10 New NYC Experiences and Exhibits To Try in 2026

One of the best things about New York is that there’s always something new to do. Done the Statue of Liberty, the Met, Central Park, and Times Square? There’s more, and undoubtedly it’s something you’ve never done before and could only do here.

Case in point are the 10 experiences below. They’re fairly new, including a museum that just opened (see #2) and a limited-run exhibit closing in August (see #5). They’re all thoroughly New York, from theater to art to food and more. And they’re all right here in Manhattan, easy to add to your next NYC adventure.

1. ‘Masquerade’ reimagines the Phantom

After a 35-year run on Broadway, the lights went down on “The Phantom of the Opera” for a final time in 2023. But they rose again September 2025 for something new: “Masquerade,” hailed as the world’s first immersive musical.

The show begins with a glass of champagne and an invitation to join the masquerade. You’ll be wearing a mask yourself (one is provided if you don’t have your own) as you enter the Opera Populaire. Much like in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s original, you soon learn there’s a mysterious ghost wreaking havoc on the French opera company.

But this time, you’re not in your seat. In the tradition of New York’s best immersive theater, you walk through the scenes and among the characters, up and down stairs and escalators, following as the actors beckon. It’s always clear where to go, and the plot is linear, unraveling the famous tale of obsession and genius, with a few twists and flourishes thrown in that still remain true to the story.

This experience is much more intimate than a Broadway musical ever can be. You step through the “swirling mist” and hear the strains of the violin at your elbow. Perhaps the Phantom himself will take your hand and lead you apart. In some moments, the audience is broken into smaller groups. In one such, we were ushered into Christine Daaé’s dressing room. As she sang, the soprano locked eyes with me, pleading, praying, her fear before her coming trial almost palpable.

But, like the Broadway musical, it’s the talent that makes the show. When the Phantom in his perfect baritone commands, “Sing for me,” and Christine hits her highest note — and you are only steps away — the dramatic effect is almost dizzying. You too will fall under the spell of the Phantom of the Opera during an unforgettable evening you could only have in New York. 

2. Arte Museum now open

Something else wonderful debuted on the New York art scene last September. A multisensory experience themed for “Eternal Nature,” Arte Museum fuses tech and art to create over a dozen installations you can walk through and, often, interact with. In one, I traced my hand along a wall and butterflies followed in my wake. In another, I colored a phoenix and watched it come to life on the screen above me, red and yellow wings flapping. 

The highlight exhibit is “Arte Museum x Musée d’Orsay” — a digital recreation of the French museum’s best works by Monet, Degas, and more, larger than life and fused with movement and sound. Elsewhere, you’ll stand in an endless waterfall, see yourself refracted in an infinity room hung with glowing paper lanterns, and feel the rush of wind as a tornado churns beside you.

For tourists, “New York is Art” is an especially fun exhibit, showing the rise of the city across centuries and boroughs and featuring many of the landmarks you’ll see (or want to see) on your trip.

You can upgrade your ticket to add on the Art Cafe, which I highly recommend. It includes a drink (I loved the foam-topped tea and zero-proof mojito) with an animated character that appears in your cup as the table transforms into a colorful, moving landscape. Instagrammers will appreciate being able to customize their own message in the scene, but even if you just sip and chill, it’s a relaxing way to wind down your visit.

3. Summit One Vanderbilt premium tours

In a skyline that’s always changing, SUMMIT One Vanderbilt opened in 2021. It’s currently the only observation deck offering immersive art alongside stunning views (though even that is set to change this June when Edge unveils its own set of indoor installations).

SUMMIT also recently launched their premium experiences where you can enjoy a guided tour inside the attraction, including skip-the-line access and admission during in-demand sunset hours. This is the finale of our two-part premium private Skyscrapers & Summit Guided Experience, and it’s a splurge-worthy way to discover Midtown’s most defining architecture.

Includes your ticket to the SUMMIT One Vanderbilt observatory!

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But even without the premium upgrade, SUMMIT is a must for your NYC visit. This one-of-a-kind skydeck boasts 360-degree panoramas of the city visible from floor-to-ceiling windows. You’ll be walking over 1,000 feet above Madison Avenue on three floors (91st to 93rd) as you experience the skyline from new perspectives.

