If you are a lover of outings in winter, then NYC like much of the northeast is the best hub for you. New York is flooded with winter activities in the city and the outlying neighborhoods. From shopping to dining, and for kids to adults, there is always a fun activity waiting for you in the winter in NYC. New York always welcomes tourists with both hands, but keep in mind the recent Covid Pandemic and take the safety precautions as much as you can.

The Best Road Trips from NYC.

Long Island’s North Fork is about a 1.5-hour trip from New York. You may have never heard of gewürztraminer, but it’s a dry white wine grown in this region that many consider being one of the best in the world. It’s just one of the many varieties available in this developing wine region, where three tastes typically cost around $10. Even if you’re not a tippler, there’s plenty to see and do on this spit of land off the coast of Long Island. Swimming, lighthouse climbs, selecting one’s own berries or lavender at a local farm, and other activities are among them.

Beacon, which is about a 1.5-hour drive from New York City, has two secular patron saints: Pete Seeger, a folk musician, and Robert Irwin, an artist. Día’s presence prompted a slew of new tiny galleries to open in Beacon, transforming it into a cultural hotspot. But, because to activist Seeger, who resided here and was able to persuade local lawmakers to protect and clean up waterways and woodland areas, the town has a pure natural side. It is a fantastic place to go fishing, hiking, and swimming in old-fashioned swimming holes. You may also take a detour to see the outdoor sculptures at the rustically stunning Storm King Art Center in nearby Mountain Ville if you’re an insatiable art seeker.

Ice Skating

Ice skating is my personal favorite winter activity in NYC. Both Manhattan and Brooklyn feature ice rinks that will let you realize your winter ice-skating fantasies – and some even go above and beyond. Bryant Park is one of New York city’s most well-known ice-skating spots. Bryant Park is bordered by skyscrapers and office buildings. The New York Public Library is one of Manhattan’s most cosmopolitan neighborhoods.

The ice rink at Rockefeller Center is one of the best places to ice skate in New York City, especially around the holidays when the massive tree is illuminated from top to bottom. One of the most trendy winter pastimes in New York is ice skating at the Rink at Rockefeller Center. It’s even open till the wee hours of the morning. Ice skating is pushed to new heights in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The sky-high rink, which is located on the 23rd floor of The William Vale hotel, allows visitors to skate the skyline.

Tobogganing and Tubing

Tobogganing is more than just sledding down a hill like you did when you were a kid. Toboggan chutes can be as high as three floors tall in some parts of New York State. Since the 1930s, the chutes at Chestnut Ridge Park in the Greater Niagara region, 20 miles south of Buffalo, have operated from atop an excellent sledding hill.

Tobogganers are sent onto frozen Mirror Lake by a chute in Lake Placid, New York, sparking competitions among family and loved ones to see who can go the furthest. Tubing is a fun family activity that is similar to sledding but with more bounce. Take a ride in an inflated tube, and hold on tight! Sometimes, double tubes are available that allow kids to ride with a parent or friend.

Holiday Markets and Winter Villages

New York can make any shopping experience festive and fun, whether it’s for the holidays or the new year’s sales. Vendors set up shop in temporary glass structures around a giant ice rink at the Bank of America Bryant Park Winter Village. Winter Wonderland in Nyack, a Hudson Valley riverfront village, boasts festively lighted tree-lined walkways, pop-up stores, fire pits, and more holiday joy. Main Streets in villages like Northport on Long Island, Clayton in Thousand Islands-Seaway, and Hammondsport (above) in the Finger Lakes provide terrific shopping with warm winter moods.

Activities in Queens and Manhattan

One of the most visited sites in Queens is MoMA PS1, one of the country’s foremost art museums dedicated solely to modern art. The Institute for Art and Urban Resources, Inc. was founded in 1971 and is based in an 1892 Romanesque Revival public school building. The 39-acre Queens Botanical Garden, located on Main Street, was built as part of the 1939 New York World’s Exhibition and then enlarged to incorporate a wider portion of Flushing Meadows Park after the fair ended.

The botanical garden was later transferred to an area along Kissena Creek across from its Flushing Meadows Park location during the 1964 World’s Fair construction. The New York Hall of Science, often known as NYSCI, is a science museum located on 111th Street in Flushing Meadows Park. The museum, which debuted as part of the 1964 New York World’s Fair, deteriorated until 1986 when it was refurbished and reopened; other restorations took place in 1999, 2003, and 2004. This is a great site to visit if you’re looking for things to do in Queens, NYC, with kids.