Best activities for a date in New York
Something to do first, then dinner to talk about it.
150 spots · Jump to the list
Doing something together beats sitting across a table, at least to start: a shared activity gives you something to react to, and it takes the pressure off the conversation. This list runs the whole range — a gallery or a show, a kayak or a climbing wall, a comedy set, the zoo — and every one of them sets up dinner afterwards. Check hours and booking before you go; the popular ones sell out on weekends.
This guide ranks 150 activities in New York, from Midtown Manhattan to Bushwick / Ridgewood and Flatiron / Gramercy. Editors' picks come first, then the rest by rating, and the plans below build a whole evening around the best of them.
The list
Editors' picks first, then by rating.
Empire State Building
Midtown Manhattan · $$
Carl Schurz Park
Upper East Side · $
Riverside Park
Upper West Side · $
Domino Park
Williamsburg · $
McGolrick Park
Greenpoint · $
Bushwick Inlet Park
Greenpoint · $
Irving Square Park
Bushwick / Ridgewood · $
Socrates Sculpture Park
Astoria / Long Island City · $
Madison Square Park
Flatiron / Gramercy · $
Narrows Botanical Garden
Sunset Park · $
New York Botanical Garden
$$
Queens Botanical Garden
$
Prospect Park
Park Slope / Gowanus · $
Jackson Square
West Village / Greenwich Village · $
Marcus Garvey Park
Harlem · $
St. Nicholas Park
Harlem · $
Sunset Park
Sunset Park · $
The Overlook Bar
Flatiron / Gramercy
Secret Pour
Bushwick / Ridgewood · $
Basement
Tribeca
Beacon Theatre
Upper West Side
Booth Theatre
Midtown Manhattan
Carnegie Hall
Midtown Manhattan
Night Club 101
East Village / LES
Showing 121–144 of 150 spots
Good to know
- What's the best activity in New York for a date?
- Our top pick is Empire State Building in Midtown Manhattan. Carl Schurz Park and Riverside Park round out the top 3.
- Which New York neighborhoods have the best activities?
- Midtown Manhattan (3), Bushwick / Ridgewood (2) and Flatiron / Gramercy (2) have the most spots in the top 24.
- Are there affordable activities in New York?
- Yes — Empire State Building, Carl Schurz Park and Riverside Park are all $$ or under.
- What should we do before or after?
- Make it a night out: something to do, then dinner, then nightcap. The plans on this page pair each top spot with the best-rated places within about a 20-minute walk.