Fall in NYC: 38 Reasons Why It's the Best Time to Visit

Autumn in NYC is the best time of year to enjoy all New York City has to offer, as well as join in on the countless seasonal favorites that take place in September, October, and November.

The hot and humid days of summer are gone, replaced by fresher air, comfortable temperatures, and plenty of blue sky days. This combination makes fall in NYC the perfect time to walk, be outside, sightsee, and take part in the many NYC fall events and festivals that go on around the city.

In all honesty, New York City is never a bad idea. But, fall truly is a standout time of year. So in this guide, you’ll find all the reasons and fall activities in NYC that make it the best time to visit New York City.

Fall in NYC: 38 Reasons Why It’s the Best Time to Visit

The fall season brings the leaves’ change of color, all things pumpkin and apple, ideal sightseeing weather, and sometimes, a spooky night or two. Perfect for a city with plenty of sights, delicious eats, gorgeous green spaces, endless events and festivals, and plenty of ghosts!

It’s impossible to list everything happening in New York City in the fall. There’s that much! But this list has more than enough to convince you that fall is the best time to plan your trip!

Autumn in NYC = Fewer Crowds & Comfortable Temperatures

Let’s start with the obvious. The fall brings an end to the busiest vacation time of year and ushers in a new school year.

New York City in the fall is when the crowds in Times Square thin out, tickets to Broadway shows and the city’s many events are easier to come by, and the lines for the top things to do in NYC shorten.

Locals know you can once again navigate the sidewalks without feeling as if you’re the one holding the football with everyone around you trying to tackle you to the pavement!

This sweet spot in between the start of school and the Rockefeller Tree Lighting Ceremony is a great time of year to plan a New York City trip!

Add to this fresher air and pleasant temperatures of an NYC autumn and it’s once again enjoyable to stroll through Lower Manhattan or taste your way through Chinatown without sweating buckets and pinching noses (to block those oh-so-lovely heat-driven summer smells).

So, if you’ve always wanted to see the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building, fall is a great time to check them off your NYC bucket list!

In addition, the sights and museums below are highlighted because of how perfectly they combine sightseeing with the fall colors in New York City.

Summit One Vanderbilt

Summit One Vanderbilt is New York City’s most popular skyline observation attraction. This immersive experience gives you 360° views of the Manhattan skyline and beyond. Why does it make this New York City autumn list? It’s got fantastic views of Central Park and the east side of Manhattan where you’ll see Roosevelt Island and into Queens and Brooklyn.

Top of the Rock

Similarly, the Top of the Rock offers breathtaking views of Central Park. You’re up 70 floors and closer to the park than other observation decks like the one at the Empire State Building. Not to mention, the Top of the Rock, which is located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, is at the center of Manhattan island. Your view of Central Park will be nearly straight on. Plan your visit to align with Central Park’s peak foliage for an absolutely incredible city panorama.

New York City Helicopter Tour

If there ever was a time to splurge on a helicopter tour, it would be during autumn in NYC. The skyline is awe-inspiring anytime of year but when you time with New York City’s fall foliage, it’s spectacular! You’ll not only see Central Park and the city’s green spaces from above, but you’ll also have views of the Hudson River valley to the north where the Palisades are ablaze with the colors of fall.

View of Manhattan from the Governors Island, New York City

Metropolitan Museum of Art

It seems counterintuitive to head indoors when you’re in search of New York City’s fall foliage, but in addition to being a world-class art museum, the Met’s rooftop terrace is situated on the fringes of Central Park. You won’t be as high up as the city’s popular observation decks, but you’ll have a treetop view of the reds, yellows, and oranges on display in Central Park in the fall.

Governors Island

Governors Island is a quick ferry ride from the Battery Park area in Lower Manhattan, yet it is often overlooked on most NYC itineraries. The island is home to 2 National Monuments, Fort Jay and Castle Williams, both having history playing roles, particularly after the American Revolution for defensive purposes and later during the Civil War as a barrack and a prison for war prisoners. After being used by the military during both World Wars, the island became a residential enclave for the Coast Guard’s local families. Today, these houses and the National Monuments are open to the public and serve as a backdrop to the island’s art exhibitions, concerts, events, and outdoor recreation. As you explore the island in fall with its leaves going from green to golden, you just might forget you’re in New York City if it wasn’t for the stunning views looking back at Manhattan.