The first two floors are the showstoppers. The lower of these is filled with mirrors everywhere — floors, walls, ceiling — creating unique reflections of the skyline against the sky in its various moods: sunny blue, cloud gray, sunset orange. The next level features multiple installations. There’s a piece by the famous Yayoi Kusama titled “Clouds,” all-glass skyboxes so you can step out onto New York with just your group, and a room of more reflections, this time as effervescent balls that spin around you on gusts of air.

The top floor, home to the outdoor terrace, gift shop, and cafe, has one more immersive experience if you upgrade: Ascent, an elevator ride 1,210 feet in the air. The window-lined elevator pauses at the top so you have plenty of time for photos before beginning your descent. 

If you want to time your visit for sunset, I recommend getting in line no more than two hours early. Peak days may vary, and it all depends on how many selfies you snap, but we started at 5:30 p.m. on a Thursday in May and were at the third floor by around 7, with sundown still over an hour away. I’d also recommend doing sunset photos from the mirrored 91st floor. This is the one that glows golden, reflecting the sky. 

If you do get to the top floor with time to spare, the café is nice. Along with themed cocktails, the menu has a solid lineup of surprisingly affordable dinner options (several around $15, consistent with what we’d seen around the city), so we grabbed a couple drinks and a sandwich and settled in at one of the tables by the window.

To see Midtown from the sky and the streets, take our NYC Architecture Tour. It concludes with a visit to SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, but you’ll also explore the skyline from ground level, with stories to entertain you along the way.

4. New cuisine at Olly Olly Market

I maintain that food halls are an immersive experience. Food is art, after all, as anyone who’s worked in the culinary arts will tell you, and the best markets let you sample a variety, making it more than just a one-and-done meal.

This is exactly what Olly Olly Market offers. Opened late 2022, the market is conveniently located in Chelsea, walking distance to Little Island, Arte Museum, and the High Line. They have three new additions to their space this year: Moonburger, which has great vegan options too; Nikkei-ish, specializing in Peruvian-Japanese cuisine, such as their lomo saltado bento box; and Honey Pie Pizza, selling pizza whole and by the slice — pro tip: get it with truffle honey.

The trio joined an already impressive lineup of restaurants. These include:

• Kotti Berliner Döner Kebab, whose German-born founder was the first to bring this classic dish on fluffy Turkish pide to the Big Apple
• Kinn Thai, featuring heartwarming authentic family recipes
• Ploo, for tacos on handmade tortillas
• Drip Café, so you can get your coffee fix with a pastry or two
• Forsyth Fire Escape, whose scallion burritos were a viral sensation during the pandemic.
• Bar Avant, offering drinks, a rentable venue, and the occasional themed event open to the public, like their recent Valentine’s speakeasy
• Little Biggs, where the shareable sandwiches lean big rather than little
• City Chik, serving up excellent chicken platters (try it shredded) and versatile sides
• Extravert, for when you want something healthy, like a veggie-forward bowl or smoothie

I loved the food here, and it made for a great lunch — not too rich but still indulgent and super varied since we tried a few places, starting with the pad see ew gai below. It was delicious.

The market even has free seltzer water on tap. So refreshing!

Olly Olly also hosts events, such as speed dating, salsa, trivia, and more. Check their calendar to see what’s coming up.

5. The new and improved Frick

Housed in a Gilded Age mansion along New York’s illustrious Fifth Avenue, The Frick Collection underwent a major restoration from 2021 to 2025 that considerably enhanced the visitor experience. From increased accessibility to opening the second floor to the public, this is a new Frick, worth visiting again even if you’ve seen it before.

Wander through the ornate rooms hung with paintings by the Old Masters — Vermeer, Rembrandt, Goya, El Greco, and more. Selected sculptures and decorative arts are also on display, and the house itself is just as much a part of the experience. Rich wallpaper, wainscoting, wood paneling, chandeliers, and marble fireplaces frame the art. And the mansion’s central Garden Court, filled with palms and other tropical plants surrounding a sunken pool, is stunning.

The Frick regularly features temporary exhibits as well. On display now through Aug. 3, 2026, “Ruffles & Ribbons: Fashion Plates from the Time of Marie Antoinette” spans 24 hand-colored engravings of French attire in the late 18th century. In their day, fashion plates like these were the closest thing to a trendy magazine, the chief way styles spread across Europe.

Local tip: If you’re in town on the first Friday night of the month, you can visit for free. Grab dinner at the new on-site cafe and listen to live music in the newly restored garden as you enjoy an evening of art.

