35 Famous Landmarks in New York State to Visit
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New York, also known as the Empire State, was the 11th state formed in the United States. Today, it is home to more than 20 million people.
While New York City is often the focal point for the state's well-known landmarks, like the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, and the Brooklyn Bridge, there are many other famous sites around the state of New York to explore.
Famous landmarks in New York state include the Finger Lakes, the Catskills, Niagara Falls, and the NY State Capitol in Albany. Continue reading to learn more about 35 of the best landmarks in New York State that you should visit!
Heading to New York and planning last-minute?
To make the most of your visit to New York, we recommend you book entrance tickets and tours soon. We've pulled together top suggestions below.
☂️ Top tours and experiences in New York
- SUMMIT One Vanderbilt Experience Ticket (likely to sell out)
- New York Helicopter Tour - Manhattan Highlights (likely to sell out)
- New York in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour (very popular)
- Edge Observation Deck Admission Ticket (very popular)
- NYC West Village Pub Crawl
35 New York Landmarks
- American Museum of Natural History
- Broadway
- Brooklyn Bridge
- Brooklyn Heights Historic District
- Catskills
- Central Park
- Chrysler Building
- Church of the Ascension
- Coney Island
- Cooperstown
- East River
- Empire State Building
- Fifth Avenue
- Finger Lakes
- Grace Church
- Grand Central Terminal
- Hudson River
- Madison Square Garden
- New York Botanical Garden
- New York Harbor
- New York Life Building
- New York Public Library
- New York State Capitol
- New York Stock Exchange
- Niagara Falls State Park
- One World Trade Center
- Radio City Music Hall
- Rockefeller Center
- SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District
- Statue of Liberty National Monument
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Times Square
- Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge
- Wall Street
- Washington Square Park
New York Landmarks Video
Check out our highlights video of New York landmarks.
New York Landmarks Map
A map of New York landmarks. Use the map to explore all of the points of interest.
American Museum of Natural History
The first of many NY historical sites is the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. The museum is on the Upper West Side near Central Park.
It is home to 26 buildings and 45 exhibitions with more than five million visitors each year. The museum opened in 1869 and is on the US National Register of Historic Places.
☂️ Visit American Museum of Natural History with an experience
Broadway
Seeing a Broadway show is a must on any NYC itinerary! It is home to all of New York City's best plays and musicals in Manhattan.
Broadway encompasses 41 professional theatres that each seat at least 500 people. Millions of people attend shows on Broadway every season, and the shows gross nearly two billion dollars.
☂️ Join a tour to see Broadway Theatre
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the famous places in New York to visit. It connects two of the city's boroughs, Manhattan and Brooklyn. The bridge opened in 1883 and has been a popular spot for visitors and locals alike to visit, take pictures, and walk across.
☂️ Join a tour to see Brooklyn Bridge
- New York Helicopter Tour - Manhattan Highlights (high demand)
- New York in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour (widely sought after)
Brooklyn Heights Historic District
Brooklyn Heights Historic District is a residential neighborhood in Brooklyn. It has been designated a National Historic Landmark since 1965 and a New York City landmark since 1965. It is one of the earliest commuter suburbs dating back to the 19th century.
☂️ Visit the Brooklyn Heights Historic District with an excursion
- New York Eats Experience - Brooklyn Food, History & Culture Tour (frequently earns a five-star rating)
- New York Dyker Heights Christmas Lights
Catskills
The Catskills are a mountain range in southeastern New York. They span nearly 6,000 square miles as part of the Appalachian Mountains. Dutch settlers first named them, although the exact reasoning is unknown.
Central Park
Central Park is an 843-acre park in the heart of Manhattan. It's the fifth-largest park in the city and the latest in Manhattan. At this famous American landmark, you can walk, picnic, visit the zoo, see animals, and boat on the lakes.
Chrysler Building
One of the most recognizable buildings in the NYC skyline is the Chrysler Building. The building is an art deco in Manhattan, standing 1,046 feet tall. It is the tallest brick building in the world.
☂️ Visit the Chrysler Building with a tour
- New York Helicopter Tour - City Lights Skyline Experience (often fully booked)
Church of the Ascension
The Church of the Ascension is an Episcopal church in Greenwich Village. The gothic church was built in 1841, and it was the first church built on Fifth Avenue. As of 1987, the church is a National Historic Landmark.
