4 Day New York City Group Tour
Day 1 You'll See:
Central Park NYC Dollarphotoclub
- Midtown New York City Tour
- Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum
- Lower Manhattan Tour
- Broadway Play
Day 2 You'll See:
- NBC Studio
- Rockefeller Center Tour
- Top of the Rock
- Macy’s Herald Square
- Times Square
Day 3 You'll See:
- Today Show
- Central Park
- American Museum of Natural History
Day 4 You'll See:
- Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
- 9/11 Memorial
- Chinatown & Little Italy
Day 1
Midtown New York City Tour
Day One of your 4-Day getaway has your group heading to Midtown Manhattan – indisputably the busiest, most exclusive and most crowded piece of real estate in all of New York, and home to many important landmarks; you’ll discover plenty of “classic city skyline”- type architecture here. Stops on this exhilarating jaunt include the Times Square Theater District, Bryant Park, Grand Central Terminal, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, Saks Fifth Avenue, the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and The Silver Screen’s darling – the Empire State Building! Bring your camera, wear comfortable shoes and prepare to be amazed at this fascinating and informative two-hour Midtown trek.
Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum
A stop at this “Wax Museum to end all wax museums” is an absolute must while in NYC! Madame Tussauds presents the ultimate “celebrity wax experience” in the heart of bustling Times Square, showcasing more than 225 celebrity figures so lifelike you may expect them to duck away from your cameras. A little trivia: “The” Madame Tussaud began sculpting at the tender young age of 17; during the French Revolution’s infamous Reign of Terror period, she was arrested and prepared for execution by guillotine. In a phenomenal stroke of good luck, she was spared from that grisly fate and commissioned to create remarkably lifelike death masks from unfortunate victim’s heads, which were paraded through the streets on poles like horrifying revolutionary flags.
If you can’t get to Hollywood, Madame Tussauds is the next best thing!
Lower Manhattan Tour
You’ve “met” Midtown and experienced Madame Tussauds; it’s time to check out Lower Manhattan! This iconic center of commerce in NYC, the fourth largest business district in the Nation and the place American history got its start deserves a little of your student group’s time and attention.
It’s where the first US Congress assembled and produced the Bill of Rights and where our first President George Washington was first sworn into office. It’s the home of Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange, and it is here, sadly, that the unspeakable 9/11 tragedy occurred, and where an important rebirth is underway. Walking tours depart from the Charging Bull Statue, cover approximately one mile’s distance and take around 2 hours to complete; you’ll see Wall Street, Trinity Church, Chinatown, Ground Zero and a host of other landmark attractions!
Broadway Play
Whether you’re after razzle-dazzle, loads of laughs or a classically enchanting New York evening, a Broadway production is just the ticket to perfectly close your first day in the city! Select a play, get to the theater, then sit back and enjoy the show – there’s nothing in the world like the time-honored tradition of the Great White Way experience, and with more than 40 venues to choose from, you’re sure to find something to appeal to everyone in your group. P.S.: Don’t forget to linger by the stage door for autographs!
Day 2
NBC Studio
Rise and shine! You’ve got a jam-packed day in-store, beginning with this sellout tour that ushers lucky guests through those hallowed halls at NBC and into the belly of their exciting New York operations! You and your group will have the opportunity to visit famous studios including Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show and MSNBC. You’ll drop by the NBC/Sharp Globe Theater, check out Broadcast Operations, tour the Makeup Room and visit the High Definition Mini-Control Studio. Feelin’ photogenic? Souvenir photos are taken at the news desk, and two extra-audacious volunteers from your group will have a shot at reading the news and giving a weather demonstration in front of the “green screen”; could this be your big break?
Rockefeller Center Tour
There’s no holiday highlight quite like the fairy-tale Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting event, and every Winter at The Rink, New Yorkers and city visitors, alike partake of one of NYC’s most celebrated Christmas traditions as they lace up their skates, re-tie their scarves and whirl away, with the bustling crowds and twinkling holiday lights a blurred urban backdrop to their carefree spin on the ice. Every trip to the Big Apple should include a tour of its most famous landmark and ultimate dining and shopping destination! Explore its 22 acres of amazing spaces and places, including the lush Channel Gardens and the Concourse - an incredible network of underground passageways, retailers, and stores connecting every building in the Center.
Tour Radio City Music Hall, visit NBC’s studios, grab a sweet treat or deliciously substantial bite – then head for the top of the Rock for unsurpassed views of the city.
Top of the Rock
Step aboard the supersonic elevator and soar straight to the twinkling, LED-lit Top of the Rock where you’ll enjoy exhilarating, unmatched and completely unobstructed 360-degree views of Central Park and the breathtaking splendor of the dazzling city skyline from three observation decks! Nothing beats this bird’s eye perspective of the City that Never Sleeps.
