We love New York City, but sometimes it’s okay to want to step into another world! Immersive experiences have been popping up around the city for years now, and it’s because they’re so interactive and engaging! The beauty of these experiences though is the variation in how you’re actually “immersed.” From visual/audio presentations taking up massive walls, to theatrical performances, to even one-of-a-kind dining experiences, there’s so many ways to dive head first into a mind-blowing escape from reality.
With that said, here’s our list of the best immersive experiences in NYC to check out right now:
1. The Queen’s Ball: A Bridgerton Experience
Step into the world of hit Netflix show “Bridgerton” when an all-immersive theatrical experience touches down in NYC this May. Sip on themed cocktails like the Whistledown & Dirty and enjoy live music from the show, all while viewing captivating dance shows and aerobic performances! Be sure to dress up in your best English Regency era costumes as well, since you can participate in the show and even take photo opps along the way! Get ready for the best Queen’s Ball of your life!
⭐ Buy tickets to The Queen’s Ball: A Bridgerton Experience here!
📍 508 W 37th St
2. Wonderland Dreams
Explore Alexa Meade’s “Wonderland Dreams” while you still can! New York’s “only-hand painted exhibit” brings to life the story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, including falling down the rabbit hole into secret rose gardens, attending mad tea parties, and literally putting you inside the frame of the artwork. There’s also “After Dark” sessions too which include a painting experience and alcoholic beverages!
🖼️ Buy your tickets to Wonderland Dreams here!
📍 529 5th Ave
3. The FRIENDS™ Experience
Are you ready to feel like one of the FRIENDS™ crew members? Walk onto a recreation of settings from the iconic sitcom, which include sitting on the iconic orange couch, ordering a coffee from Central Perk, lounging in Joey and Chandler’s living room chairs, and so much more! View real props from the show, take pictures with friends, among other activities! It’s truly the ultimate immersion for any FRIENDS™ fan!
🛋️ Buy tickets to The FRIENDS™ Experience here!
📍 130 E 23rd St
4. Destination Cosmos
Get ready for and out-of-this-world experience at Hall des Lumières, where you’ll take a journey through time and space. This visual and audio experience blasts you into the world of stars, planets, nebulae, and supernovae, allowing you to explore the Mars Rover, the scorching hot surface of the Sun, and more! Hang out on their first floor or sneak downstairs into their darker basement where you can lounge on beanbags, check out their mirrored room, and take pictures in a photo booth! It’s in partnership with NASA, so all of the visuals are top notch!
🧑🚀 Read more about Destination Cosmos here!
📍 49 Chambers St
5. Titanic: The Exhibition
Surround yourself by relics and artifacts from the world’s most famous shipwreck at Titanic: The Exhibition! Experience a narrative journey highlighting the events of the fateful day in 1912, all while sifting through old photographs, belongings, and personal anecdotes of passengers aboard the ship. Finish it off by walking through a recreation of the ship’s interior, from a first-class suite to a humble third-class cabin!
🚢 Buy tickets to Titanic: The Exhibition here!
📍 526 6th Ave
6. Dining in the Dark
Looking for a unique food-focused immersion? Head to Dining in the Dark, a tasting experience that will have your tastebuds tingling and your curiosity peaking! After you choose a specific style menu, you’ll be blindfolded, helping your other senses leap to new heights as you try out a delicious curated meal. Not to mention that the venue is darkened and candlelit, you’ll be walking into a culinary journey like never before!
🍽️ Buy your tickets to Dining in the Dark here!
📍 111 N 12th St, Brooklyn
7. Small is Beautiful
Immerse yourself into a miniature world where nearly everything needs to be looked at through a magnifying glass! The small works of art on display here will literally make you get on their eye level! We’re talking everything from tiny little pizzas to movie characters carved into pencil tips. The 130+ mini works and 80 photographs will shrink you down into an immersive world you never knew you needed!
🔎 Buy tickets to Small is Beautiful here!
