The best things to do in spring in NYC
There’s nothing better than spring in NYC. Be prepared: All those blooms, street fairs and flea markets will give you spring fever.
Hallelujah! It’s time to shed those winter layers and gear up for the best things to do in spring in NYC. There’s certainly no shortage of delightful things to do when all the flowers are in bloom. From strolling through some of the best NYC parks, to scoring vintage duds at outdoor flea markets and raging at some of the best spring festivals, we have everything you need for a supremely lovely springtime.
Best things to do in spring in NYC
The Orchid Show
Things get super tropical at New York Botanical Garden—just when we need it most. At the 15th annual Orchid Show, you’ll feel as if you’ve been transported to Thailand, this year’s theme, after viewing a kaleidoscopic range of vanda orchids. Come prepared to snap an envy-inducing Instagram shot of a traditional Thai pavilion adorned with hundreds of gorgeous plants. And if you think you have a green thumb, you’re in luck, you can nab one of your very own. Stay for the cocktails, Thai dance performances and live music on select nights.
Women’s History Month in NYC
NYC offers a bevy of ways you can show solidarity for your sisters during Women’s History Month. New York ladies are getting in formation by hosting a series of cool events that range from nabbing beauty services at one of the best blow dry bars to an all-female jazz festival, comedy show and more. You can even attend a global protest to fight for women’s rights!
Whisky Live
Three-and-a-half hours of tasting 300 kinds of the strong stuff? Take a deep breath; you can do this. Get into really good spirits by sampling Scotch, bourbon and whiskey from around the world at this international festival. Make a night of it by chowing down at a full dinner buffet and shaking it to live bands. However, we can’t guarantee that after a night of slugs, you’ll remember what tunes you were tapping your foot to.
NY Drinks NY Grand Tasting
Increase the ABV fun with a sampling of 200 wines from 40 New York wineries at this six-years-and-running vino tasting. Along with bottles hailing from the far reaches of New York (the Finger Lakes, the Niagara Escarpment), the two-hour event also features local artisans dishing out hors d’oeuvres like cheese and charcuterie that’ll pad your stomach so you don’t get too wine-sloshed.
NYC Cocktail Expo
Now we’re getting warmer. Slurp your way through this craft-cocktail fest with drink tastings stirred by mixologists from, primarily, Queens bars like Sweet Afton and the Bonnie. Witness a cocktail throwdown to determine the best drinks of the night while you nibble SoCal-inspired bites from Pinks. Tip: VIP guests can try two samples from each vendor.
Coffee & Tea Festival
The buzz you’ll get at this 12th annual sip fest is strictly of the caffeinated variety, but oh, what a buzz it’ll be. Savor perky pours from more than 60 nationwide vendors including Wandering Bear Coffee, Birds & Beans and Brooklyn’s Tea Dealers. Beyond downing copious samples, take part in seminars on topics ranging from coffee decaffeination, Chemex brewing and oolong comparative tasting, and head home with the childlike thrill of being utterly sober.
Macy’s Flower Show
Go to this event for the jaw-dropping arrangements decorated to fit a specific theme that are on display for two weeks. New Yorkers and out-of-towners alike flock to this floral-filled exhibition. The theme for this 43rd annual installment at the megachain’s Herald Square location was still up in the air at press time, but last year’s iteration, “America the Beautiful,” included about a million flowers, plants and trees, all lovingly rendered into scenes like purple mountain majesties and, yup, fruited plains.
The Bloody Mary Festival
Trick out your brunch-time cocktailing at this afternoon fest hosted by the tomato-and-vodka obsessed Bloody Mary Liberation Party. Sample six inventive pours from Kings County watering holes such as Iron Station, Catfish and Skylark Bar while getting down to beats by the hip shaking jazz band Sabor and The Afro Latineers.
Tribeca Film Festival
Looking to go from average moviegoer to hard-core cinephile? A ticket to Robert De Niro’s spectacular, showing buzzworthy premieres, under-the-radar docs and breakout indies, will do the trick. Some passes—priced as high as $1,250—give you unfettered access to all the events and talks but ticket prices for essential screenings ($10 matinee, $21 evening/weekend) are thankfully a lot more budget-friendly.