Coney Island
Another one of the most famous places to visit in New York is Coney Island in Brooklyn. The neighborhood is at the southwest corner of the borough and is most well known for its amusement parks. It is also home to the Nathan's Famous hot dog chain and their hot dog eating contest.
☂️ Visit Coney Island with an experience
Cooperstown
Cooperstown is home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum. You can explore the museum and see memorabilia from some of baseball's best players.
The town also has the Farmers' Museum, the Glimmerglass Festival, and the Glimmerglass State Park. And there are a lot of restaurants, breweries, and other NYC outdoor activities available year-round.
East River
The East River borders Manhattan and the Bronx on the east and Queens and Brooklyn to the West in NYC. It is 16 miles long and is technically a tidal estuary, or a partially enclosed body of water, despite being called a river by its name.
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building in New York City is a 102-story building in Midtown Manhattan. An interesting NYC fact about the Empire State Building is that it was the tallest building in the world from 1931 to 1970 at 1,454 feet tall.
You can visit the observation deck to see city views or take a tour of the building and explore some of its unique features and floors. One of the best things to do in NYC at night, though, is to check out the view in the evening!
Fifth Avenue
Fifth Avenue is one of the long streets in Manhattan that runs north to south and covers 6.2 miles. Fifth Avenue is most well known for its luxury shops.
Some of the most expensive buildings and real estate are on Fifth Avenue. Along with expensive buildings are many museums, on a section called Museum Mile.
Fifth Avenue was also home to many millionaires and their mansions in the early 20th century, giving it the name Millionaires' Row.
☂️ Experience 5th Avenue with a tour
- Fifth Avenue Gilded Age Mansions Walking Tour (highly rated)
Finger Lakes
The Finger Lakes is an area of New York state north of Ithaca, roughly in the state's center. The region's name comes from the eleven lakes, which are long and skinny and resemble fingers.
It's a popular area for outdoor enthusiasts, and there are plenty of opportunities to hike, golf, ski, and visit wineries. There are also many excellent places to stay in the Finger Lakes, making it a top weekend getaway destination.
Grace Church
Grace Church is a historic church in Manhattan dating back to 1846. Its architectural style is French Gothic. NYC designated the church as a city landmark in 1966. The church offers traditional services like prayer services, weddings, and baptisms.
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal is one of the most recognizable landmarks in NY as it has been featured in many movies and tv shows. It is one of the world's top ten most visited tourist attractions and the second busiest train station in North America.
Inside the terminal of this famous North American landmark, you'll find more than just trains, including a tennis club, a zodiac ceiling in the main concourse, a market, and a whispering hall.
☂️ See Grand Central Terminal on a tour
Hudson River
The Hudson River runs opposite the East River on the west side of Manhattan, bordering New York and New Jersey. Unlike the East "River," the Hudson is actually a river, and it runs for 315 miles through eastern New York. It flows north to south from the Adirondack Mountains to the New York Harbor.
☂️ Visit the Hudson River on a tour
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, also called MSG, is an event venue and arena in Midtown Manhattan. It opened in 1968, and it is the oldest major sports facility in the city.
The venue hosts events like concerts, basketball games, hockey, boxing, and wrestling. It holds approximately 20,000 people, depending on the event.
☂️ Visit Madison Square Garden with an excursion
New York Botanical Garden
The New York Botanical Garden is a 250-acre garden and park in the Bronx that opened in 1891. There are over one million plants in the garden, a library with botanical texts, and a conservatory. The Botanical Garden is a designated National Historic Landmark, and more than one million people visit it every year.
New York Harbor
The New York Harbor is where the Hudson River and the East River drain south. It is a natural harbor, and it is surrounded by Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and New Jersey's Hudson County.
The harbor is part of what made the region so popular for early settlers, with fishing and travel being the most common activities in the harbor in the 16th century.
New York Life Building
Another popular building in New York City is the New York Life Building. The building covers an entire city block at 51 Madison Avenue.
It is a Gothic Revival style building built in 1928, and it is both a National Historic Landmark and a New York City Landmark. Today it is home to the New York Life Insurance Company.