Union Square Greenmarket

Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday Union Square’s Greenmarket hosts 100+ farmers, bakers, and fishermen selling their fresh food and goodies. When the fall season comes a distinct change in the market, from just-picked Hudson Valley apples, freshly baked pies, all things cinnamon and spice, and more varieties of squash that you even knew existed. Wrap yourself in a cozy scarf and sample the flavors of the season as you stroll through NYC’s most famous farmer’s market.

Fall Activities in New York City

Ice skaters having fun in New York Central Park in fall

New York City in fall includes the sights and experiences you probably already associate with the city but how about a few that are decidedly fall but with an NYC twist! These highlighted activities are 100% the Big Apple and 100% apple harvest-season themed!

Queens County Farm Museum

Coming to New York City in the fall but still want to get your fix of traditional fall things to do? Not a problem because the Queens County Farm Museum has all the fall fun you’re looking for from a 3-acre corn maze (yes, in the middle of Queens!) to a pumpkin patch where you can choose the perfect one to carve into a jack-o-lantern. The farm also hosts a Halloween party on or around the actual day complete with hayrides, a spooky farmhouse, and of course, apple cider! If you have a little extra time while you’re there, Alley Pond Park is close by and has some of the best fall colors in New York City.

Football Game

New York City has no shortage of sporting events from baseball to hockey. But the shortest season of them all is the fall football season. Plan your New York City fall trip itinerary to include tickets to an N.Y. Giants or Jets game. September, October, and November typically have perfect football weather and the Meadowlands stadium is easily reached by train from NYC’s Penn Station.

Smorgasburg

This is definitely one of those New York City fall activities that you must come to with an empty stomach! Smorgasburg is the biggest open-air food market in the United States. From wings to burgers, dumplings and donuts, vegetarian delights, seafood, and noodles, Smorgasburg’s mouthwatering food offerings cover a range of ethnicities with bites both savory and sweet. There are several locations including midtown Manhattan, the World Trade Center, and Williamsburg and Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Locations are typically open through October before the foodie bonanza downsizes and heads indoors for the winter.

Scary Rooftop Movies

Everyone loves an NYC rooftop! And what better way to combine the spookiness of the season than to watch a classic scary movie in a rooftop theater?!? That’s decidedly fall in NYC if you ask me. Through October, you can book tickets for a slate of films including horror favorites like Scream and A Nightmare on Elm Street, among many others. Don’t worry, it’s not all a fright fest…(coming from one of the biggest chickens) I’ll see you there for Monsters, Inc!

Holiday Market

Christmas in New York City comes with popular holiday markets in places like Bryant Park, Union Square, and Columbus Circle. These festive markets are quite popular and especially crowded in December. But, lucky for fall visitors, the Bryant Park Winter Village with all its shops opens at the end of October, right around Halloween. The shops line the park with artisan handcrafts, gifts, and gourmet bites making this one of the best NYC fall activities to include in your itinerary well before the chaos of the Christmas season begins.

Ice Skating

Similarly, New York City’s ice skating rinks are typically associated with the Christmas and winter seasons. But, famous rinks like the one in Bryant Park, Wollman Rink in Central Park, and the Rockefeller Center Ice Rink typically open about a month before Thanksgiving. Wollman Rink in Central Park is especially pretty with New York City fall foliage and midtown Manhattan’s skyscrapers circling in the background. That’s the type of leaf-peeping you can only do in NYC!

Fall Festivals in New York City

Regardless of the season, New York City is an epicenter for events, street fairs, and a plethora of other goings-on. Luckily, some of the best NYC fall events also happen to be some of the best fall activities for your NYC trip!

Feast of San Gennaro

For 11 days in September, the streets of Little Italy set up to honor the martyr San Gennaro, the patron saint of Naples in Italy. The Feast of San Gennaro dates back to the early 20th century when NYC welcomed many Italian immigrants from the Naples area. Mulberry Street is the main thoroughfare of the feast, with booths serving Italian food from sausage and peppers to eggplant parm and cheesecake. In between bites, enjoy live music, the Grand Procession, and events like the cannoli eating contest.

Curtain Up Broadway Festival

September is the proper start of the new Broadway season. It’s the best time to see a Broadway show before any TONY buzz drives seat prices higher. For 3 days in early September, the Curtain Up Broadway Festival kicks off the season with sing-alongs that feature some of Broadway’s top performers, live performances, and a Broadway Block party. All the events are free to the public so have some fun channeling your inner Broadway diva as you belt out some of your favorite show tunes! While you’re at it, try to snag some half-priced tickets. The event coincides with NYC Broadway Week!

