Take the ferry from Lower Manhattan to Governor's Island and enjoy the hammocks, riding bikes, and food trucks! Alternatively, if you want to ride past the Statue of Liberty, you can hop on the Staten Island Ferry (right next to the Governor's Island Ferry), and you'll pass the Statue of Liberty on the way! Once in Staten Island, get right back on the ferry headed back to Manhattan.
The Oculus at the World Trade Center is a transit hub and is filled with shops, food, and art installations - you can walk around, grab a coffee, or do some shopping. If you take the 1 train to get here, you'll see the Cortlandt Street station Sarah's dad helped to rebuild after the 9/11 attacks. The architecture of the Oculus is special for many reasons. One of these reasons is that each year on September 11th, the structure is in alignment with the sun’s solar angles so that a beam of light comes through the central skylight across the Oculus floor from 8:46 am, when the first plane struck, until 10:28 am, when the second tower collapsed.
The Irish Hunger Memorial is a garden dedicated to the Great Irish Famine. It features an authentic 19th-century Irish cottage, walls made of stones from all counties of Ireland, and native Irish plants. It is free to visit and was designed to be a quiet, reflective space with views of the Hudson River, Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island.
The Tenement Museum is a great museum in downtown Manhattan that lets you step back in time to learn about the lives of immigrants who settled in New York City from the 19th to early 20th centuries. You'll tour restored historic tenement apartments and hear fascinating stories about the struggles, dreams, and daily realities of the families who once lived there.
The Museum of Jewish Heritage is a living memorial dedicated to Jewish life before, during, and after the Holocaust. The museum offers carefully curated exhibits, including personal stories, artifacts, and powerful art installations. It also includes a kosher cafe with views of the Hudson River.
The Italian American Museum is in the heart of Little Italy on Mulberry Street. You can learn about the history, struggles, and achievements of Italian Americans through engaging exhibits and authentic memorabilia. After the museum, visit any of the delicious cannoli spots nearby!
The National Museum of the American Indian is located in the historic Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House and offers free admission daily. The museum showcases Native peoples of the Americas through engaging exhibits, artifacts, and programs that highlight their history, cultures, and resilience from ancient times to today.
Fraunces Tavern has been serving New York since 1762! Many important meetings took place here during the American Revolution, including George Washington's Farewell Address to his soldiers when the final British soldiers left American soil in 1783. Fraunces Tavern is still a bar and restaurant, as well as a museum filled with facinating artifacts, rooms frozen in time, and displays about colonial New York.
Great for adults and kids - the Transit Museum is set inside a real old subway station, where you can explore and walk through vintage subway cars from different eras. You can learn how the city’s transit system was built, see old ads and turnstiles, and hop in the driver’s seat of a city bus!
The Museum of Ice Cream is a colorful and totally immersive experience where you can play, learn, and indulge in all things ice cream. It’s packed with interactive installations that invite you to explore ice cream’s history and enjoy tasty treats along the way.
The Sloomoo Institute is a sensory-filled interactive museum dedicated to slime. It’s a hands-on experience where visitors can play with all kinds of colorful, gooey slime through a variety of creative stations and exhibits.