The best fall activities in NYC to do with the arrival of Autumn

Carving a jack-o'-lantern may be a time-honored American tradition for many, but nobody—and we mean nobody—does pumpkin carving quite like the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze.

Every fall, pumpkins aplenty decorate this festive, family-friendly attraction. This year promises thousands of intricately carved jack-o'-lanterns in mesmerizing displays, plus dazzling new experiences.

Blaze: Hudson Valley runs at Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson in Westchester County from September 18 through November 8. Get tickets here.

The New York Comedy Festival is where the best of the best comedians gather each year. This time, it'll bring more than 200 comedians for more than 100 shows at iconic NYC venues from  Friday, November 6 through Sunday, November 15.

Its blockbuster lineup includes a wide range of talent from newcomers to comedy vets like Ilana Glazer. Peep the full schedule and list of talent on the festival website.

Now that temperatures are dropping, it's the perfect time to sip—not spill—some hot tea. Afternoon tea in New York City is for those who fancy a scone or crumpet alongside a piping hot kettle as a midday pick-me-up. From hotel restaurants to proper teahouses, here’s where to go for the best afternoon tea NYC’s got to offer.

Grab an empty basket and don your best plaid for a fall PYO adventure. At local farms in the tristate area, you'll find a generous offering of apple varieties and fun seasonal activities like petting zoos and corn mazes. We guarantee you're bound to stumble upon some apple cider doughnuts along the way.

This Queens County treasure is well worth the bus trek or car ride. As the city’s longest continually farmed site in the city (it’s been in operation since 1697), the 47 acres feels like an entirely different world compared to Manhattan.

Feed and pet the barnyard animals, including sheep, ponies and goats, hop aboard a hayride and take advantage of the fall harvest season when you can go pumpkin picking and attempt to find your way through the Amazing Maize Maze (yes, that’s a corn maze).

Going upstate to see fall leaves is great, but it's a trek. Luckily, if you know where to look here in NYC, there are some truly stunning foliage to see in many parks and gardens across the boroughs, including at Fort Tryon Park, the Greenbelt Nature Center, and Sunken Meadow State Park. Happy peeping!

When Louis Armstrong sang the inimitable lyric "I hear babies cry, I watch them grow," he was referencing the kids in his neighborhood of Corona and East Elmhurst, according to Regina Bain, executive director of the famed musician's namesake museum. And a new oral exhibit this fall will give a voice to his Queens community, highlighting the people who grew up next to Louis and Lucille Armstrong. 

Titled "The Corona Collection," the new exhibition at The Louis Armstrong House Museum runs through March 2026. Throughout, hear the voices of the Armstrongs' neighbors as they recount cherished memories, share heartfelt stories and dig into neighborhood histories. These oral histories offer an intimate look into the couple's life and their deep community connection. 

As the fall rolls in, there are probably a few things you crave—no, no, not pumpkin spice lattes—apple cider donuts. NYC’s network of open-air markets have all-things apple, year after year. Snag the sugary confection and stock up on apple cider while you’re at it, too. You can hop over to grownyc.org to find a market nearest you. 

The city is full of legit spooky spots and haunted places, from cemeteries and haunted mansions to a crumbling hospital and tragedy-prone island. 

These NYC ghost tours will take you through all the nooks and crannies where real-life horrors and paranormal sightings happened right in our own backyard. Whether you're a Broadway buff looking for theater lore or a history nerd up for touring historic buildings, there's a ghost tour for you.

Some might assume that sky-high imbibing is a spring and summertime affair, but it’s always rooftop season in NYC.

Even during rain, wind and lower temperatures, we simply swap the sunshine and frozen drinks for fireplaces and hot cocktails while still soaking up the skyline view. So grab a sweater and set your sights on the stars at the best cooler weather rooftops in NYC.

One of the top things to do in New York this fall includes drinking some of the best beer in NYC during Oktoberfest. Take in the beautiful fall foliage while drinking at one of the best beer gardens and German eateries in New York City. 

This year’s events include weeks-long waterside parties, brewery bashes and boozy feasts—all with plenty of German (and local!) beer. Prost!

It's hard to imagine today when we're constantly barraged with algorithm-selected content in the palm of our hands, but until the 1960s, the concept of turning on the TV and seeing images of Count Dracula one second and then the Vietnam War the next moment was incomprehensible. For the first time, people were seeing images of political assassinations, the oppression of protests and the carnage of war in their living rooms. 

Artists made sense of this surreal new reality—or tried to, at least—through sculpture, painting and collages. A new exhibit at The Whitney titled "Sixties Surreal" highlights the work made by more than 100 artists between 1958 and 1972, including a soft toilet, a phallic chair, an uncanny camel and feminist sculptures. The exhibition brings together famed works by artists including Yayoi Kusama, Andy Warhol, Romare Bearden and Jasper Johns, along with some more obscure pieces. See it all through January 19, 2026. 

The congested St. Marks area gets a purifying infusion of health and mindfulness with this stunning yoga studio in the East Village. Try out well-priced Ashtanga yoga classes at this cozy studio in a historic building where you'll feel the noise of the city melt away.

Setting it apart from other, more corporate-feeling studios, the space boasts exposed brick walls, a gently crackling fireplace, high ceilings dotted with skylights, cabin-like wood paneling, tall lemon trees, and a patio with even more fruit trees. It truly feels like an oasis. 

Courses run throughout the day and are new-user friendly. Get a drop-in class for $30; a three-class pack for $36, or a two-week unlimited pass for $49.

Beneath the cobblestone streets of the Seaport, secrets hid underground for decades—until now, that is. A walking tour led by the South Street Seaport Museum unearths the neighborhood's freaky and fascinating facts.

The museum's "Sinister Secrets of the Seaport" whisks visitors back in time for a 90-minute walking tour full of true crime tales about theft, organized crime, murder and even pirates. Tours are available for $40/adult. Whether you're a true crime buff or you're still soaking up the Halloween spirit, these tours make for a memorable afternoon in a historic neighborhood.

Carreau Club, the nation’s first pétanque bar, now offers an indoor location with more space to get your game on while sipping a drink—even when temperatures get chilly.

For the uninitiated, pétanque (pronounced puh-TONK) is a bocce-ball style French boules sport gaining popularity in the U.S., starting here in NYC.

For those new to the sport, don't worry: Each court reservation comes with a lesson from a pétanque guide, plus equipment and a seating area. For the more competitive pétanque player, join a league to get in on weekly games.

This "crazy mini-golf course" and entertainment complex straight from London offers three nine-hole golf courses across 23,000 square feet under 20-foot-high ceilings. For those new to the game, "crazy golf" is a British spin on mini-golf, but it's for a 21-and-over audience since craft cocktails are served by caddies on the course.

At Swingers NoMad, expect six cocktail bars with signature classic cocktails from London and D.C., as well as a variety of cocktails created specifically for NYC, private rooms you can rent, an opulent clubhouse and gourmet street food vendors with pizza, burgers and cookies.