OktoberFest NYC

No fall trip to Germany? OktoberFest NYC has you covered! For nearly 2 months (September & October), you can enjoy your favorite German beer and brat with epic NYC waterfront views. Happening at the Watermark Bar at the waterfront on South Street, you can reserve a (free) table and enjoy this iconic fall festival right from South Street Seaport!

New York Film Festival

Every fall, the New York Film Festival highlights the art of filmmaking by screening films from around the world throughout the 2+ week festival. Movies like “Birdman” and “The Artist” had screening debuts at the festival and eventually went on to win at the Academy Awards. The festival takes place at Lincoln Center and several additional venues throughout New York City. You can choose tickets to particular films you’d like to see or get passes that allow broader access.

New York City Food & Wine Festival

This 4-day celebration of everything food and wine is every foodie’s dream! You can choose from a variety of events like Walk-Around Tastings with bites to sample from some of NYC’s top chefs, one-of-a-kind dinner experiences, wine tastings, cooking classes, and more! Just be sure to arrive hungry because this has to be the most full-of-flavor festival of the fall!

New York Comedy Festival

For 10 days in the fall, hundreds of the best comedians converge on New York City with a single aim…to have you rolling in the aisles! There are ticketed events across the 5 boroughs of the city. Comedian lineups have included Conan O’Brien, Bill Burr, Tracy Morgan, Dave Attell, Margaret Cho, Marc Maron, and Jimmy Carr. I have such respect for comedians who brave the stage not knowing whether or not the audience will laugh! If you’re in New York City in the fall, get tickets and take advantage of the city’s entertainment scene.

New York Comic Con

Have a favorite comic book character? Can’t get enough of the Marvel empire or wish you were actually a Star Wars Jedi Master? New York Comic Con is in October at the Javits Center with a full schedule of workshops, panel discussions, and events with your favorite actors and comic book characters. Dress up (or not) and immerse yourself in this fantasy world favorite!

Fall Events in NYC

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Balloon NYC fall

Look at any events calendar for NYC in the fall and you’ll see an overabundance of things to do. It would be impossible to list them all here! Instead, you’ll find some premier NYC fall events you just might want to plan your trip around.

Greenwich Village Halloween Parade

Every year on Halloween night, Greenwich Village is host to the world’s largest Halloween parade. In any given year, there could be 50k(!) parade marchers in full costumes with millions more watching! The best part is that anyone can join in as long as they’re wearing a costume and that includes a mask. The more creative the better! If you’ve got your costume and want to partake in this giant Halloween Party, just go to the parade start at Canal Street and 6th Avenue. Otherwise, you can watch and dance to the music as the parade heads up 6th Avenue to 15th Street. This is definitely one of those New York City events you won’t soon forget!

New York City Marathon

Held the first Sunday of November each year, the New York City Marathon attracts tens of thousands of runners and even more spectators who come to cheer the runners on. Spread across all 5 NYC boroughs (Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan), the runners go 26.2 miles across bridges, through neighborhoods, and finally finish in Central Park. If you’re in the city for marathon weekend, don’t miss the chance to applaud and encourage the runners! There are great spots to watch including along 4th Avenue in Brooklyn and First Avenue, Fifth Avenue, or Central Park South in Manhattan.

Open House New York

For 1 weekend in October, hundreds of places from studios to whole buildings, blocks, and gardens, are open to the public for self-guided visits and tours. The motto of Open House is to “unlock” the city for the public to discover places across the city that aren’t typically open to visitors. The event is free and perfect for fans of history and architecture, and the curious-minded. Each year, the list of spaces for the event is released about a week before the event so that you can plan what you want to see and book free tours for any places requiring them. If you’re in NYC in the fall when this event is going on, don’t miss it! It’s your chance to see true hidden gem spots that most others haven’t!

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Undoubtedly one of the most famous fall NYC events, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place on Thanksgiving morning. The parade’s famous balloons, marching bands, and performers wind their way down Central Park West along the parade route that continues on 6th Avenue between W. 59th Street and Herald Square at 34th Street. You’ll need to be an early bird to snag a viewing spot along Central Park West or 6th Avenue but the effort is well worth crossing this NYC bucket list experience off your list.

