Traveling is often associated with visiting a warmer place, I mean there is a good reason for tropical escapades to be an all-time favorite among many travelers, everyone loves spending time on the pool or at the beach, with a tropical beverage on your hands. However, just like ice cream, some places offer an almost completely new flavor and perspective when you visit them during the colder months and so in this post, we´ll make a little list of things to do and see during the winter months in and around New York.
Now, as with any other trip, you should organize your transportation carefully, as having a good way to move around allows you to better explore, not only the city and the many things it offers but also some amazing outdoor activities that are not necessarily within the city’s radius. A good option, in this case, is to rent a car as it allows you to explore the city comfortably, and if your travel group is numerous then you’ll find options such as vans and SUVs. If you don’t know how to rent a car, head to Miles Car Rental, there you can find, not only the best prices but also the best variety of rental cars and plenty of advice on how to go through the rental process.
So, without further ado let’s begin our cold adventure through New York!
Read More: New York City food Tour
Winter Activities in New York: Go for a cup of hot chocolate
Few things can compare to drinking a good cup of hot chocolate on a cold day, maybe is the sweetness or the warmth, even the marshmallows floating at the top, but whatever it is, it does good to the soul, and so, on this cold adventure to New York, our first stop will be a couple of cafes and restaurants that are well known by their delicious hot chocolate, because you see, New York is quite renown by its hot chocolate! Of course, there are a lot of other tasty things to eat at these restaurants but don’t miss out on the hot chocolate.
Hot Chocolate at Dominique Ansel Bakery
If you like marshmallows floating on your chocolate you´re going to love this one, as famous Dominic Ansel Bakery offers a fun little twist regarding marshmallows. You see, this bakery is famous for its blossoming hot chocolate. What’s that you ask? Well, it’s your average hot chocolate with a marshmallow floating at the top, however, the marshmallow comes in the shape of a flower, and it’s made so that after a little time this flower “blossoms” right in front of your eyes, revealing a little chocolate truffle at the center of the marshmallow flower. It’s perhaps the cutest way hot chocolate can be served. Now, if you want to try other things on this famous bakery you can also try a “cronut”, which is a delicious and unique combination of a croissant and a doughnut.
Hot Chocolate at Marie Belle
It’s rather unsurprising that you can find a great hot chocolate at a store that specializes in chocolate and other cacao-based products of all sorts, but then again, it’s great that you can find such a store. That’s precisely what Marie Belle offers. This is pretty much a chocolate addicts feverish dream came true in the form of a very stylish shop. Customers report their hot chocolate to be one of if not the best you can find in town, and if you love it you can buy their own brand of powdered chocolate to make it back at home! Apart from their delicious hot chocolate, you can also find chocolate an all of its forms and a pretty decent menu of savory items to accompany the hot chocolate.
Best Winter Activities in New York City: Go to one of the Brooklyn Flea Markets
Every place has its own odd seasonal traditions and in Brooklyn, there is no exception. Here flea markets are a winter tradition so if you’re coming to NYC during the winter months then you should at the very least have a look at the many stands full of knickknacks and antiques. Who knows? Maybe you´ll find last little item that will finally complete the collection you've been making since you were a child… or you know, a cool keychain.
Originally, the flea market took place at 1 Hanson Pl, Brooklyn, a former bank, converted into the biggest, most elegant flea market in existence, where you could find all manner of stands selling things, however since its start in 2008 the flea markets have expanded to over 8 locations around the city! The flea markets become active from the third week of November all the way to march.
Winter Activities: Experience the snow-covered outdoors
One commonly associates the colder months with staying home and doing indoor activities, and in truth, there is nothing wrong about staying indoors in winter.
However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some awesome activities to do outdoors in the snow-covered landscapes. So, we´ll see some cool (Pun definitely intended) things to do in the outdoors relatively near to New York. Now, some of the places we’re going to see in this section are a bit far from New York proper, I´m talking a 4 to 5-hour drive from New York, so renting a car in NYC might be a smart idea if you want to experience these outdoor activities during your cold trip to New York.
Winter activities in Lake Placid
So, if you’re coming to New York in winter, you might as well go all the way and have yourself a full snow adventure. And in the vicinity of New York, there is no better place to do so than the Adirondacks, especially in Lake placid. Around this town, you can find multiple winter activities such as skiing and snowmobile trailing.
Plus, the region is full of lakes which freeze during the winter, opening the possibility to go ice fishing!
Read More: Visit Lake Placid – A 3 Day Itinerary
Winter Activities: Saranac Winter Carnival
Not very far from Lake Placid you´ll find the town of Saranac, and let me tell you, they really love winter there, as every year since 1947 they’ve held an annual winter carnival. This festival is dedicated to promote outdoor sports and games and warm the cold feelings of the winter. During the carnival, an ice palace is constructed and many exciting events are held, such as sporting competitions and cultural activities including concerts and fireworks shows!
And with that concludes for our little list of things to do in NY during winter, but believe me, there are a lot of other things to do, so the next time you get a couple of free weeks in winter try and visit some of these places!
What other winter activities in New York City would you add to this list? Let me know in the comments.
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