Check out Brooklyn, New York, on your next trip. Look at our recommended travel activities and attractions in Brooklyn, New York, to get the most out of your time there. Check out the list of the best things to do in Brooklyn, New York, and places to go in Brooklyn, New York, below. Wondrous Drifter is a Web 3.0 travel startup with ambitious goals to change the world.
Table Of Content
- BAM Harvey Theater
- Barclays Center
- BRIC Arts Media
- Brooklyn Academy Of Music
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden
- Brooklyn Bridge
- Brooklyn Bridge Park
- Brooklyn Children’s Museum
- Brooklyn Flea
- Brooklyn Heights Promenade
- Brooklyn Historical Society
- Brooklyn Museum
- Brooklyn Navy Yard Center
- DeKalb Market Hall
- Luna Park, Coney Island
- New York Transit Museum
- Pilot
- Prospect Park
- Smorgasburg
- The Ford Amphitheater
- Volunteer At Animal Shelters
BAM Harvey Theater
Visiting the BAM Harvey Theater is a worthwhile place if you are searching for something to do in Brooklyn, New York.
This cultural space is where people watch opera, dance, visual arts, films, and plays.
It opened in 1904, previously called the Majestic Theater, and used to showcase musicals, vaudeville, dramas, and opera.
It soon transitioned to being a first-run movie in 1942, with the theater designed in a European style until they had to close down in the 1960s, leaving the Majestic abandoned for over twenty years.
Though in the 1980s, the theater became restored as a cultural center of the Brooklyn Academy of Music or BAM.
As a part of the BAM, the Brooklyn Academy of Music operates as a non-profit organization with other venues besides the BAM Harvey Theater like the BAM Fisher and the Peter Jay Sharp Beaux Arts-style building.
They are open daily for visitors who want to see its many shows.
Here is the place to go if you are looking for an iconic entertaining experience.
Address: Harvey Theater, 651 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11217, United States
Barclays Center
The Barclays Center has been open in 2012 as a multi-purpose area to host many events for people to enjoy.
It is in the middle of downtown Brooklyn and where the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets play basketball.
As an indoor area, the Barclays Center serves as a multi-purpose area to do various things for hosting comedy shows, concerts, and events where the New York Islanders play their hockey games.
Over 19,000 people can fit inside the venue. Conveniently, it is near the Atlantic Terminal transportation hub’s multiple subway lines and the Long Island Railroad.
Check out the standout exterior of the venue that is admiring to look at for its intriguing design made out of 12,000 steel panels with surrounding brownstone blocks.
Famous artists like Lil Wayne, Travis Scott, Elton Jon, and Cher have performed in the Barclay Center.
It is an ideal play to see iconic players in action like the New York Islanders and Brooklyn Nets play their particular sports.
Then visit and enjoy what awaits in the Barclays Center.
Address: 620 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217, United States
BRIC Arts Media
Get fascinated with the intriguing visual art, music, and many other things the BRIC Arts Media offers in the city of Brooklyn.
This art media works as a non-profit organization to showcase the diversity and creativity in Brooklyn. It shows many things as a hub for art, from exhibitions, live music, performing arts, community media programs, and contemporary art.
People can find this place in the cultural district of downtown Brooklyn near the most creative hubs around.
The BRIC Arts Media is considered a forefront that provides opportunities and ways for media makers and artists in Brooklyn to present, create, and feature their work to the public.
This place is even one of a kind for features the culture of Brooklyn and hosting various events and activities.
BRIC even serves as an art education and media resource for anyone wanting to learn, elevate, and create works of art with over 25,000 people.
Then visit to admire Brooklyn’s art in the BRIC Arts Media.
Address: 647 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11217, United States
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Brooklyn Academy Of Music
Come, learn, and enter hearing music at the Brooklyn Academy of Music or BAM.
It is a multi-art center that has worked for over 150 years in Brooklyn, New York.
The Brooklyn Academy of Music is known for its famous programs shown globally in the opera, theater, film, dance, music, and more. It has over a 2,983-seat capacity for anyone planning to visit.