New York Public Library
One of the iconic buildings in New York City is the New York Public Library. There are 92 library locations in the city, but the most famous is the main branch in Manhattan, another one of the city's National Historic Landmarks, and an NYC landmark.
The library is the second largest library in the United States and the fourth largest in the world, with 55 million items.
☂️ Explore New York Public Library - Stephen A Schwarzman Building on a tour
- New York City at Night Bus Tour (a sort after tour)
New York State Capitol
The New York State Capitol is in downtown Albany, a town on the eastern border of New York about one hundred and fifty miles from NYC. The building has been the site of the state's capital since the 1880s.
You can tour the building that took 32 years to build and is home to the NY governor, majestic architecture, and legislative chambers.
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Wall Street is one of the American stock exchanges, and it is the largest in the world based on market cap, which is trillions of dollars on the NYSE. Billions of dollars are traded daily on the exchange.
☂️ Join a tour to see the New York Stock Exchange
Niagara Falls State Park
Niagara Falls State Park is home to the famous Niagara Falls. Two of the three waterfalls, American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls, are in the United States.
You can also see Horseshoe Falls, the largest of the three and partially in Canada. This waterfall is the strongest in North America, with thousands of cubic meters falling per minute.
☂️ Join a tour to see Niagara Falls State Park
- All Inclusive Niagara Falls USA Tour W Boat Ride,Cave & Much MORE (usually sells out)
- Niagara Falls in One Day From New York City (widely sought after)
One World Trade Center
Another famous landmark in New York is the One World Trade Center. The building was rebuilt on the site of the old World Trade Center that was destroyed in the 9-11 terrorist attack.
It is the tallest building in the United States, and you can reach the observatory on the 102nd floor in just 47 seconds via the high-speed elevator.
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is a theater at Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan. The venue was built in 1932 and holds nearly six thousand people. It is home to the Rockettes and has hosted many important events, including the Grammys, the Tonys, the Daytime Emmys, and the NFL Draft.
☂️ Experience Radio City Music Hall with a tour
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center, where Radio City Music Hall is located, is a group of 19 buildings covering three blocks in Manhattan. It was originally made up of 14 buildings in the art deco architecture style that the Rockefeller family commissioned, hence the name.
SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District
The Cast Iron Historic District is part of SoHo's trendy neighborhood in Lower Manhattan. The Cast Iron Historic District makes up 26 blocks of the neighborhood and is a National Historic Landmark. The name comes from the prominence of cast iron buildings in the district.
Statue of Liberty National Monument
One of the most famous landmarks of New York, if not the most famous one, is the Statue of Liberty. The statue was a gift from France to the United States in 1886 as a sign of friendship, freedom, and democracy. It has been a National Monument since 1924.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art also called the MET, is the largest art museum in the Western Hemisphere, with more than two million pieces of art. It opened in 1870 to educate and display art for the country.
☂️ Explore The Metropolitan Museum of Art on a tour
Times Square
Times Square is one of the most touristy places in NYC, with hundreds of thousands of people walking through the square daily. It has entertainment venues, restaurants, and massive billboards illuminated 24/7.
One of the famous events here is the New Year's Eve ball drop. Every year, a massive ball drops at midnight, and millions of visitors watch and kiss at midnight to welcome in the new year. It is one of the romantic things to do in NYC for couples!
Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge
The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge connects Staten Island to Brooklyn. The bridge is the longest suspension bridge in the United States, spanning 13,700 feet. There are 13 lanes of traffic that drive the bridge, but there is no pedestrian access.
☂️ Visit the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge with an experience
Wall Street
Wall Street is part of NYC's Financial District in Lower Manhattan. It covers eight blocks where the NYSE, the Federal Reserve Bank of NY, and other financial institutions are. Many buildings on Wall Street were built in the Gilded Age, which you will notice in the architecture.
Washington Square Park
The final one of our historic places in New York is Washington Square Park. The park covers 9.75 acres in Greenwich Village. The park has a popular fountain, the Washington Square Arch, and is a popular meeting place.
☂️ Visit Washington Square Park on a tour
Conclusion
Whether you are heading to New York for the first time or you want to explore the entire state, there is no shortage of NY landmarks to visit. There is plenty to see, from skyscrapers, like the One World Trade Center, to natural sites, like Niagara Falls - you'll never be bored!
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