The Brooklyn Botanic Garden (bbg.org) and the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens (buffalogardens.com) are sites that showcase the beauty of nature and plants. Visiting the New York Aquarium (nyaquarium.com), the Queens Zoo (queenszoo.com), Bronx Zoo (bronxzoo.com), Central Park Zoo (centralparkzoo.com) and Seneca Park Zoo (senecaparkzoo) in Rochester gives people a close up view of wild animals. Families can view artwork by Titian, Raphael and Caravaggio at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (metmuseum.org) or Cezanne's paintings at the Guggenheim (guggenheim.org). Younger children will love the sights, games and toys at F.A.O. Shwartz (fao.com).
There are 40 Broadway theaters in New York City that put on a variety of musicals, dramas and comedies. Shows include the jukebox musicals "Mamma Mia!." classic musicals like "Anything Goes" and Shakespeare's dramas. Catch a musical show at Carnegie Hall (carnegiehall.org), a concert at Madison Square Garden (thegarden.com) or see the Rockettes at the Radio City Music Hall (radiocity.com). Music and standup comedy acts can be seen at the nonprofit Apollo Theater (apollotheater.org) in Harlem. The Lincoln Performing Arts Center (lincolncenter.org) puts on music, dance and other performances.
New York has sports to see in each season. Watch football at a New York Giants () game or a New York Jets (newyorkjets.com) game. The New York Knicks (nba.com/knicks) and New York Liberty (wnba.com/liberty) are professional basketball teams. Baseball fans can cheer on the New York Mets (mets.com) or New York Yankees (yankees.com), and hockey fans can watch the New York Rangers (rangers.nhl.com). New York has numerous outdoor activities around the state. Go camping in one of New York's many state parks, such as Allegany State Park in Salamanca and Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park in Yorktown Heights. Go to Niagara Falls State Park to view the Niagara Falls from the U.S. side.
There are many places in New York where visitors can learn about the history of the United States. The American Family Immigration History Center on Ellis Island (ellisisland.org) is a museum dedicated to the story of thousands of immigrants to the United States. The Statue of Liberty (statueofliberty.org) welcomed visitors in the past and the present. View the Manhattan skyline from the top of the Empire State Building (esbnyc.com) observatory. Watch a taping of Saturday Night Live or the Today show at Rockefeller Center (rockefellercenter.com). See the place where 192 nations meet on a tour of the United Nations (visit.un.org) building in New York City.
