Bryant Park's annual two-month-long holiday celebration boasts local vendors for shopping, an ice rink for skating and vats of hot chocolate. Its 17,000-square-foot ice skating rink is free to use (if you bring your own skates), while about 60 shopping and food kiosks are there to peruse—all at one of NYC's best parks.

This rooftop destination at South Street Seaport has transformed for winter with mini cozy cabins. Each cabin is able to fit up to 10 guests and is decorated with fun winter décor and amenities including virtual fireplaces, electric heating, cozy banquettes and, of course, jaw-dropping, floor-to-ceiling views from its prime location on the East River waterfront.

If you’ve got a hankering to reconnect with wildlife, check out this Bronx go-to, the biggest metropolitan zoo in North America. With more than 265-acres of animals and wildlife, you won’t be able to see everything in one day, so consider checking out the Himalayan Highlands and African Plains exhibits. Don't miss this year's Bronx Zoo Holiday Light show running until January 10 with more animal lanterns than ever before.

The Rockefeller Christmas Tree is a beaming, brilliant symbol of the holiday season. The sparkling yuletide icon still remains one of the best things to see in the city every December and this year is no different. Stop by to check out this year's illuminated tree—which hails from Oneonta, New York—anytime after its lighting on December 2.

This 4.5-acre city park on a former landfill hosts large-scale sculpture exhibits year-round. Not only does it always have incredible sculptures, its art is set to the backdrop of the East River and the Manhattan skyline. It’s open 365 days a year, offering music and dance performances, movie screenings, yoga and more. “Monuments Now,” an exhibition on view through March 2021, features a trio of artists—Jeffrey Gibson, Paul Ramírez Jonas and Xaviera Simmons—presenting large-scale objects.

This 250-acre verdant oasis is smack dab in the middle of the concrete jungle. The NYBG is a historic destination open to guests year round. This year, it's adding a splash of color with its holiday celebration, NYBG Glow, an outdoor light experience that will brighten up the grounds with Enid A. Haupt Conservatory at its center.

Brooklyn Bridge Park, with its grassy expanses, copious bike paths, public art displays, basketball courts and gorgeous views, has attractions worth visiting year-round. The Pier 2 Uplands, a three-acre site that includes a 6,300-square-foot lawn and a water play area, and the new Squibb Bridge recently opened. Also check out the new Public Art Fund display Reverberation, made of large bells by San Francisco-based sculptor Davina Semo.

"Celestial," the latest digital art exhibit at this immersive gallery space in Chelsea, is a stunner. Visitors to the underground attraction are taken on a "journey beyond the skies" based on Pantone's Classic Blue (yes, the color), which is said to create a sense of peace and tranquility. The new installation aims to do the same through sights, sounds and sensations.

Built in 1804, the New-York Historical Society is the oldest museum in New York City and features more than 1.6 million works that explore the history of the city and the country, including exhibits, art and historical artifacts. Starting in November, the institution is housing the world-famous Waldorf Astoria clock for visitors to examine while the iconic hotel is renovated.

This gorgeous, late 19th century neoclassical institution displays some of the finest examples of art—spanning from mummified royalty of ancient times to avant garde fashion couture. Don’t miss its new signature exhibition celebrating the museum's 150th anniversary, called “Making the Met, 1870-2020,” as well as The Costume Institute’s “About Time: Fashion and Duration,” which this year’s canceled Met Gala was based on.