Balloon Inflation Viewing Party

I’m biased because this fall NYC event happens right in my neighborhood, the Upper West Side. It also happens to be where the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade begins. But, the night before the parade, there’s a balloon inflation viewing party where lots of folks come out to see the balloons take shape and prepped for the morning’s festivities. I love going to this event because you can get super close to the balloons, many of which are 6 stories tall! Afterward, it’s tradition to have a fun dinner out at one of the restaurants along Columbus or Amsterdam Avenues. Typically, you enter from W.72nd Street, following the crowd to reach the start of the balloons.

Fall Foliage in New York City is Gorgeous.

Central Park, New York City, USA at the Lake in autumn season.

Want to know how to create your own movie-worthy fall in New York City moment?

Just stroll through Central Park among the red, orange, and yellow leaves wearing a comfy scarf, holding your favorite hot beverage, arm in arm with that someone special.

As much as the city’s parks and green spaces come alive with blossoms in the spring, the NYC foliage colors pop against a brilliant blue sky creating the quintessential romantic setting.

Central Park

When you visit Central Park in fall, you get to experience the beauty of this iconic park adorned in the brilliant colors of the season. Places like The Mall, Bethesda Terrace and Fountain, Bow Bridge and The Lake, and the Pond and Gapstow Bridge area near Wollman Rink are popular areas to enjoy the park and photograph the fall colors. But, throughout Central Park, you’ll find the leaves ablaze with the fiery reds, yellows, and oranges of fall. Venture towards The Ramble, Belvedere Castle, Harlem Meer, the Reservoir, the Conservatory Garden, or the park’s meadows for a dazzling (NYC-style) show of the season!

High Line

This urban green space built along elevated, repurposed train tracks winds along Manhattan’s far west side, from Hudson Yards through Chelsea. Walking the pathway is one of the top things to do in New York City, and even more so in fall when the trees and plants change colors. Along the way, you can admire the modern city architecture, Empire State Building and Hudson River views, as well as stop for a quintessential fall snack at Chelsea Market, one of the best things to do in Chelsea.

Riverside Park

This Upper West Side park runs parallel to the Hudson River from W. 59th Street to 181st Street. Its long shape and straightforward pathways are perfect for strolling amongst the trees and spying the Hudson River. It’s also home to several famous statues and monuments, including the General Grant National Memorial, the Firemen’s Memorial, the Sailors’ and Soldiers’ Monument, and the Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial. This gorgeous underrated city park also has access to the Hudson River Greenway via 72nd Street, 133rd Street, and 157th Street. This pathway stretches down to Battery Park in Lower Manhattan and is perfect for walking or riding on rented bikes.

Fall Foliage Cruise

One of the best ways to take in the Manhattan skyline is from the water. Many New York City itineraries include sightseeing cruises for this very reason! But a trip to NYC in fall allows you to take a Hudson River cruise that also incorporates fall sightseeing around the George Washington Bridge area. It’s here where the cliffs of the Palisades begin and create gorgeous vistas of the tree-lined Hudson River valley.

New York City Central Park in Autumn with Manhattan skyscrapers and colorful trees over lake with reflection.

New York Botanical Garden

Located in the Bronx, this natural space boasts seasonal highlights throughout the year. But the fall colors in New York City’s biggest concentration of old-growth forest are especially brilliant! The old beauties (200+ years old) in the Thain Family Forest make up a 250-acre wooded area with pathways that’ll wind you past maple, oak, and tulip trees (once used by the Native Americans to make dugout canoes). In addition to the fall display, a visit to this forest helps you imagine what parts of Manhattan looked like 400+ years ago before the first Dutch settlers arrived.

Cloisters

An extension of the Met, the Cloisters is a fantastic European medieval art and architecture museum. But in fall, the spectacular Unicorn Tapestries are rivaled by the fall foliage in Fort Tryon Park where the museum sits along a perch that also offers sweeping panoramic views of the Hudson River. This upper Manhattan gem will leave you feeling as if you’ve just made your very own NYC discovery!

Prospect Park

Nicknamed Brooklyn’s backyard, Prospect Park puts on a total show of fall colors. Around the lake and in the forested Ravine area, you’ll find photo-worthy shots in every direction you look! You can easily incorporate a visit to Prospect Park as you check off things to do in NYC in the fall because the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the Brooklyn Museum are situated on the park’s northeastern flank and eery Green-Wood Cemetery is just a few minutes on foot from the park.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

The beautiful botanical gardens in Brooklyn will not be overshadowed by the beauty in neighboring Prospect Park! Throughout the gardens, you’ll find 12,000 types of plants and trees from native grasses and trees to Japanese Maples progressing through the colors of fall, with each day seemingly more brilliant than the last. In particular, the deep reds around the Japanese Garden area always take my breath away!

