840 Best Sights in New York, USA

The stone house, parts of which date from the 1720s, serves as the home of the Saugerties Historical Society and a museum. Inside you can see original architectural details, including wide-plank floors and fireplace mantels. The front lawn is the site of summertime concerts, periodic colonial reenactments, and other special events.

An old 30-foot-tall ski slide right in town has been converted into a hair-raising toboggan run that spits you out onto and across iced-over Mirror Lake. The chute usually opens after Christmas but might be open as early as November and as late as February, so call to check conditions.

The centerpiece of this 1,569-acre park, Lake Taghkanic has two sandy beaches, picnic areas, boat rentals, playgrounds, restrooms, and trails for hiking. You may camp here from early May through October, choosing between tent or trailer sites or rustic cabins (with bathrooms and hot and cold water). Kids enjoy climbing the water tower. Cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, ice-skating, and ice fishing are options in winter.

The Lamberton Conservatory, built in 1911, houses arid desert species and lush tropical vegetation. It's incredibly popular on snowy winter days.

John Lansing, who served in the New York State Assembly (1780–88) and as mayor of Albany (1786–90), built this Federal-style manor in 1819 for his daughter Frances and son-in-law, the Honorable Jacob Sutherland, so that they could collect rent from his tenant farmers. After the Sutherlands sold the manor, it passed to the Rosseter, Spring, and Mattice families before the New York Power Authority bought it in 1972. The manor, a window onto the 19th century, is filled with period antiques, some of which belonged to the resident families. In the ladies' reception area you can see where a young member of the Rosseter clan and his friend scratched their names into the window with a diamond. Tours take place each half hour.

John Oliver's weekly satirical news program on HBO tapes on Saturday, ahead of its 11 pm Sunday air time. Apply early for your preferred date: tickets are released by lottery at 3 pm the Tuesday prior, with preference given to those who have never sat in an audience before. If you miss out on tickets, get in the standby line starting at 3:15 pm. You must be 18 or older to sit in the audience.

Saturday Night Live alum Seth Meyers took the reins as host of Late Night on NBC in 2014, when former host Jimmy Fallon departed for The Tonight Show. Tickets are available online up to two months in advance. Tapings typically run from 4 to 5:15 pm, with check-in starting at 2 pm. On the day of taping, go to 30 Rockefeller Plaza, take the 50 West 50th Street entrance, and proceed up the Grand Stair to the check-in desk. Guests must be 16 or older to be in the audience.

After hosting The Late Show for 22 years, David Letterman passed the torch to former Colbert Report host Stephen Colbert in 2015. Although Colbert's fictional conservative persona did not follow him to his new gig at the Ed Sullivan Theater, his loyal audience did, so expect competition for tickets. The show is usually taped daily at 4:30 pm; check the website and the show's social media for updated details and new ticket releases. You must be 16 or older to sit in the audience.

The winery, built in 1998, has an antique bar salvaged from an old hotel. Laurel Lake grows its own chardonnay grapes and obtains red grapes from other North Fork growers. The Moscato Sparkling is a standout, and their Gewürztraminer is one of the best from the region. Half-hour tours are available by appointment for parties of four or more and include tastings, and on weekend afternoons from Memorial Day through October there's live music in the backyard.

The highlight of this 26-acre space in Prospect Park is the pair of all-season open-air rinks—for ice-skating when it's frigid, and roller skating otherwise. Walkways, a lakeside esplanade, and the Music Island nature reserve—all part of the original Olmsted and Vaux plans—contribute to this area of the park that's a pleasant place for a stroll, bike or pedal-boat ride, bumper car session, or a bite at its Bluestone Cafe. In the summer, kids can cool off at the splash pad by day, while DJs spin at theme roller-skating nights on weekends by night.

This brick-tastic experience has seven “lands”–Brick Street, Bricktopia, LEGO NINJAGO World, LEGO Castle, LEGO City, LEGO Pirates, and Miniland–LEGO fans can explore. Special features include the unique-to-this-resort (a.k.a only one in the world), LEGO Factory Adventure Ride, which puts guests in the middle of a LEGO factory by shrinking them down to digital miniversions of themselves so they can experience how bricks are created, and the park’s Miniland, which has original brick creations of landmarks from all five New York City boroughs and around the Empire State as well as the resort’s hometown of Goshen. Another cool feature is the musical fountain, Stepping Tones, which plays music and spurts water as various sensors are activated; this is the only place you can see the fountain besides LEGOLAND Billund in Denmark.

Fan favorites include the Build & Test center where future LEGO Master Model Builders can flex their skills by building anything they can think of–cars, boats, skyscrapers–and then test them out. LEGO NINJAGO World has LEGO NINJAGO The Ride where participants train at the Monastery with Master Wu. LEGO Castle has LEGOLAND’s signature Dragon and Dragon’s Apprentice roller coasters (for those under five), as well as the Tower Climb Tournament. LEGO City has the Driving School and the Coast Guard and Fire Academies as well as the Palace Theater where guests can see LEGO Movies in 4D and the Water Playground (reservations only). LEGO Pirates is where you’ll find the popular rides Splash Battle and Anchors Away! Brick Street has the appropriate-for-all-ages Brick Party Carousel, which instead of the traditional horses, has a motorcycle and a tiger to name a few, as well as the Big Shop, the largest LEGO retail space in North America. 