This Academy of Music started in 1860, intending to focus on highlighting its cultural values. Since then, it has been the top leading and oldest cultural venue to create innovative and marvelous performances.
A few great artists you may or may not know began as performers at the BAM and went on to be legends, such as Winston Churchill, Isadora Ducan, Steve Reich, and many others.
It has a lot to offer for residents and visitors to see from its featured concerts, plays, film screenings, and many more to watch.
Therefore, you should come and watch the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
Address: 30 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217, United States
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a beautiful place in Brooklyn to take a fresh breather and appreciate nature.
The Olmsted brothers were the ones who built and designed this botanical garden in 1910.
It covers over 50 acres as a garden with many things to see, such as the most extensive rose collection in North America and a knot herb garden in an Elizabethan style.
Among the iconic masterpieces built in this botanical garden for visitors to see, they have to check the Japanese hill-and-pond garden, which completely features a Shinto shrine and teahouse.
Be sure to come from April to May, as the park has a lot to offer within that time. It includes hosting Japanese festivals annually, seeing the cherry blossom, and taking the opportunity to experience the music, food, and culture that this country provides.
So take a moment to admire the stunning beauty of nature in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Address: 990 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225, United States
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Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the top attractions in New York.
Check out the famous Brooklyn Bridge that connects Brooklyn Heights to Lower Manhattan.
It is an iconic bridge in New York City built with cement, limestone, and granite.
It is famous for its amazing views around the city and skyline with vantage areas near the pedestrian walkways.
They built this bridge for over twenty-two years near the East River and first opened it to the public in 1883. It was known globally as the longest suspension bridge until Japan built its famous Akashi-Kaikyo bridge.
It is now a bridge where people walk, bike, and drive around. For any visitor or resident planning to visit the Brooklyn Bridge, pedestrians can walk around h e walkway of the bridge for over 1.1 miles.
One unique thing about this bridge is its architectural style of using neo-Gothic to retain its beautiful architectural looks as it looked before when they first built it.
If you are looking for anything to do in Brooklyn, come and see the Brooklyn Bridge.
Address: Brooklyn Bridge, New York, NY 10038, United States
Brooklyn Bridge Park
Near the Brooklyn Bridge is the Brooklyn Bridge Park, where anyone can enjoy the outdoor park beside the majestic bridge.
It is a waterfront park with over 85 acres and extends until the East River in Brooklyn.
This terrific park is a great place to enjoy the surrounding view and relax as you glimpse the harbor in New York, the bridges in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and the Statue of Liberty.
Furthermore, the park contains a 1.3-mile section near the waterfront and is part of the Brooklyn Piers, numbered one through six. You can get to sightsee and look around, like seeing the Main Street Parks, the Empire-Fulton Ferry, and the Fulton Ferry Landing.
This fantastic park offers places for leisure activities like soccer, basketball, boating, and volleyball, including the option to schedule a tour. The park has other amenities, including its small beach, basketball court, and even a skating rink.
Visit Brooklyn Bridge Park to enjoy the outdoors of Brooklyn.
Address: 334 Furman St, Brooklyn, NY 11201, United States
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Do you want your children to experience the time of their lives? Brooklyn Children’s Museum is an excellent option for kids to have fun in the city.
This museum was built in 1899 and has been a hub especially made for families and children to enjoy.
It is known as the first museum for children and the hugest cultural institution in the state of New York.
Located near the Crown Heights of Brooklyn, this museum handles over 300,000 caregivers and children a year.
There are many programs and exhibits in the museum for people, such as iconic performances, music, world cultures, visual arts, and natural science.
Come and see its interactive, hands-on, discover, and exploration exhibits with displays for a thrilling experience to touch and play, especially for kids.
It has some unique and other temporary exhibits in the museum, such as showcasing the Neighborhood Nature, Collections Central, Sensory Room, and Survival of the Slowest.
Bring the children to this museum to find some enjoyment in Brooklyn.
Address: 145 Brooklyn Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213, United States
Brooklyn Flea
The Brooklyn Flea is one of the best things to do in New York.