Macy’s Herald Square
Next up: a trip to Macy’s Herald Square! This NYC tradition, especially enchanting around the Holidays – is billed as the largest department store in the world, featuring eleven floors showcasing a vast and exciting inventory of more than half a million items! Constructed in 1902, Macy's Herald Square was the first building to house the modern-day escalator; it presently occupies an entire city block. Visitor Tip: Isidor and Ida Straus, co-owner of Macy's, perished tragically in the sinking of the Titanic; a memorial plaque honoring the two can be seen on the main floor at the memorial entrance. Experience all the historic magic of Macy’s – and bring your cameras!
Times Square
The undiluted cosmopolitan vibrancy and kinetic energy of iconic Times Square may seem overwhelming to a first-timer; its huge digital billboards, brilliant neon lights, and dazzling and delicious storefronts are just a part of the enticing explosion of sights, sounds, and attractions awaiting visitors to this bustling intersection in the heart of the Theater District! Times Square, portrayed time and again in popular cinema, is the home of the annually televised New Year’s Eve Ball Drop, the Paramount Building, Planet Hollywood, the Good Morning America show, and so many other hotspots and highlights it’s earned another nickname: “Center of the Universe”!
Rally your troops and go boldly forth into the dizzying crush; there’s too much to see and do here to waste time dilly-dallying! And so closes your second day in the City that Never Sleeps.
Day 3
Today Show
Up and at ‘em, sleepyheads; be sure to grab a quick bite! Day 3 in the Big Apple begins bright and early – your group is headed for the Today Show Plaza at Rockefeller Center to watch a live taping. You’ll learn how it all comes together, with great tips from the pros on designing a high-visibility poster; pick a spot at the front of the barricade to optimize your chance of being seen on TV and be sure to tell your friends and family back home to watch for you. For your best shot at meeting the hosts, you’ll want to line up on the 49th Street side of the Plaza. How EXCITING - and so New York!
Central Park
A stroll through the Big Apple’s gloriously landscaped 843 acre back yard is a mainstay of any NYC experience. This iconic landmark is a verdant oasis in the heart of the bustling city, offering visitors a sweet escape from the frenzied crush of crowds and a dizzying pace of life in the shadow of the serious skyscrapers. Our Country’s first real park features two ice skating rinks, 21 playgrounds, one of the largest merry-go-rounds in the States, its own Zoo, a stunning heirloom rose garden and is wound about with scenic footpaths. Birding and wildlife watching opportunities abound, and boat/kayak rentals can be secured at Loeb Boathouse.
Carriage rides through Central Park are an enchanting tradition, and plenty of open-air performance venues treat audiences to countless concerts and productions – the Shakespeare Festival is not to be missed!
American Museum of Natural History
If you’re of the notion every trip planned should incorporate a fabulous learning experience, you must be sure to dedicate a portion of your group’s New York City adventure to visiting this iconic treasury of natural history exhibits. The American Museum of Natural History is a behemoth; be ready for a lot of walking and a return trip or two; better yet, download and print the museum map and chart your maiden course of discovery by choosing from the myriad exhibitions to design your group’s self-paced tour of this world-renowned scientific and cultural institution!
Visit a lush butterfly rainforest, wrap your mind around the paradoxical “Power of Poison”, explore the Fossil Halls and discover mysteriously morphing denizens of the ancient deep in the Hall of Vertebrate Origins. Drift into the deep, blue sea of 29,000 square foot Milstein Hall of Ocean Life and embark on a fascinating journey through 14 full-sized dioramas and 8 stunning ocean ecosystem displays - then wriggle beneath the 21,000 pound model of a Blue Whale and say, “bioluminescence!”
Day 4
Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
The 151-foot tall Statue of Liberty was a generous gift to our Nation from the good people of France and is one of the most recognized landmarks in the world. Our beautiful blue lady stands tall on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, a breathtaking monument to freedom and democracy around the globe. Statue Cruises provide wonderful tours, ferrying you and your group out to our Lady, then on to Ellis Island’s Immigration Museum – did your ancestors enter America here? Here’s your opportunity to do a little digging.
9/11 Memorial
Every NYC travel itinerary should include a trip to this stunning commemorative landmark serving as our country’s principal institution concerned with exploring the implications of the horrific events of 9/11 and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing through a series of moving and relevant exhibitions. Portraits of more than 3000 9/11 victims are displayed on the site and a section of the “Survivors’ Stairs”- the stairwell by which hundreds of would-be victims escaped with their lives after the 9/11 terrorist attacks – as well as portions of the twin towers’ structural columns remain, sobering reminders of the horrific assault. We, as a nation, must never forget; where were you on that fateful day?
Chinatown & Little Italy
On this last outing of Day 4, you and your group will have a chance to get out and explore some of the most exciting, inviting, popular and picturesque neighborhoods in all of Manhattan. Wend your way through the traditional, old-world color and flavor of New York’s Little Italy district and stroll down exotic streets peppered with humble dumpling joints and intriguing open-air markets in its ever-burgeoning China Town. Prepare to experience sensory heaven; you’re going to want to sample. Go ahead - may as well indulge!
