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Photograph: Courtesy Phil Greenberg

The best things to do in Dumbo, Brooklyn right now

Just over the Brooklyn Bridge, find charming cobblestone streets that are chockablock with great things to do in Dumbo, Brooklyn.

Shaye Weaver
Written by
Jennifer Picht
&
Shaye Weaver
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Dumbo, Brooklyn is home to arguably one of NYC's greatest glow-ups. The neighborhood, once dominated by aging warehouses, has been reimagined with upscale shops, apartment buildings, and offices that offer some of the best waterfront views of Manhattan (including the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridge). 

Aside from top-notch restaurants and renewed public spaces, the area draws awesome events throughout the year while the Dumbo Business Improvement District hosts community gatherings and weekend flea markets beneath the Manhattan Bridge. Speaking of markets, Time Out Market New York, a marketplace-style dining experience by yours truly, rounds out the flourishing food scene—gorge on meals from some of the top chefs in the city, order drinks from the venue’s various bars, and catch top-tier entertainment curated by Time Out New York's editors. 

How to get to Dumbo, Brooklyn

Take the 2/3 train to Clark Street, the A/C to High Street or the F train to York Street.

Time Out Market in Dumbo, Brooklyn

  • Restaurants
  • Food court
  • DUMBO
  • price 1 of 4

We’ve packed all our favorite restaurants under one roof at the Time Out Market New York. The DUMBO location in Empire Stores has fried chicken from Jacob’s Pickles, pizza from Fornino, inventive ice cream flavors from Sugar Hill Creamery and more amazing eateriesall cherry-picked by us. Chow down over two floors with views of the East River, Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan skyline.

Things to do in Dumbo, Brooklyn

Get artsy under an archway
Photographer: Noemie Wurtz

2. Get artsy under an archway

If there's one spot in Dumbo that's bound to host a live event, it's The Archway, a 45-foot-high arch beneath the Manhattan Bridge (you’ll find it on Water Street between Adams Street and Anchorage Place). The space was formerly used by the NYC Department of Transportation to store scrap metal but has since been restored as public space—especially in the summer, stop by and you might discover anything from live music and art workshops (even dance parties) right beneath the iconic archway (and often for free).

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  • Things to do
  • Quirky events
  • Vinegar Hill

Are you a MacGyver or a MacGruber? During Beat the Bomb—an action-packed adventure that is equal parts escape room and immersive arcade game—you and a team of up to six people work together to beat five live arcade games. If your crew can’t beat all the games in less than an hour, a “bomb” of colorful paint will transform you into a heady tie-dye project. Don’t worry about your threads: Contestants are given head-to-toe coveralls before the game begins.

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Attractions
  • Parks and gardens
  • Brooklyn Heights
  • Recommended

This beautiful sections of the Brooklyn waterfront is an 85-acre expanse with several unique attractions such as Jane’s Carousel, a restored 1920s merry-go-round, and riverside esplanades with gorgeous Manhattan views. Check out Pier 2, a three-acre site designed specifically for "active recreation" (sporting leagues, picnics and roller skating) with a 6,300-square-foot lawn and a water play area, and the new Squibb Bridge. Also, don’t miss out on new art installations that pop up frequently!

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  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Shopping
  • Toys and games
  • DUMBO
  • price 1 of 4
  • Recommended

Known for hawking gorgeous, glossy photo books, powerHouse Arena’s airy, gallerylike atmosphere also makes it a worthy stop for browsing beach-season reads. If you visit the store on the regular, you’ll hear guest authors (think Gary Indiana and Jenny Zhang) and see new, eclectic art exhibitions created by big-name brands and local stars.

  • Restaurants
  • Pizza
  • Brooklyn Heights
  • price 1 of 4

The tourist hordes haven’t ruined Grimaldi’s, whose pedigree–going back to Patsy Grimaldi’s first job at his uncle’s pizzeria in 1941– assures it guidebook coverage. The jukebox still honors Sinatra, and the waitstaff remains surly. But oh, the pizza: a thin crust covered with a mozzarella-to-sauce ratio that achieves the Platonic ideal.

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Stop by A.I.R. Gallery
  • Art
  • Galleries
  • DUMBO

Check out A.I.R (Artists in Residence, Inc.), which has deep roots in the New York contemporary gallery scene. Not only was it one of Soho’s very first galleries when it opened in 1972, but it was also one of the first artist-run, nonprofit dedicated to women artists in the United States. A.I.R has moved numerous times over the years—from Soho to Chelsea to its current Dumbo home—but it’s always kept its feminist focus. 

Dumbo’s First Thursdays (October to June) keeps galleries open late for visitors, too, so it’d be the perfect time to stop at A.I.R. and the nabe’s other great galleries.

  • Music
  • Classical and opera
  • Civic Center
  • price 2 of 4

Feel posh as hell while listening to a chamber concert on a former coffee-bean barge. Bargemusic’s Masterworks Series presents performances of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Dvorak, and other greats while you bask in glittering panoramic city views. Grab a drink and make a pit stop at Brooklyn Bridge Park’s restrooms before hopping aboard—the barge has no bathrooms, and no food or drink is permitted.

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  • Restaurants
  • Mediterranean
  • DUMBO
  • price 3 of 4

Celestine, a self-described “Eastern Mediterranean” spot, has planted itself on John Street in Brooklyn Bridge Park, with views of the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, the East River and lower Manhattan. Some big names are behind the project: Julian Brizzi (Rucola, Grand Army Bar) and Noah Bernamoff (Mile End Deli, Black Seed Bagels) were part of the original team, with chef Sean Froedtert (Comparti, Rider, Cookshop) who now runs the kitchen. Watch for dishes inspired by coastal locales like Beirut and Sicily, with meze and larger entrées like seared branzino and a brisket burger. But the star, obviously, is the feast-your-eyes vista.

Go on an outdoor art crawl
Photograph: Shutterstock

10. Go on an outdoor art crawl

Several Dumbo galleries house photographs and other contemporary works by a range of talented creators. But for those who want to soak up the sun while getting in their culture, we recommend taking a fresh-air tour of the ’hood’s murals. Time Out Tip: See Tom Fruin's polychromatic Watertower sculpture (atop 20 Jay Street) from Time Out Market's fifth-floor rooftop terrace.

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