6. Fresh exhibits at the Morgan Library & Museum

The Morgan Library & Museum is one of those magical places in Manhattan that you could almost call a hidden gem. Not every tourist knows this spectacular museum is here, but it’s right in the heart of Midtown, less than half a mile from sites like SUMMIT One Vanderbilt and Grand Central Terminal.

There’s always something new on display here. Earlier this year, they had an exhibit of Renoir drawings and another featuring Caravaggio’s famous “Boy with a Basket of Fruit,” on loan from Rome’s Galleria Borghese. “Come Together: 3,000 Years of Stories and Storytelling” just recently closed, an exhibition of 140 objects ranging from ancient artifacts to comics, exploring how stories shape our world. 

Currently, there’s a photography exhibit, a collection of portraits and collages from poet John Ashbery, and — in honor of America’s 250th — an exhibition of Americana, including a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence, one of only 26 surviving today. 

The Morgan rotates exhibits constantly, so there’s always something new to discover.

But beyond whatever’s showing in the galleries, the library itself is worth the visit. Walking into the restored East Room feels like stepping onto the set of “The Gilded Age,” all glistening walnut bookcases, ornate ceiling frescoes, priceless artwork. Even the books themselves are sometimes gilded. I was truly dazzled.

It’s a lovely way to spend a morning or afternoon in New York, and an hour or two here nicely complements your visit to the Frick.

7. Time Out Market now open at Union Square

Time Out Market Union Square opened its doors in September 2025, bringing together seven of the city’s best kitchens under one roof. It’s warm and welcoming inside, with long tables and cozy booths, energetic, but not too crowded.

Let your appetite guide you from place to place. At Kam Rai Thai, I tried the Hat Yai Fried Chicken, delicious, though it was the perfectly cooked, almost sweet sticky rice that stole the show for me. To drink, I had the Thai iced tea — refreshing and sweet, as it should be.

From there, I moseyed over to Kebabwala, an Indian kitchen serving classics like chicken tikka and korma. I ordered the biryani because the crust on top intrigued me. It turned out to be crispier than I expected and had a serious kick — my heat threshold is somewhere around the spiciness of Chili’s salsa. I wish I’d been hungry enough for the mango lassi, but one can only drink so much dessert. Next time!

I finished with the tres leches from Tacos Fonda, which I highly recommend. It was light, airy, and delicately sweet with a citrus twist that made it even fresher.

And that’s only a fraction of what you can savor. Here’s a quick look at what this new market has.

• Fornino: Brooklyn’s artisanal pizza, brought to Manhattan for the first time, features blistered crusts, focaccia sandwiches, and ingredients from the Union Square Greenmarket.
• Patty Palace: Caribbean-inspired Jamaican patties tucked into pillowy coco bread with jerk BBQ sauce and green seasoning aioli — lunch is calling.
• Paninoteca by Anthony: These aren’t your mom’s lunchbox sandwiches. Try an Italian-inspired creation like the Della-Tella with truffle mortadella, stracciatella, and pistachio pesto.
• Smashed: As the name suggests, the main specialty here is caramelized smash burgers. Load them with made-from-scratch sauces, and yes, you can get fries with that. Or even fried Oreos.
• Kam Rai Thai: This Thai kitchen has an impressive range of dishes, from noodly pad see ew to broth-forward dishes that feel like a comforting warm bowl of soup, especially welcome in winter. And they offer tofu for a vegan option.
• Kebabwala: Order a skewer of perfectly charred chicken, lamb, beef, or paneer. I want to go back for an egg paratha roll (basically, egg and flatbread).
• Tacos Fonda: Along with their signature tacos, there are nachos, quesadillas, rice bowls and, for the truly indulgent, quesabirria.

8. Vessel reopens and Edge set to change

Hudson Yards’ two premier attractions — Vessel and Edge — continue to draw millions of visitors a year.

A 150-foot interactive sculpture, Vessel first opened in March 2019, but it closed for several months during the pandemic and rather recently reopened late in 2024. And since reopening this year, all levels (except the very top) are open to the public.

If you’ve not been, it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen. A climbable sculpture of interlocking stairs, Vessel offers different views of the city as you scale it. Your perspective is always changing, and even the facade, with its bronze-colored reflective surface, shifts throughout the day.

