15 Immersive Experiences in NYC To Try This Year

Pop quiz! 

Which founding father dabbled as an advice columnist Where is the last surviving 17th-century building in NYC And what secrets are hidden away in the Garment District?

Don’t worry if you got one out of three: that’s what scavenger hunts like these are for.

If you’re looking for immersive experiences in NYC that turn the city into a playground and your phone into a knowledge portal, these are for you.

Suitable for all ages and interests, these hunts turn NYC into a giant, live action board game where you and your team are the main characters. Instead of rolling dice, you’ll have to solve clues, puzzles and riddles that are sent to your phones to guide yourselves around historic sites, past iconic landmarks, and towards hidden gems, picking up neat trivia along the way.

Perfect for anyone who thinks they’ve seen it all—trust us, you haven’t–and hey, you might top the leaderboard and win a prize!

Looking for immersive experiences in NYC that you probably won’t have done before? Check out the Banksy museum.

In my experience, people feel one of two ways about street art: 1. It’s a mess and disrespectful to public property, or 2. It’s a neat way to brighten up dull urban architecture and spread messages.

Whichever way you lean, I think we can all agree that street art, when done well (and tastefully) can be a really interesting social commentary on where we’re at and what’s going on. 

If you haven’t heard of him, Banksy is a UK street artist who’s become one of the most famous street artists of our time. In this museum, you'll find iconic pieces, immersive displays, and even some controversial surprises. In other words, not your average art gallery.

Looking for festive immersive experiences in NYC this holiday season? Embark on a Christmas lights scavenger hunt!

This self-guided adventure takes you through the city’s most stunning holiday displays, blending the fun of an outdoor escape room with the magic of New York’s festive spirit.

Delivered via your phone, you’ll solve riddles, explore hidden corners, and discover the city’s best-kept secrets on a holiday-themed journey.

Perfect for couples, friends, or families, this immersive experience lets you dive into the season’s sparkle and charm while creating unforgettable memories in the heart of New York City!

Think you’ve got what it takes to be NYC’s next top detective? 

Test your sleuthing skills with a murder mystery adventure through the streets of Manhattan. As you follow clues and solve puzzles and riddles, you’ll uncover some secrets and maybe even save the day–depending on how well you crack the case. 

It’s like living inside your favorite crime novel—minus the bad coffee and boring paperwork.

If walls could talk, none would sound better than those Village Vanguard.

As NYC’s oldest jazz club, this legendary spot has hosted the greatest names in jazz for nearly a century. 

It’s got a cozy, dimly lit atmosphere, so it’s the perfect place to unwind and soak in soulful tunes. And listen, you don’t have to be a jazz aficionado to have a great time here. If you just want to enjoy live music in an iconic setting, the Village Vanguard promises an unforgettable night.

Looking for immersive experiences in NYC that turn you into a brainiac? Put on your comfiest shoes and get ready to take a stroll through time. 

Self-guided walking tours like these allow you to explore the city’s rich history at your own pace, whenever it’s convenient for you, so you don’t need to wait around or join a bunch of strangers to get your adventure started.

Instead, it’s just you, your team, your phones, and a whole bunch of riddles, puzzles and clues that lead you to famous landmarks, hidden corners, and reveal fascinating tales from the past. 

Oh and if you need a pick me up, you can pause at any time you feel like it (and you get recommended bar and cafe stops along the way, too!).

If you’re looking for immersive experiences in NYC that indulge your inner child (or you’re looking for things to do in NYC with kids), head to the Museum of Illustration.

Home to a collection of everything from comic book art to classic children’s illustrations, this museum is a treasure trove of visual storytelling. Perfect for reminiscing about the Saturday morning cartoons you loved or discovering new art forms, this place has a little something for everyone.

If you think Shakespeare is all thee’s and thou’s, think again! 

Drunk Shakespeare takes the Bard’s timeless works and adds a twist—one actor is tipsy while the rest try to keep it together. 

The result? A hilarious, unpredictable, and completely immersive experience that will have you laughing out loud. Each show is a one-of-a-kind experience, as the combination of alcohol and Shakespeare leads to spontaneous and often outrageous interpretations of sonnets and soliloquies that you thought you knew…

If you’re looking for immersive experiences that take you out of the “real” world and catapult you somewhere your imagination would struggle to create, I recommend checking out INTER_.

What is it? Well, it’s kinda hard to describe, but I’ll give it my best shot. It’s basically an art installation, but not like one you’ve been to before. Using cutting-edge art, light installations and technology, INTER_ blurs the lines between reality and fantasy. 

Just a head’s up that you’ll be given 3D glasses to improve your experience, but if you’re prone to motion sickness like me then take ‘em off if you feel nauseous. And make sure your phone is charged: the pics from inside here are awesome.

Honestly, finding unique and immersive experiences in NYC doesn’t have to be totally out of the box.

What I mean is, the activity itself doesn’t have to be groundbreaking or include state of the art technology to find yourself totally immersed. For me, all it takes is visiting somewhere cool and unusual, and one place that ticks my boxes is the American Folk Art Museum.

Celebrating the ingenuity of self-taught artists, this museum features everything from whimsical quilts to intricate carvings, all reflecting diverse traditions and cultures. 

The best part is, the museum is totally free to visit and the exhibitions change all the time, so you never know if you’ll be seeing pants and bloomers (yes, really) or enjoying work made by artists you’d otherwise never have heard of.

As its name suggests, Color Factory NYC is an interactive art museum that celebrates color in all its forms–no 50 shades of beige here. You’ll explore a series of colorful exhibits, each designed to engage the senses and spark creativity and get you appreciating your surroundings in technicolor. 

Highlights include a confetti park, a dance floor, and unique installations by renowned artists, but the biggest perk of all is to embrace the vibrancy of your surroundings. 

Leave the corporate world behind you and dive head first into an explosion of color, expression and creativity!

Think your eyes can’t deceive you? The Museum of Illusions says otherwise! 

This mind-boggling museum is full of optical illusions, trick rooms, and interactive exhibits that will have you questioning reality. I also love that the museum itself isn’t super big (you can easily see it all in about an hour and 15), but it’s super interactive and a really fun way to kill time and leave reality at the door.

Whether you’re a New Yorker or a visitor to the city, it’s never bad advice to look up every once in a while: there are hidden gems everywhere in NYC, whatever anybody tells you. 

But some of those hidden gems are in hard to reach places, like below the ground.

When you’re tired of the commotion going on above ground, take a guided tour of The New York Catacombs. Explore some dimly lit tunnels, learn about the history of NYC and the cathedral, and a little bit of spookiness.

I’ll admit that this is pretty niche, but around 66% of Americans own a dog, so I’m fairly paw-sitive that this will go down well with at least some of you. 

If you’ve never been, The Museum of The Dog is exactly what it sounds like: a place to celebrate man’s best friend. Explore exhibits on the history, art, and science of dogs, from famous breeds to heroic hounds from history (did you guys know that President Hoover’s dog was called King Tut? I love that for him!).

Think castles only exist in fairy tales? Think again! NYC and its surroundings are home to some fascinating castles that are ripe for exploration.

These historic structures are hidden gems scattered throughout the city and surrounding areas, and many of ‘em allow you to take a look around and explore.