You won’t really understand why the Brooklyn Flea is the mother of all markets unless you pay it a visit.
It is an outdoor market that usually starts from the first weekend of April until December. The Brooklyn Flea is in Fort Greene on Saturdays, while it goes to Williamsburg every Sunday.
It was started in April 2008 by two people, Eric Demby and Jonathan Butler. Eventually, it grew to be among the top attractions in New York every weekend, selling various products.
It has many vendors for residents and visitors to pick and buy. Almost anything and everything is available in this market, like buying a wide of handmade vintage furniture, jewelry, collectibles, antiques, and works of craft and art made by local designers.
This market is where the Smorgasburg, an all-food market takes place during the weekends at the exact location where Brooklyn Flea does business.
An outdoor shopping experience in Brooklyn is incomplete without visiting this market.
Address: 80 Pearl St, Brooklyn, NY 11201, United States
Brooklyn Heights Promenade
Visit the Brooklyn Heights Promenade for a spectacular vantage point to enjoy Brooklyn’s outdoors and recreation.
It is a pedestrian walkway that has stunning scenery for the surroundings to see the East River, Brooklyn Bridge, and Downtown Manhattan.
This promenade is an ideal spot with a quiet atmosphere for anyone to sit back, chat, relax, and take in the gorgeous view of the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.
Walkers, joggers, and even rollerbladers can find this place as an ideal location to do such recreational activities on this promenade.
Visitors can check the first historic Preservation District in Brooklyn nearby. There, you can find some of the oldest architecture and mansions that you can find around the promenade.
If anyone is hungry, some of the best boutiques and restaurants are nearby in Brooklyn.
The Brooklyn Heights Promenade is near Brooklyn park, with various rooftop terraces and dining options to choose from and drink while enjoying the view.
It’s a great place to take in the fresh air and take in the breathtaking scenery.
Address: Montague St &, Pierrepont Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11201, United States
Brooklyn Historical Society
Come and see the 400-year worth of the city’s history in the Brooklyn Historical Society.
This urban history center is a place that emboldens, preserves, and reflects on Brooklyn’s long history.
It was Henry Pierrepont who started the Brooklyn Historical Society in 1863. This history center has been standing for over 156 years and has kept tracking other related items and necessary documents in the city.
It is a landmark building built in the 19th century and designed by one of the great architectural treasures in the city named George Post.
Brooklyn Historical Society has an educational center, a museum, and even the Othmer Library.
This historical center has various programs for many audiences, such as musical events, lectures relating to exhibitions, history, plays, walking tours, readings, and topics about current affairs.
If you are wondering what is inside the Othmer library, it has collections regarding genealogy, atlases, and historical maps to see as part of the Brooklyn Historical Society.
You can learn a lot about Brooklyn’s history in this historical center.
Address: 128 Pierrepont St, Brooklyn, NY 11201, United States
Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum has a lot to showcase more than just its many collections.
It has some iconic pieces for a few renowned artists like Rothko, Monet, Cézanne many more housed in this museum.
There are many collections from Egyptian antiques to art from other American, African, Japanese, Oceanic, and European countries.
Moreover, the museum exhibits a variety of foreign artifacts to let visitors grasp the world around them.
The Dinner Party, a feminist classic made by Judy Chicago, is a must-see in the museum.
This iconic museum is 560,000 square feet, with over 1.5 million works for visitors and residents to see.
Despite being called the third-biggest museum in Brooklyn, there are few visitors compared to the world-class art museums in Manhattan.
It is the chance to look around while few people in the museum and see the famous piece.
Many activities and programs await, like seeing the gallery talks, film screenings, musical performances, dance performances, art classes, and art workshops.
Be sure to stop by and take your time looking around the Brooklyn Museum.
Address: 200 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY 11238, United States
If you want to learn a bit of military history, come by and visit the Brooklyn Navy Yard Center in Brooklyn.
It is in Building 92, in the Wallabout Basin near Brooklyn’s East River.
Brooklyn Navy Yard Center is a visitor center, exhibition center, and even a museum that showcases the history of this navy yard.