If you’re thinking it’s fun to take photos here, you’re right! You can snap pics from outside, from the ground level within looking up, and from each of the different platforms. In total, there are 154 flights of stairs, 2,500 steps, and 80 landings to climb, so you get a workout in too!

Unlike the several observation decks in Manhattan, Vessel doesn’t give you a bird’s-eye view of New York. It’s not high enough for that. Instead, it’s a view of the city from within the city, and the sculpture itself can serve as a frame for your photos.

It takes about 30 minutes to climb and explore, which is great because you can fit it into even a packed-out NYC itinerary. And there’s an elevator so it’s accessible to all. It’s also completely safe with new wire netting along the stairs and platforms. 

If you want to explore the area around Vessel — Hudson Yards is a multi-million-dollar development that’s an attraction in its own right — see it with a local. Our Hudson Yards Tour also includes upgrades for Vessel and the Edge skydeck so you can visit those attractions after your tour.

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Speaking of Edge, this attraction has something new coming in 2026 too.

While it’s currently offering its glorious views as the city’s tallest outdoor skydeck, this summer Edge is getting a major transformation. New permanent immersive installations will cover the spaces indoors, from the entry to the top. In this updated experience, guests will move through a kaleidoscopic world of light, color, and motion as they ascend over 1,100 feet into the skyline.

9. Market 57, a multicultural food hall

Before an evening exploring multiple floors of immersive theater or after an afternoon climbing 154 flights of stairs, you might be hungry. If so, you can’t go wrong with a visit to Market 57.

Located on the ground floor of Pier 57, this food hall opened in 2023 with culinary input from the famous James Beard Foundation. It’s the newest food hall in Chelsea, and it stars a wide variety of food, from seafood and hot dogs to Korean, Cajun, Mexican, Mediterranean, Japanese, Chinese, and Thai. And let’s not forget the coffee, craft beer, and boba tea.

The space is open and casual with lots of seating. And you can’t beat the views of Little Island. To enjoy our meal, we walked down a hall to a quieter area with lots of tables, a large screen with dancing lights, and tall windows looking out on the river.

This was our nook, part of Pier 57’s Living Room on the ground floor. Isn’t it pretty?

It also has a mission-driven focus as an incubator for small businesses, particularly those owned by women and minorities underrepresented in the professional food industry. 

Here’s a lineup of the current Market 57 vendors:

• Ammi, for homestyle Indian comfort food
• LoLo’s on the Water, Caribbean flavors and seafood
• Bessou, Japanese favorites like karaage fried chicken
• Little Banchan Shop, for Korean kimchi and bibimbap
• Mijo, Mexican street food
• Sahadi’s, Mediterranean deli with takeaway options too
• Bird & Branch, cute coffee shop
• Mothershuckers, oysters where the shells are recycled
• Local Roots, for healthier fare
• Nom Wah, dumplings galore, including options for vegan and gluten-free
• Harlem Hops, craft beer and bar bites
• Zaab Zaab, authentic northeastern Thai food

I recommend trying dishes from a few different places. Think of it as a progressive lunch or dinner. Ammi was one of our first stops. Most of the recipes here come from Chef Jimmy Rizvi’s mother and his family, some dating back close to a century. I tried the dosa (pictured above), a crisp, thin rice and lentil crepe, cooked on an open griddle and filled with chicken. It came with sides of chutney and sambar, perfect for dipping, and was filling but not too spicy, as I had requested.

We also enjoyed the wings from LoLo’s on the Water and the incredible dumplings at Nom Wah. I liked the steamed shrimp better than the pork dumplings, but it’s nice to be able to try two flavors with one order.

Sahadi’s was probably our favorite spot. The bowl of beef, veggies, rice, and hummus was huge — definitely big enough for two people. And the lentil soup I had was so wholesome and hearty.

I can also recommend the paletas from Mijo, which we’re still talking about weeks later. Their tacos looked delectable (wild mushroom confit? yes, please!), but one can only eat so much. And I loved my “blackbird” latte from Bird & Branch, sweetened with blackberry syrup, honey and housemade almond macadamia milk.

Local tip: You can take your food upstairs to enjoy al fresco. The Pier 57 rooftop is a nearly two-acre public park with sweeping views of the Hudson River, Little Island, and Lower Manhattan.

10. Mercer Labs, Museum of Art and Technology

New York has many museums, but until it opened in 2024, there was nothing like Mercer Labs. 

