Commonly known as The Met, The Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded in 1870 by Americans after an inspiring trip to Paris. It was decided that the United States needed a national institution and artistic landmark comparable to the Louvre and The Met was established to furnish artistic understanding, inspire, and encourage the development of creativity.

The Met has been located in the same grand, neoclassical structure on 5th Avenue since 1880 and has added on new structures such as the Cloisters, a religious and traditional style collection of galleries. More than just a museum, The Met and its beautiful facade have been used as a filming location for several movies including The Thomas Crown Affair, Maid in Manhattan, When Harry Met Sally, and Hitch starring Will Smith.

The Met is one of the largest museums in the world with two million square feet of galleries and exhibits. Permanent collections include works by Rembrandt, Albrecht Durer, Georgia O’Keeffe, El Greco, Renoir, and Winslow Homer. Five paintings by Vincent Van Gogh including his beautiful piece, Cypresses, three sketches by Leonardo da Vinci, and five paintings by Pablo Picasso are also on display for visitors.

The Met is open daily with guided and/or audio tours available as well as suggested itineraries so that you are able to view as much as possible during your visit.

Madame Tussauds remains the world’s most famous and most popular wax museum franchise since its original founding in 1770 Paris. Located near Times Square on West 42nd Street, Madame Tussauds curiosity shop is filled completely with amazingly authentic looking figures of celebrities, sports stars, film characters, pop culture icons, and world leaders.

This particular location opened in 2000 after the first American museum opened successfully in Las Vegas. The ropes and poles have been removed so that you may pose next to your favorite Hollywood stars and famous idols. Pretend to walk down the red carpet with Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, sing next to Katy Perry, or pose with your arm around Leonardo DiCaprio. Michael Jackson, Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe, and James Dean make up the pop culture exhibit while President Obama, Prince William and Kate Middleton, and Gandhi rest among the world leader displays. Marvel superheroes are in attendance as are cultural geniuses such as Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein.

Take advantage of group and birthday packages to get the most out of your visit with private access, souvenir photos, and a 4D film experience. Also, be aware that the winter and summer seasons are the busiest for the museum and waiting in line to get in is a possibility. Be sure to bring your camera to commemorate your visit with the stars.

Exploring America > U.S. Cities > New York City Tours

Songwriter Steve Goodman had the right idea: “Take me out to the ball game…take me out to the crowd…” 27-time World Champion New York Yankees take to the field this season in quest of yet another World Series trophy! Dedicated fans bent on seeing that bucket list shrinking might want to plan their Big Apple group getaway around some superstar home action at world-famous New York City landmark Yankee Stadium! So you’re not a Bleacher Creature; all fans of the Bronx Bombers have one thing in common: 24-7 loyalty to one of the most popular sports teams in the world! If tickets to an awesome home game aren’t on your agenda this trip, behind-the-scenes tours of Yankee Stadium gets you access to the Yankees Museum, Monument Park, The Dugout and Yankees Clubhouse where you’ll find all the sweet official Yankees memorabilia, sportswear and merchandise a fan could dream of! Whether you fantasize of playing for the “Pinstripes” or just love to watch them in action-Adventure Student Travel will help your group hit a vacation home-run, Sultan of Swat style! “It’s root, root root for the home team…”

“Meet the Mets! Meet the Mets! Stand right up and greet the Mets!” Bill Katz and Ruth Roberts penned this little ditty way back in 1961. Die-hard fans of this old New York ball club are famous for standing by their blue(and-orange) collar team, team, thick and thin. If you’re numbered amongst the faithful, and tickets to see your boys at “The New Shea” (Citi Field) aren’t part of your Big Apple travel agenda, make sure your travel group (you’re all Mets fans, right?) stop in at the Mets Clubhouse at 11 West 42nd grab yourselves some cool team memorabilia-they’ve got a huge selection of everything a long-time fan of the New York Metropolitans could want, with alotta caps at better-than-ballpark prices and all the “Mr. Met” a devotee could hope for. “…East Side, West Side, everybody’s comin’ down…to meet the Mets of New York Town!”

