learn about New York! I would love to visit some day.
Awesome event and experience to start the year! Looks like you had a blast in NY!
I like these type of immersive experiences. It makes things much more interesing.
I hadn’t heard about this, and it sounds like a fun way to learn about some neat places. I would love to check this out if I end up being in the area.