This iconoclastic winery enjoys pitting its wines against top international pours in blind tastings, and critics are often generous with their praise. An enclosed courtyard flanked by old vines leads into an old barn, now a large tasting room. Tours are held only in February and March.

Founded in 1969 in a basement on Prince Street, the museum has its roots in the collection of its founders, Charles Leslie and Fritz Lohman, two lifelong champions of LGBTQ+ artists. The well-curated exhibits in the spacious first-floor galleries are usually photographic (and sometimes sexually charged), though the museum's impressive archive leads to new exhibitions in various media as often as six times a year.

Premium Wine Group is a custom crush facility, a unique place where dozens of labels are produced for private clients with small vineyards. Lieb wines are poured in a no-frills room at the front; try the Pinot Blanc, a unique wine for this region. If you prefer red, the Cab Franc is a popular choice. Cheese board platters are available and there's live music most weekends in season

This religious colony of Victorian houses 8 mi south of Fredonia was founded on the shores of Lake Cassadaga in 1879, during a period of increased interest in Spiritualism, which believes that the spirits of the dead live on and that some people can communicate with them. Today the world's largest spiritualist community has a summer season with workshops, medium readings, a research library, lectures, and a variety of recreational activities, including fishing, swimming, and picnicking. Lily Dale has lodging, restaurants, and its own volunteer fire department. You can go for the day or stay overnight, but call ahead for readings with the most popular mediums.

There's no doubt you can find Japanese restaurants and shops all over Manhattan, but the area roughly bounded by East 10th and St. Marks Place (aka East 8th Street), between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, is home to what might be the highest concentration of Japan-style goods and dining spots. You can shop for Japanese groceries, snacks, and prepared food at specialty store H Mart ( 39 3rd Ave.); stop in at tiny storefronts like Cha-An BONBON ( 238A E. 9th St.) for fancy Japanese desserts and teas; and dine at a variety of Japanese curry, ramen, soba, and sushi spots. There's even karaoke at Sing Sing ( 9 St. Marks Pl.).

Sparks fly on this morning program, which books an eclectic roster of guests to chat with hosts Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest. Tickets are available online about six weeks in advance. Standby tickets become available weekdays at 7 am at ABC Studios. Children under 10 are not permitted in the audience.

The narrated two-hour Lockport Locks & Erie Canal Cruises travel the canal, viewing historic buildings and passing through five locks.

After Samuel Morse, the inventor of the telegraph, bought this circa-1830 house, he remodeled it into a Tuscan-style villa. It still contains the possessions and keepsakes of the family that lived here after him. The Morse Gallery, inside the visitor center, has exhibits of telegraph equipment and paintings by Morse. The grounds include gardens and hiking trails.

Josiah Hasbrouck—a lieutenant in the American Revolution and U.S. congressman during the presidential terms of Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe—built the 1814 Federal-style mansion, which has an impressive three-story central hall. The house and its original furniture and paintings remained in the family until Hasbrouck's great-great-granddaughter opened it to the public in 1959. Tours are available by appointment.

The gallery, arboretum, sculpture gardens, and special programs at this 16-acre reserve all underscore the mission of Long House—to show that experiencing art and nature together is essential to living a whole and creative life. You can explore the grounds on your own.

Housed in an old airplane hangar, this is a learning laboratory with hands-on exhibits. Children ages 2 to 12 can explore a multi-sensory garden, climb into big bubbles, build Roman arches, play musical instruments, or pretend they're TV-news anchors.

A 19th-century oystering vessel and a small collection of local craft are on display at this museum 1½ miles west of Sayville village. Changing exhibits focus on boating and maritime history. Boatbuilding can be observed most days, and guided tours are available by appointment. The big draw here is the calendar of annual events, including a pirate festival, kite festival, seafood festival, and boat burning. Summer camps and educational programs are available for kids. The museum also offers seasonal sailings on its 19th-century, 60-foot fishing sloop Priscilla, departing from the Snapper Inn on Shore Drive in Oakdale.

For the last 28 years of his life, the famed jazz musician lived in this modest three-story house with his wife, Lucille. Take a 40-minute guided tour (reservations required in advance; departs on the hour, last tour at 3 pm), which are limited to 10 guests per tour. Note the difference between the rooms vividly decorated by Lucille in charming mid-century style and Louis's dark den, cluttered with phonographs and reel-to-reel tape recorders.

This small city park makes up for its little, albeit picnic-friendly lawn with a scenic pier, offering an unobstructed view of the Statue of Liberty, plus the cargo ships cruising up and down the Hudson River.

Ball's turquoise-and-silver-sequin cowgirl costume from a 1976 "Donny and Marie" episode, video interviews with childhood friends, and original Here's Lucy scripts are a few of the items on display in the Lucy-Desi Museum, which follows the lives and careers of the two comedy stars. The adjoining Desilu Playhouse centers solely on the I Love Lucy show, with a replica of the couple's TV apartment, a 1953 Emmy, and an interactive display where you can try your hand at the Vitameatavegamin commercial.

Two annual festivals—Lucy-Desi Days, over Memorial Day weekend, and Lucille Ball's Birthday Celebration, in early August—celebrate the two stars.