New York City Ghosts Are Everywhere.

Renwick Smallpox Hospital, an abandoned hospital located in an otherwise undeveloped area at the southern tip of the Roosevelt Island in Manhattan, New York City.

Are you coming to New York City in the fall in search of unsettled souls, spirits, and all things spooky?

Well, NYC does not disappoint. In every corner of the city, ghosts glide through parks, restaurants, alleyways, and their long-ago houses and haunts. Whether you believe or not, searching them out is one of the most fun and spine-tingling things to do in NYC in fall!

NYC Ghost Tour

New York’s earliest beginnings began around what is today’s Financial District and gradually pushed north to present-day Greenwich Village as the colony grew. These are the oldest areas of the city steeped in a ton of history. So, it’s no wonder that Greenwich Village and the surrounding areas are among the most popular for a spooky-themed guided tour. This ghost tour is given with a gangster focus, wrapping in stories of notorious mafia crime scenes and haunted houses. While this guided ghost tour takes you to some of the most haunted houses and bars in the Village!

Boroughs of the Dead

Yearning to hear tales of New York City’s dark past with all the grisly details? Book one of the themed macabre tours with Boroughs of the Dead to be equally fascinated and frightened! From West Village and Lower Manhattan tours to Brooklyn’s famed Victorian-era Cemetery, Green-Wood, lovers of all things history and hair-raising will want to spend some time exploring with Boroughs of the Dead.

Merchant House Museum

Reportedly the most haunted house in New York City, the Merchant House Museum was the family home of the Tredwells for 100 years. The youngest daughter, Gertrude, never married and lived in the house until she died at the age of 93. The house is a historic landmark, having been preserved exactly as the Tredwells left it from the wall coverings to the furniture and personal belongings. It’s suspected that Gertrude also stuck around because there has been a continuous stream of sightings, as well as sounds and smells that can’t be explained. The museum is open year-round for independent visits and guided tours. But if you’re visit aligns with autumn in NYC, you can join one of the museum’s October Candlelight Ghost Tours.

Roosevelt Island

Roosevelt Island is a sliver of land in the East River between Manhattan and Queens rife with plenty of ghastly history. The island (which was known as Welfare Island at one point) was a place where the city sent the unwanted like the prisoners, the mentally insane, and Smallpox patients. Fall things to do in NYC don’t get more off the beaten path or creepy than visiting the terrifying ruins of the Renwick Smallpox Hospital! Along the way, you can also stop by the Octagon, the site of a former lunatic asylum, and Blackwell House, one of the oldest houses in New York City. Go for a walking tour with a guide (Boroughs of the Dead, for example) or explore on your own. As a bonus, take the Roosevelt Island Tram either coming or going for fabulous city skyline views!

Morris-Jumel Mansion

This haunted mansion is Manhattan’s oldest surviving house…if that doesn’t say it all! Built in 1765 and used briefly by George Washington during the Revolutionary War, this (now) museum has reported numerous ghostly episodes from past residents who apparently don’t realize their time has come and gone. Sightings and other unexplainable activities are suspected to be from (among others) Eliza Jumel and Aaron Burr, after Eliza’s husband suspiciously died (by falling on a pitchfork??) and she swiftly remarried Burr. You can tour the house on your own or return in the evening for a guided ghost tour or even take part in a chilling paranormal investigation!

Catacombs by Candlelight

In Little Italy, you’ll find the Basilica of Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Mulberry Street. What you don’t see are the crypts and the cemeteries that are off-limits to the public. Encompassing both the history of the influential people who have been laid to rest here with their connection to New York City, the Catacombs by Candlelight tour presents an interesting look at NYC’s past all within a morbid setting.

Fall in NYC Bottom Line

Angel of water in Bethesda Terrace in Autumn in Central Park New York City

There’s never really a bad time to visit New York City. The city is always buzzing with an endless number of fantastic things to see and do. But, there’s no debating that autumn in NYC is the sweet spot!

The weather and the off-peak travel season combined with all New York City has to offer in the fall will have you toasting your apple cider to celebrate a trip well-timed!

So, what questions do you have about fall in NYC?

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