This week we’re spotlighting what travelers can check out this winter in New York City. But did you know that you don’t have to worry about what you’re actually going to do on Christmas Day? NYC & Company has recommended the following places that will still be open on December 24 and 25.
If you’re looking to maintain the holiday spirit, The Rink at Rockefeller Center will be open December 24 and 25 for couples and families to enjoy ice skating near the iconic NYC Christmas tree. Also open Christmas Eve and Christmas Day is the Bryant Park Winter Village, also ideal for ice-skating and holiday shopping – the winter village offers hundreds of local vendors selling hand made goods and similar items.
The Radio City Rockettes don’t take the holiday off as they will be performing the acclaimed Radio City Christmas Spectacular on the 24th and 25th. Also available this holiday season is one of New York’s City’s newest tour options: The Ride. The Ride: Holiday Edition will operate December 24 and 25, taking guests around Manhattan in a “traveling theatre” bus with floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a 21st Century sleigh ride around the city stopping at key attractions and special holiday themed exhibits.
New York’s picturesque Empire State Building will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. every day during the holiday season, while the recently opened One World Observatory will be open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve and 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Christmas Day.
Take the kid’s to fun Times Square attractions like 42nd Street’s Madame Tussauds Wax Museum New York and the Ripley’s Believe it or Not museum, both operating with extended holiday hours the 24 and 25. Madame Tussads will be open 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. both days, while Ripley’s will be open from 9-1 a.m. during the holiday weekend.
Twelve Broadway shows will be having performances on Christmas day, including Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, Cats, Chicago, The Color Purple, Jersey Boys and Wicked. New York City’s historic jazz club Blue Note New York will also be having a brunch as well as evening performances on the 24 and 25. In terms of museums, celebrate Hanukkah (beginning this year on December 24, 2016) at the Upper East Side’s Jewish Museum, which will be open December 24 and 25, now offering sit down meals at the recently opened Russ & Daughters Café.
The City’s public parks, like Central Park, Pelham Bay Park and Prospect Park will all be open to the public during the holiday weekend. Three Wildlife Conservation Society zoos – Central Park Zoo, Prospect Zoo and Queens Zoo – will all be open Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as well as a variety of other public parks like The High Line, which offers guests views of Manhattan’s Far West Side, the Empire State Building and the Hudson River, among many other sites.
For the last minute shopper, many of New York’s flagship and anchor departments stores will be open Christmas Eve (but not Christmas Day) including Macy’s Herald Square, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdales. For those venturing out of Manhattan, the Bronx’s Arthur Avenue offers a variety of food and retail markets that will be open December 24 and 25, selling goods like authentic Italian produce, fresh cheeses, meats and holiday goodies. Brooklyn Flea’s Winter Market at Skylight One Hanson will be open December 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with extended noon to 8:00 p.m. holiday hours available from December 21-23. Back in Manhattan, the Lower East Side’s Essex Street Market will be open December 24, hosting vendors like beauty suppliers, art galleries and bakeries.
For a full holiday guide to New York City and for information about booking a trip to NYC for the holiday season, visit www.nycgo.com/holidays.