Things to Do in Brooklyn
Brooklyn Things To Do Guide
As modern-day philosopher and Brooklyn’s own rapper Jay-Z knows, people in Brooklyn go hard whether they’re working, playing, or exploring this diverse borough. The various neighborhoods, from Greenpoint to Brighton Beach, make up a rich mosaic and afford opportunities to rub elbows with carnies, artists, and more. With so many things to do in Brooklyn, even visitors with the strangest proclivities will find something to fill their Fridays.
Looking for stuff to do in Brooklyn to exercise both the body and soul? Walk or bike from Brooklyn to Manhattan across the Williamsburg Bridge, and take in the view of both picturesque skylines. While crossing the East River, notice the trusswork on this expansion bridge. For those explorers with boundless energy and unlimited time, a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see Edward Hopper’s “From Williamsburg Bridge” would be a perfect way to cap off this active day.
Not far from the Williamsburg Bridge sits The City Reliquary Museum, a collection of ephemera and dioramas that help tell the tales of this city’s illustrious past. In addition to memorabilia from various New York City World’s Fairs, this Brooklyn attraction hosts concerts, films, and neighborhood block parties, thus intermingling the stories of the city’s past with that of the museum’s visitors.
Past and present also coexist in Green-Wood Cemetery, located near Prospect Park. At nearly 500 acres, this cemetery boasts several famous “residents,” including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Leonard Bernstein, and Louis Comfort Tiffany (as in Tiffany & Co). The informative walking and trolley tours provide the history of this almost 200-year-old landmark, and more courageous visitors can take a flashlight tour of the cemetery and the Catacombs at night. This particular tour runs only during a full moon, so plan ahead.
From memorabilia to mausoleums, Brooklyn’s attractions will please anyone who wants to stay off the beaten path.
Things to Do Deals
Fitness Ladies
- Brooklyn
Sweat it out during challenging group fitness classes at a club that combine cardio and strength training to burn fat
Martial Arts USA Brooklyn
- Prospect Heights
Martial artist leads jujitsu, aikido, and cardio-kickboxing classes; an India-trained instructor helms yoga sessions
Pura Vida Urban Fitness
- Prospect Heights
Trainers lead full-body boot-camp drills, Zumba dance moves, and TRX resistance exercises during one-hour classes
Brooklyn Art Space
- Park Slope
The art space hosts lessons in a spectrum of creative disciplines, including watercolor-portrait painting, silk-screening, and bookmaking
Studio Maya NYC
- Prospect Heights
Versatile, open studio hosts ballet, Pilates, and other fitness classes primarily for women
Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
- Multiple Locations
Instructors teach students how to defend themselves against larger opponents during two- or six-week camps
Therapy Wine Bar
- Brooklyn
A bubbly mimosa enhances cheese and charcuterie plates, salad with pears and pecans, soup and dessert such as cookies or cheesecake
Yogashakti Yoga Center
- Queens
Yogis lead students through a series of postures that focuses on proper body alignment and harmonization of body with breath
Bonda Yoga
- Great Neck Plaza
Props help poses place less stress on joints so students can concentrate on flexibility, balance, and breath in beginner-friendly class
Laughing Buddha Yoga Center
- Clearview
Experienced yogis teach series of dynamic, breath-infused Vinyasa postures that unite mind and body to boost flexibility and strength
Recommended Things to Do by Groupon Customers
Tom Paladino, owner of the 95-foot American Princess, steers passengers over the Atlantic Ocean's scenic waters on many noted tours that leave the city's commotion behind, including his seal-and-bird-watching tour that earned a New Yorker mention. Staffed by a team of experienced captains on its luxury boats, American Princess Cruises' excursions encompass a variety of sightseeing, fishing, and partying opportunities. The company's many voyages ferry passengers past scenic areas that include New York Harbor, Jamaica Bay, Long Island Sound, or the Statue Of Liberty as she readies her torch for that night's show at Madison Square Garden. Within these geographic areas, passengers cruise on tours during which it's common to spot whales and dolphins cresting the sea's surface, the Sandy Hook Lighthouse, or take in the area's flame-colored leaves in autumn.
Take a floral safari through 39 acres of eclectic gardens on Queens Botanical Garden's map. Stop to smell the sweet, sweet honey in the bee garden, or hold hands in the beauteous meadow. To further blossom your budding brain, swing by Saturday or Sunday at 12:30 p.m. for the free, first-come, first-served 90-minute garden or building tour. Likewise, you can also enjoy specially scheduled events such as the upcoming MillionTreesNYC tree-care workshops; the workshops held on various dates will detail a citywide program aimed at planting and caring for one million new trees in the next decade (free for members). Other events include dance performances and, on June 20, a tribute class to the tree's greatest gift since sliced paper: origami (free for members).