This navy yard played a crucial role in the conflicts of the United States. It used to be among the most creative and active shipbuilding military facilities.
Today, they build this center as a tribute to the Navy Yard for playing a vital role in the cultural, industrial, and naval history of the United States.
The Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation is the one who is managing this center.
This navy yard center showcases many collections of various displays, programs, and exhibitions for visitors and residents to learn the history of this navy yard.
Visit the Brooklyn Navy Yard Center to learn more about some military history.
Address: 63 Flushing Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11205, United States
DeKalb Market Hall
Visiting the DeKalb Market Hall will let you experience what it is like to eat among the big food halls in the city.
This market hall is over 27,000 square feet, and you can get to choose from over thirty regional and local food vendors.
It is near some subway lines at the Atlantic Terminal and Fort Greene Park around the lower level of the City Point.
DeKalb Market Hall has been a spot for people to discover, drink and dine in local and international cuisines from other countries globally to emphasize the ethnic diversity of the state in Brooklyn.
It boasted of having diverse and unique food vendors for visitors and residents to eat, like the Ample Hills ice creamery, Paella Shack, Cuzin’s Dozen, Chicks Isan, and many other vendors.
For any visitors or residents planning to come to the DeKalb Market Hall, the atmosphere in this food market is eclectic, with pulsing energy, and has an underground vibe making it enjoyable for people going here to have a good time.
You have to come and eat here at the DeKalb Market Hall.
Address: 445 Albee Square W, Brooklyn, NY 11201, United States
Luna Park, Coney Island
The Luna Park, Coney Island, is one of the best places to visit in New York.
Come to Luna Park as the world’s big playground worth visiting with the many things that await anyone.
This park is famous among amusement park historians since it got destroyed in 1944 by a fire. As a matter of fact, Luna Park got its name from its original name even after getting demolished.
When it was the old park before the 1944 fire incident, it used to have three fairgrounds with hair-raising rides as a fun park to visit and for anyone to be thrilled.
But today, the park currently has over nineteen new games and attractions for people to enjoy. Some of those include riding the famous Funny Face Tickler Ride and Cyclone Roller Coaster.
There are other thrilling and family-friendly rides for residents and visitors to enjoy, such as the go-kart tracks, the scream zone, and other adventures and rides that await.
Enjoy the fun in Brooklyn by visiting Luna Park on Coney Island.
Address: 1000 Surf Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11224, United States
New York Transit Museum
The New York Transit Museum is known for its historical subway station as a tourist attraction for people to visit.
It is in downtown Brooklyn and among the places to have one of the oldest public transit systems in America.
There lies a train station that has been decommissioned and is now a museum showing displays in the 1900s like vintage subway buses and cars.
In the New York Transit Museum, you will learn about the 1976 mass transit once used in the city’s metropolis. This museum has rotating exhibits, memorabilia, long-term exhibits, and subway platforms reconstructed for people to look around the museum.
Kids can attend the museum’s educational programs to learn and even pass by the gift shop to buy anything for good memories.
Between the holidays of Thanksgiving and New Year’s, the museum provides the Holiday Nostalgia Rides to hop on board R1-9 train care made in the 1930s every Sunday.
You can learn more about the city transits by visiting the New York Transit Museum.
Address: 99 Schermerhorn St, Brooklyn, NY 11201, United States
Pilot
Come aboard the Pilot, a sailing ship that will offer you a unique eating and sightseeing experience around the waters of Brooklyn.
It is a restaurant that offers cuisine famous for its seasonal oyster and allows its customers to hop in among the prized wooden schooners in the US.
A unique fact about the Pilot is that it has a long history of nearly over one hundred years. It has aboard many people to be used, from being the longest pilot ship in the country, a research vessel to have gone around the globe twice, and the fasted sailboat globally.
The food they provide involves mainly oysters that have been harvested, with a short menu with seasonal and selected ingredients per dish.
Grab a drink at the Pilot, as the beverage crew offers a wide selection of beers, wines, and cocktails to drink.