Bacon and Beer Classic
Winter’s over and it’s time to break those resolutions—what better way than a no-holds-barred blowout featuring 30 bacon-stuffed dishes and more than 100 craft brews? For three hours, stuff your face with porcine plates from restaurants like Bareburger and Delaney Barbecue while guzzling beers and ciders from breweries both local and national.
More things to do in spring
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Take inspiration from this list of 13 tours, experiences and days out that just might make you feel like a tourist in your own city
Find an awesome spring concert in NYC
Spring concert season is here, with a smattering of great shows to get you out of the house and enjoying the weather
Your ultimate spring in NYC bucket list
With so many cool art shows to attend and things to do outside in gorgeous NYC parks, your calendar will be full from March through June
The top 10 spring art shows in NYC
Check out our handy guide to the absolute best spring art shows at some of New York's top museums and art galleries
Major spring events guide
Events by month
New York events in March
Make the most of the last month in winter and check out the best NYC events in March including St. Patrick’s Day
New York events in May
Spring is in full swing and there’s no shortage of outstanding things to do on our events calendar this May.
Archive spring in New York content
Comments
Norikoh
Eating in Midtown can be tough. There are so many restaurants, and yet the prospects still seem bleak. When you find a place that’s consistent and tasty, you stick to it. one such restaurant is Norikoh, located just a few blocks south of Bryant Park. Though the restaurant’s interior is reminiscent of any Asian fusion restaurant in the city (stone walls, deep woods and the like), the food is not—it’s better. An order of shrimp cilantro gyoza ($6.75), pan-fried dumplings filled with the aforementioned seafood, scallions and celery, emerged from the kitchen piping hot and extremely enjoyable—these fresh, thin-skinned pockets went quickly. Also delicious was an appetizer of sweet bun sliders ($7), a riff on the ubiquitous pork belly bao sound in many Asian restaurants in New York. This time, though, you get to choose your meat (barbecue ribeye, braised pork belly or spicy pork). They’re garnished with pickled cabbage, cilantro and peanut powder, all of which help cut through the unctuous, fatty meat. Sushi is dependable here—a tuna avocado hand roll ($6.50) was fresh if a bit unwieldy. The namesake roll of the restaurant ($16) combines spicy salmon and jalapenos with tuna and tops it off with lemon, cilantro and tobiko. A volcano roll ($14) of crunchy spicy tuna, avocado, and cucumber topped with spicy kani salad, scallions, sesame and sweet Thai chili sauce was less successful, overwhelmed by its cloying sauce. In case you need warming, the restaurant offers an array of ramen a
Venue says: “Daily Happy Hour selections of our finest beers, sake, wines, & food 3pm-6pm”
Absolutely love Botanical garden in the spring time. Some more cool places to explore in Spring - https://www.renthop.com/blog/2016/10/top-10-hiking-trails-in-new-york-city/
NYC is a great place for having good time in Spring Season. This year I have a plan to visit DC through this https://www.getbustours.com/washington-dc-departures/ and after this will go ahead around NYC. I am very excited for enjoying the charm pink flowers on both of these places.
One more cool idea Pedicab Tours http://centralparktoursnyc.com
May I suggest taking a 20 minute PATH train ride to Newark to see the largest and most beautiful display of Japanese Cherry Blossoms in the country. Why not see the best, especially since it is closer than Brooklyn Botanical Gardens for many New Yorkers.
I've never seen that tour company Bruce, thanks for the heads up. It's always nice to have a couple recommendations when family and friends come into town. I'm always referring them to Get Up and Ride in Brooklyn since I'm a Brooklynite myself and have gotten amazing feedback. Check them out at http://getupandride.com. I'm really looking forward to trying their new sunset bike tour and rustic dinner bbq in May.
One of the joys of living or visiting New York is to rent a bicycle in Central Park, and bring a picnic lunch with a bottle of vino. Let the sun shine in. And later in the afternoon keep your aerobic muscles working by taking a walking food tour; http://walkingtoursmanhattan.com