If you’re looking for things to do in Brooklyn as soon as you move there, there’s no shortage of options. We’ve gathered ten things everyone new to the area should check out, including a smattering of tourist attractions as well as local hotspots.
1. Take a Stroll Across the Brooklyn Bridge
Arguably one of NYC’s most iconic structures, the Brooklyn Bridge connects Brooklyn with Manhattan. While the Brooklyn Bridge Park hosts everything from movies to fitness activities and has a play area for kids, the mile-long bridge affords views you won’t find anywhere else. If you plan to walk or ride a bike, you’ll be taking the pedestrian walkway, free and clear above the traffic. Give yourself about an hour to take it all in, especially if you’re going on a holiday or weekend, as thousands of visitors flock to the site each week. If you’ve got more than an hour, head down to the park or take one of the many tours and cruises or ferries which connect there.
2. Pop into the Children’s Museum
If you’re looking for things to do in Brooklyn with younger kids, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum is a must. It offers a wide array of hands-on exhibits, enabling kids to explore the word around them, learn about various cultures, and take in child-friendly artwork.
3. Hit the Transit Museum
Kids and adults alike will enjoy a trip to the New York Transit Museum. This hidden gem is tucked away in a decommissioned subway station and shows off a series of vintage subway cars dating back as far as 1907. As you walk through the various exhibits and collections, you’ll learn all about the history of the local transit system, essentially giving yourself a beginner’s course to NYC, its layout, and how to get around.
4. Explore the Navy Yard and BLDG 92
In a similar vein, BLDG 92 of the Brooklyn Navy Yard offers three floors of maritime exhibits to explore. You can also grab a tour of the full yard and learn all about its history and current happenings.
5. View Fine Art at the Brooklyn Museum
If you appreciate the finer things in life, a visit to the Brooklyn Museum is in order. With regular collections featuring everything from ancient Egyptian art through contemporary, American, Asian, and African art, as well as an array of rotating exhibitions, there is always something guaranteed to pique your interests.
6. Check Out the Brooklyn Flea
Dubbed “One of the great urban experiences in New York” by the New York Times, the Brooklyn Flea is a roving flea market. From April through October, you find the Flea in various spots throughout DUMBO on Sundays and Saturdays in some locations. It moves indoors for the colder months. This is your first real chance to see NYC through the eyes of a New Yorker, as you’ll find an eclectic selection of art, furniture, sundries, food, jewelry, clothing, and more, all representative of the various cultures which influence NYC.
7. Get Gear at the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co.
If you’ve ever dreamed of being a superhero (who hasn’t?!?), now’s your chance. The Superhero Supply Co. has everything you need to create your New York crime-fighting alter ego, from capes to superpowers in a can, and Thermochromic Glux. Come prepared though. The shop also caters to villains and has a good bad selection of bottled black holes, particle guns, mind-reading tools, and more. Also, the shop is just a front. The Superhero Supply Co. has a secret area devoted to helping students do better in school and improve their writing and literacy skills. Indeed, whether you pick up supplies for good or evil, your purchase will go to a heroic cause, so add this to your list of things to do in Brooklyn too.
8. Take in Bushwick’s Street Art
Some of NYC’s best art will never be found in a museum. If you want to see it, you’ll need to include a visit to Bushwick on your list of things to do in Brooklyn. The collection now spans across more than 100 blocks and features street art and graffiti art by dozens of local and visiting artists. While most of the painting done is still illegal (painters don’t often get permission of the building owners before beginning a project), the practice is largely accepted because it brings beauty and tourism to what otherwise might be a grim warehouse district covered in tagging. Oftentimes, artists return repeatedly to maintain their work are repair damage or areas are redone entirely. This makes the landscape everchanging and keeps people coming back for more often. If you go, consider taking a formal tour, so you catch the best spots.
9. Check Out the City Reliquary
While technically also a museum, the City Reliquary is more geared toward locals. It hosts a rotating group of community collections as well as NYC artifacts, plus has events that tend to appeal more to the eclectic and offbeat.
10. Attend a Rooftop Garden Workshop
NYC does things a little differently, and one of those things is gardening. If you’re coming in from virtually anywhere else, you’re accustomed to sprawling gardens and farms. That’s clearly not an option in the Big Apple, but there are plenty of roofs. Brooklyn Grange happens to be one outfit devoted to the practice and offers tours. You’ll also find an array of workshops for things like creating your own garden, beekeeping, and other things related to farming, wellness, and sustainability.
Get Help Moving to Brooklyn
Now that you’ve got some idea of things to do in Brooklyn once you’ve arrived, let’s work out how to get you here. The experts at Metropolis Moving handle both local moves for our neighbors here in NYC and long-distance moves for those coming into the area or leaving. We have more than 100 awesome reviews on Yelp and would welcome the opportunity to show you how we’ve earned our five-star rating. Get your free online moving quote or call us for details at (718) 710-4520.