“Forms in Transit,” a striking cast sculpture near the east entrance of New York Hall of Science greets visitors to this popular museum, established in 1964 as part of the original World’s Fair; where other exhibits closed, it remained open and served as a resource for students. Its exhibits at the time were limited but included plans for the world’s first public “atomarium.” As the museum transitioned from its original purpose and science-fiction orientation to a relevant science museum, the first in New York City, plans for the display of an atom were realized with a $40,000.00 quantum atom exhibit, part of a $400,000.00 expansion and renovation. The museum’s growth and popularity with visitors was most unexpected and led to the city’s pursuit of further funds and expansions. Today, its outdoor display of restored rockets donated by NASA continue to draw crowds and over 450 exhibits, demonstrations, workshops and activities explaining science, technology, engineering, and math offer an energetic and immersive hands-on educational experience to visitors of all ages. Increase your understanding of scientific principles of motion, sight, and sound with a recess on the Science Playground; consider Seeing the Light-learn about color and sight perception; embark on NYSci’s Search for Life Beyond Earth and meet Camille, the new Mars Rover designed by two sisters! Have a Big Apple evening free? Grab your group and engage in after-hours scientific exploration of everything from ant communication to the magic and wonder of optic illusions with Science After Dark! Scavenger hunt or milky way and cookies with a 3D movie, anyone?

On Pier 86 you will find the world-renowned venerable veteran air craft carrier USS Intrepid; a tour of this museum receives billing as “The Most Inspiring Adventure in America” and a few hours here warrant a place on every group’s NYC must-see list. The Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum is a magnificent, mind-boggling, almost intimidating interactive carrier museum complex offering up close and personal viewing of 27 authentically restored military aircraft on Intrepid’s massive hangar deck, an 18,000 square foot education center, access to the USSS Growler, a Cold-War Era diesel electric submarine that carried out top-secret nuclear deterrent patrols and an optional tour of the newly re-opened Space Shuttle Pavilion. Want more perspective? Flight simulators G-Force Encounter and Transporter FX give you all the thrills of supersonic flight and a little insight into a pilot’s world. See the world’s fastest military jet and spy plane, marvel at propeller-driven WWII aircraft, and ooh and ahh over the British Airways Concorde, the fastest commercial airliner to cross the Atlantic-if you’ve ever wondered what the inside of its luxurious cabin might look like, here’s your shot! A variety of fascinating guided explorations tell their stories and you will find your group all ears as you fall back in time and relive history aboard USS Intrepid or get up close and personal with Space Shuttle Enterprise.

Finish up that Nathan’s dog, slurp that last drop of fresh lemonade, wipe your hands and get over to the wonderful and watery New York institution boasting as its claim to fame the fact that it’s the longest continually operating aquarium in the United States! The AA accredited New York Aquarium opened at Castle Garden in Battery Park, Manhattan, in 1896 where it operated until its relocation to the Coney Island Boardwalk in 1959 and is managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society as part of an integrated system of four zoos and the aquarium. Situated on 14 oceanfront acres, this waterworld comfortably houses over 350 aquatic species showing off their fine form in exceptional exhibits. Explore the awesome diversity of marine habitat-visit the coral reefs, freshwater lakes and flooded forests of Conservation Hall-get acquainted with the wonderful relationship of the colorful clown fish and the infamously irritable sea anemone. Introduce yourself to the wiggling walruses at Sea Cliffs-watch them slurp delightful herring snacks from a giant straw while hungry sea otters engage in a rollicking game of fetch-for lunch-and precocious penguins bob for prizes in their 300-foot *Rocky Pacific Coastline* habitat; meet and mingle with whiskery Aquatheater Stars at Sea Lion Celebration! (Psssst-Coming soon: the 57,000 square foot “Ocean Wonders: Sharks” exhibit!)