It is opened on a seasonal basis and provides delectable seafood to try, like scallops, caviar, oysters, and ceviche.
Indulge yourself in their fresh seafood while enjoying the view of Brooklyn.
Address: Pier 6 Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn, NY 11201, United States
Prospect Park
You can visit Prospect Park if you want to have the day or even during the afternoon in Brooklyn.
This park is over more than 500 acres as a place to relax and do recreational activities.
Activities in this park involve biking, exploring the Ravine Forest, running, picnicking in Nethermead and Long Meadow, and even bringing your dog for a walk.
For the locals living near Prospect Park, it can be a gathering place for any groups of people to meet.
Among the iconic places in Prospect Park is the Grand Army Plaza’s Triumphal Arch, surrounded by neighborhoods such as Windsor Terrace, Crown Heights, and Park Slope. Be sure to sightsee around the surrounding trees and wetlands.
Every April to October, the Smorgasburg Prospect Park food festival happens every Sunday at the entrance of Breeze Hill.
This park is a must-visit to enjoy and go around the outdoors of Brooklyn.
Address: Brooklyn, NY, United States
Smorgasburg
Are you seeking for a unique eating experience in Brooklyn? Look no further by going to the Smorgasburg with its many food options.
It is the biggest food market in the United States that opens weekly with open fresh air.
Many local vendors are there to choose from, attracting over a thousand visitors on weekends from different places like people from Miami, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Jersey City, and even people from Los Angeles.
It initially began as a spinoff in 2011 of Brooklyn Flea. Since then, it has had dozens of small businesses with a million visitors. Smorgasburg was soon called the “The Woodstock of Eating” by the New York Times.
It has many unique and pleasing foods to try from its different vendors, like Smorgasburg’s delicious ATM Vegan Deli, Lupitas, Kinoki, Bang Cookies, and many other tasty food from the many vendors in Smorgasburg.
So stop and grab a bit at Brooklyn’s Smorgasburg.
Address: 90 Kent Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211, United States
The Ford Amphitheater
You can get to experience live entertainment by including the Ford Amphitheater as part of your things to do in Brooklyn.
It is a venue that operates outdoors, featuring live entertainment, and is near Brooklyn’s Coney Island Boardwalk.
In June 2016, Ford Amphitheater used to be known as a new live entertainment facility in Coney island.
They built the site of this amphitheater near the famous Childs Restaurant, a historic restaurant to open in 1932, which they renovated for better use.
The amphitheater is over 5,000 open-air seats hosting during the inaugural season, like its forty-seven concerts, sports, comedy, multicultural events, and even family shows.
Is anyone hungry and interested in going out to eat anywhere nearby? Visit and dine in its newly remodeled 1920 restaurant was designed in boardwalk-style!
Visitors can get the chance to see the musical acts and other performances, particularly from famous people who have performed in the Ford Amphitheater, such as Willie Nelson, the Beach Boys, the Counting Crows, and many other renowned people.
Watch thrilling outdoor live entertainment at the Ford Amphitheater.
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Still unsure about making Brooklyn, New York, your next destination? Visit reasons to visit Brooklyn, New York, at least once in your lifetime here.
Address: 3052 W 21st St, Brooklyn, NY 11224, United States
Volunteer At Animal Shelters
Volunteering at an animal shelter is one of the best things you can do. There are over 62 million pet dogs and 64 million pet cats in the United States. Aside from these fortunate pets, millions more are homeless or abandoned. Animal shelters care for them and maintain their well-being.
Volunteering to spend time with the animals at the shelter is great. It helps enhance their quality of life and the likelihood of being adopted because you keep them socialized and prevent them from going stir-crazy in their kennels.
If you don’t have much time but still want to contribute, the humane society or a rescue group could use your old towels and blankets. The animals in the shelter are in constant need of warm bedding. A new dog or cat may feel at ease cuddling up on one of your children’s outgrown baby blankets. Animal shelters and humane societies always need dog and cat treats, litter, collars, and toys.
Check out the list of animal shelters in Brooklyn, New York, where you can volunteer. Help needy animals!