📍 718 Broadway
8. SPYSCAPE Museum & Experience
Live out your dreams of becoming a real life spy at SPYSCAPE, where you’ll put your skills to the test! This interactive museum and experience will have guests dodging lasers, making and breaking codes, running surveillance, and learning to lie and spot liars, plus much more. It’s hands on, and the spy challenges were even designed by a former Head of Training at MI6! Plus, you will receive a dossier of your own capabilities to discover what kind of spy you would be.
💭 Buy your tickets to SPYSCAPE here!
📍 928 8th Ave
9. Museum of Digital Experiences
Get up close and personal with digital art installations at the Museum of Digital Experiences! Here, YOU become the art as your movements, reflections, and more control the immersive experience you get back! Whether you’re a tech enthusiast or art lover in general, participating in their 14 unique installations is totally worth your time!
Buy your tickets to The Museum of Digital Experiences here!
📍 65 Jay St, Brooklyn
10. Museum of Ice Cream
Dive head first into a world of sweet treats, where you’ll find everything ice-cream focused you could ever imagine! We’re talking everything from a swimming pool full of sprinkles to a three-story indoor slide. Of course the immersion wouldn’t be complete without some ice cream to eat too, which you’ll snack on along the way! The museum is located at 558 Broadway in SoHo.
Buy your tickets to the Museum of Ice Cream here!
📍 558 Broadway
11. Museum of Failure
Laugh at all sorts of hilariously gone wrong inventions at the Museum of Failure, an immersive experience of “what ifs.” Located in Brooklyn, this exhibit will look at failed products and innovations from huge companies and different industries from all around the world! If you’re not inspired (or crying laughing) by the end, we’ll be shocked!
Buy tickets to the Museum of Failure here!
📍 900 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn
12. Drunk Shakespeare
Where art thou Romeo?! Perhaps another drink Juliette? Join the Drunk Shakespeare Society for an immersive night of classic Shakespearean evening of revelry, cocktails, performances, and more! Each show is uniquely different and it’s a hysterical way to watch the actors give raucous performances while slamming down shots of whiskey.
📜 Buy your tickets to Drunk Shakespeare here!
📍 125 Pearl St
13. Sonic Sanctuary Sundays
Expect an immersive world music and wellness experience like never before, thanks to one-of-a-kind instrumentalists and wellness practitioners teaching you how to relax, ground yourself, and connect with nature. The 3 hour experience includes healing traditions from different cultures, a 360 spatial audio healing experience, meditation in a Himalayan salt cave, a cacao ceremony, plus more!
🧘 Buy your tickets to Sonic Sanctuary Sundays here!
📍 510 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn
14. Gustav Klimt: Gold in Motion
From the same crew behind Destination Cosmos is this experience, which celebrates the life and works of Gustav Klimt. Using cutting-edge mapping technology and elegant soundtracking, they turn their historic venue into the canvas of Klimt’s greatest pieces. Experience his most iconic paintings like “The Kiss” and “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” like you never have before.
🧑🎨 Learn more about Gustav Klimt: Gold in Motion here!
📍 49 Chambers St
15. SuperFunland at The Museum of Sex
The Museum of Sex always has something exciting going on behind closed doors! Their latest exhibition, SuperFunland: Journey into the Erotic Carnival, is an interactive indoor adventure perfect for everyone! Get ready to jump into their 4-D immersive “Tunnel of Love” ride, an erotic fortune-telling machine (modeled as RuPaul), a mechanical bull, and a lit-up climbing structure. This is the perfect way to take the edge off!
❤️ Buy your tickets to the SuperFunland exhibition here!
📍 233 5th Ave
16. Catacombs by Candlelight Tour
Immerse yourself into the legendary Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral as you unlock age-old secrets during this exclusive catacombs tour! In this experience, a tour guide will lead you through the hidden and off-limit areas of the church, telling you all about the history and spooky stories along the way. You’ll see the final resting places of famous New Yorkers who have left their mark on Catholic, New York, and American history first hand, as well as connect with the church’s past in a truly unique and unforgettable way!
⛪ Buy your tickets to the Catacombs tour here!
📍 263 Mulberry St