Best known as the home of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and the dancing Rockettes, Radio City Music Hall has wowed, lured, and entertained visitors since its opening in 1923. Built as part of John D. Rockefeller’s revolutionary Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall is an art deco masterpiece and a national landmark theater that has hosted movie premieres, sold-out concerts, and award shows for decades.

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular is a generational tradition and the number one holiday production since 1933 when it first debuted. Since then, Radio City has been used for movie premieres of greats like Breakfast at Tiffany’s, To Kill a Mockingbird, Mary Poppins, and White Christmas. Music idols such as Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, and Liberace have taken the stage in the past. Today, you may buy tickets to see Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga share the stage among other artistic productions. Visit during the winter to catch the Christmas Spectacular performed by the Rockettes or take a tour and meet one in person.

The building itself is a monument to Rockefeller’s roaring ‘20s architecture, an artistic remnant of the art deco movement. The Great Stage arches 60 feet into the air and reaches its arms 100 feet wide to envelop the more than 6,000 seats in the audience. The Mighty Wurlitzer organ was built specifically for the theater and is still in use to captivate the audience in its grand groans, angelic sopranos, and fantastic bass notes.
Exploring America > U.S. Cities > New York City Tours

There is never a shortage of things to do in the Big Apple, but if you need to slow down a little from the hectic chaos of the city all you need to do is step inside the 843 acre oasis between 5th Avenue and Central Park West. Central Park is as pivotal a landmark to New York City as the Empire State Building, being the first major landscaped public park in the country, established in 1843. Since then, the park has lured millions of tourists and locals alike into the meticulously manicured gardens and amazingly diverse attractions hidden within the trees.

Jog the paved pathways, picnic on the lawns, or take your dog through the park on a nice Spring day. If you enjoy nature, boat along the lake, sit and watch the flowing waterfall at the Loch, explore Shakespeare Garden, or sit and read on Cherry Hill or the Great Lawn. Explore iconic Central Park features like the Mall and Literary Walk or the dozens of sculptures and fountains that decorate the landscape. See beautiful renditions of Alice in Wonderland, Simon Bolivar, Ludwig van Beethoven, the hero dog Balto, Romeo and Juliet, and the gorgeous Bethesda Fountain to name a few.

For groups with children, have some fun at the carousel or the many playgrounds. Visit the rides and attractions at the Victorian Gardens Amusement Park and then head over to the Central Park Zoo or even the pool. The Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, Belvedere Castle, Wollman Rink, and more offer visitors a diversity of entertainment for every season. Play a game of volleyball or tennis on the courts, catch a concert or a play at the amphitheater, or take a custom or group tour of the park to learn more about the ecology, history, and design.

Big things come in small packages: open year-round, this wonderful 6.5 acre zoo in the midst of verdant Big Apple refuge Central Park, is no exception to this rule! What had its humble origins as a *menagerie* of gifted and donated exotic animals and pets in the mid-1800s soon evolved into a full-fledged, properly-housed zoo. As its population grew and times changed, old-fashioned accommodations saw much-needed upgrades and now the resident creatures happily thrive, play and court visitors to naturalistic habitat exhibits with their daily routines and antics. Would you have believed-if you hadn’t read it here-there exists a Sea Lion Pool in New York City, or that the Central Park Zoo is home to one of the most important collections of rare snow leopards in North America? Listen to lemurs’ territorial declarations and marvel at the Red Bird of Paradise’s elegant “Butterfly Dance”; observe an adorable Red Panda foraging for food, tally red-bellied turtles in the wetlands and trek around a tiny, rocky island populated by Snow Monkeys! Be a guest at a Penguin fish feed, catch silly sea lions showing off or giggle and gawk at tufted puffins. Stop for some healthy refueling at The Dancing Crane Café; in warmer weather, the Central Garden offers visitors a fabulous respite -be sure to stop and smell the heirloom roses!

Exploring America > U.S. Cities > New York City Tours