Located in the heart of Lower Manhattan, just steps from Financial District landmarks like Trinity Church and the Oculus, this 36,000-square-foot building features 15 distinct spaces, each containing a unique interactive and multisensory experience. They involve digital projections, sound, light, mirrors, and other elements, experimenting with the interplay between art and technology.

You can never be sure quite what you’re going to get when you round a corner or step through a door. In one room I entered, I found everyone lying on the floor — why? There’s a QR code you can scan outside (wifi is free) explaining that the artist blindfolded himself in New York City for a week as an experiment in sensing the world without sight, which inspired him to create a listening room of spatial sounds, which you not only hear but also feel through vibration. It involves omnidirectional speakers and vibro-acoustic transducers under the floor, hence the reclining positions of my fellow museum goers.

In another room, I sat on a swing and spun in circles as a giant dove, brought to life in 16k projection, flew toward me, trailing glittering digital dust in its wake. Down yet another corridor, I found a large mechanized arm, contorting and shaping a sandy landscape, hypnotic in its precision and robotic movement.

The exhibits I experienced as described above, part of their inaugural “Limitless” exhibition, will be different than the ones you see today. “Maestros and the Machines” opened in April 2025 and is still running as of this writing.

But the setup is similar. You’re invited to interact with the art, and as a result, every person’s experience is different. 

Roy Nachum, the multidisciplinary artist behind Mercer Labs, explains it this way: “It’s not about what I have created. It’s about how viewers complete it through their own unique experience or interaction. The function of art is to see the world with new eyes.”

That just means this is a museum to discover again and again.

Things we said goodbye to in 2025

The great thing about New York? It’s always changing! One downside of New York? Sometimes things change, and you miss them.

Below are two of the interactive experiences that recently closed in NYC. If you’re planning your next trip and just want to know what you can see and do now, you can drop here or hop over to our New York tours to browse more ways to see the city. 

But if you’re like me and always curious what unique stuff a city has done — especially when it’s unusual — you might be interested in reading about these bygone experiences.

Life And Trust, a brief immersive theater

The immersive theatrical experience that was Life And Trust opened August 2024 and closed abruptly in 2025. It was originally hailed as a successor to Sleep No More, the previous site-specific production from Emursive, which ran for 13 years, reaching 2 million people and gaining international acclaim.

During its brief run, this Faustian tale centered on J.G. Conwell, CEO and chairman of the Life And Trust Bank. He traded his soul for the chance to relive his youth, and guests could travel back in time to the Gilded Age, following his story arc — or one of the other 20-plus characters — wandering as their fancy dictated.

The scenes unfolded across six floors. Dialogue was replaced with dance, gesture, expression, even acrobatics. And the sets were lavish: a pharmacy, funfair, tavern, theater, laboratory, ballroom, garden, lake, stables, and much more.

Though Life And Trust has closed, New York has a few other immersive theatrical experiences you can try, including “Masquerade” as mentioned at the top of this blog.

You can also still visit Conwell Tower in the heart of the Financial District with a stop into Conwell Coffee Hall. Enjoy the view of the massive 1930s mural behind the bank teller counter-turned-bar as you sip your cappuccino.

Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy at The Shed

Running through March 16, 2025, Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy brought back into the light the world’s first art amusement park. First created in 1987 in Germany and soon achieving worldwide acclaim, Luna Luna was then forgotten for decades, for a time housed in a storage facility in Texas, until now, when it’s been reimagined as an interactive art exhibit. 

You could see many of the original rides of the 1980s version of Luna Luna — a Ferris wheel by an NYC street artist, a swing ride painted by an LA-based pop surrealist, a carousel of bright colors and bold shapes. If you’re into art, you’ll recognize the collaborators: Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Sonia Delaunay, David Hockney, and Roy Lichtenstein, among others.

Some attractions you could even go inside, like a chapel where you can marry anyone or anything, an Enchanted Tree playing Johann and Joseph Strauss, a glass maze, and a mirrored geodisc. That last was designed by another well-known artist. Maybe you’ve heard of him? Salvador Dalí.

Although Luna Luna has left New York, the space where it was housed, The Shed, is always bringing in new exhibits to Hudson Yards, ranging from music and dance to sculpture, theater, digital media, and more.

There’s bound to be something new soon. That’s the magic of New York!

Feature photo credit: Mercer Labs