Here you’ll find the nation’s oldest lighthouse; excellent birding in a holly forest; outstanding views of Manhattan’s skyline on clear days; beautiful white dunes; and even a nude beach alongside a gay beach (area G).
Best of all, you can get here via a ferry from Lower Manhattan in a cool and salty 45 minutes. Bring your bike along for the ride, and you can enjoy the paved bike paths through the dunes and pedal on to the nearby towns of Atlantic Highlands and Highlands.
24.56 MILES
What started with a handful of paintings brought over from Europe or donated by a coterie of philanthropically minded robber barons in the 19th century…
24.79 MILES
One of the world’s most renowned green spaces, Central Park comprises 843 acres of rolling meadows, boulder-studded outcroppings, elm-lined walkways,…
19.26 MILES
Located in New York Harbor, Ellis Island is the US's most famous and historically important gateway and is home to one of the country’s most moving…
22.41 MILES
The Chrysler Building may be prettier, and One World Trade Center taller, but the queen bee of the New York skyline remains the Empire State Building. NYC…
20.03 MILES
Spanning three levels at the top of the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, One World Observatory offers dazzling panoramic views over Manhattan's…
24.85 MILES
A New York icon, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, more commonly known as the Guggenheim, is an internationally-renowned art museum and one of the most…
18.6 MILES
It’s been over a century since Lady Liberty made her debut appearance on the New York skyline, but this iconic statue is still one of the city’s most…
National September 11 Memorial Museum
19.92 MILES
When the twin towers of the World Trade Center toppled during the awful events of 11 September 2001, it led to years of soul-searching about what would be…
1.88 MILES
If you can't get enough of Jersey lighthouses, the medieval-like brownstone double towers of Navesink offer an awesome – and free – view of Sandy Hook Bay…
2.79 MILES
The oldest operating lighthouse in the country. Admission by tour only; visitors must be at least 4ft tall. Reservations are recommended; show up in the…
10.34 MILES
About an hour by subway from Midtown, this popular seaside neighborhood makes for a great day trip. The wide sandy beach has retained its nostalgic,…
10.38 MILES
The pink-and-mint-green Deno’s Wonder Wheel dates back all the way to 1920 (fear not: it gets a yearly overhaul and has never had an accident). It's the…
10.4 MILES
This kid-friendly aquarium has several different exhibits around its central courtyard. Penguins, otters and seals frolic in the Sea Cliffs display. The…
10.41 MILES
This open-air public museum of street art features 35 freestanding walls transformed each season into colorful murals by emerging and renowned graffiti…
10.47 MILES
The original Luna Park, the most famous of Coney Island's competing amusement parks, opened in 1903 and reigned for decades until destroyed by fire in the…
11.52 MILES
All the way at the bottom of the city, to the West of the quaint Rockaways, are Riis Beach and Fort Tilden, where New Yorkers of all stripes come to let…