Brooklyn attractions

Set on Atlantic Avenue in the borough of Brooklyn, NY, the Barclays Center is an indoor arena staging top-tier entertainment and sports events. The striking-looking venue opened on September 28, 2012, and hosts the Brooklyn Nets basketball team, the New York Islanders ice hockey team, championship boxing, and concerts by premier music artists.

Behind its imposing grey façade and bronze-adorned gateway, the Central Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library houses one of the city’s largest contemporary and historical collections of reading materials—comprising over one million books, magazines, and multimedia materials.

A diverse and inclusive nondenominational church in Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Tabernacle offers weekly prayer services and is home to a Grammy Award–winning gospel choir. Music fans enjoy listening to the choir, and visitors find a welcoming environment and open-door policy at the church.

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a calming, 52-acre (21-hectare) oasis in the middle of a busy borough. Located adjacent to Prospect Park, the garden boasts an impressive selection of plants, flowers, and trees. The Children’s Garden addresses sustainability, while the Fragrance Garden encourages everyone to stop and smell the flowers.

Offering everything from artisanal crafts to vintage clothes, Artists & Fleas is a weekend-only indoor market in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. As with its two NYC sister locations in Manhattan’s Soho and Chelsea neighborhoods, this flagship marketplace is a hot spot for curio-seekers, crafters, creatives, and souvenir hunters.

At the New York Transit Museum, visitors get a firsthand taste of the city’s history with vintage streetcars, historical photos, and rotating exhibits. Centrally located in a 1936 subway station in Downtown Brooklyn, the museum is popular with families for its hands-on, large-scale exhibits.

One of New York's favorite family-friendly destinations is the Brooklyn Children's Museum. Perfect for kids from 6 months to 8 years old, this interactive museum provides inclusive spaces, daily cultural and arts programs, and educational exhibits—from kid-sized stores in World Brooklyn to diorama habitats in Neighborhood Nature.

An ethnically diverse neighborhood with an industrial waterfront, Sunset Park is the place to experience real life in Brooklyn. Instead of chain stores and trendy loft buildings, you’ll find mom-and-pop stores, dumpling shops, schools, and brownstones—all part of Sunset Park’s old-school New York vibe.

A cultural beacon centrally located in New York's hippest borough, the Brooklyn Museum boasts a permanent collection of more than 1.5 million pieces and hosts several rotating exhibits yearly. The museum has a little of everything, from one of the largest Egyptian art holdings in the country to a robust American decorative arts collection.

Brooklyn’s Sunset Park is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the world. Visit to explore the city’s largest (and arguably least touristy) Chinatown, and indulge in foods from across the world, including some of the city’s best Mexican, Central American, South American, and South Asian dishes.

For some of New York City’s most famous chocolate treats, head to Jacques Torres Chocolate. Stop by the company’s flagship store in DUMBO, Brooklyn, or one of the other outlets around the city, and enjoy a variety of treats, from handmade truffles to mugs of luxurious hot chocolate and custom-made ice cream sandwiches.

The major thoroughfare of Flatbush Avenue runs south through Brooklyn from the Manhattan Bridge to Jamaica Bay. Travel along the road to view multiple attractions, including Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, lively restaurants, art deco theaters, and historical neighborhoods such as Victorian-era Flatbush in the heart of Brooklyn.

Situated on the East River, between the Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges, this former industrial site is home to numerous businesses, from jewelry makers to movie studios. The Brooklyn Navy Yard presents three floors of exhibitions, offers tours and tastings, and gives visitors the opportunity to buy Yard-made product at its gift shop.

Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is a modern entryway to New York City, welcoming visitors to Red Hook, Brooklyn, as well as providing easy access to nearby Manhattan. With no shortage of things to do in New York—the city has a plethora of world-class attractions, museums, shows, and dining options—tours are the best way to see more in less time.

With more than five floors of themed galleries, including games, multimedia displays, and interactive exhibitions—Brooklyn’s Jewish Children's Museum is the largest and most comprehensive museum of its kind in the United States.

For more than 150 years, Brooklyn Academy of Music—known as BAM—has been showcasing the best of avant garde film, dance, theater, and dramatic arts. Drawing more than half a million annual visitors, BAM’s three Brooklyn venues host more than 200 annual performances.

Covering 478 square acres (193 square hectares), the Green-Wood Cemetery lies in the borough of Brooklyn, just south of Prospect Park, in New York. Founded in 1838 on a former Revolutionary War battlefield, this park-like cemetery houses more than 560,000 graves—including those of many notable figures—making it a fascinating place to stroll.

Few people think of farming when they think of the Big Apple, but Brooklyn Grange, a rooftop farming and green roofing business, is trying to change that. Started in 2010, it now produces upwards of 80,000 pounds (36,300 kilograms) of organic produce yearly—grown in sustainable rooftop gardens atop three NYC buildings.

On a hot summer day, you can hear the click and rumble of Brooklyn’s Cyclone from a block away—quickly followed by gleeful screams as the roller coaster reaches its first drop. More than a thrill seeker’s dream, the Cyclone is a rideable piece of Coney Island history that has been a New York favorite for decades.