This Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer in New York City as pools, beaches, and amusement parks reopen for the season! Here, we’ve compiled unique ways to celebrate the beginning of warmer, leisurely days and also honor the memory of the men and women who lost their lives in service to the country. From a cemetery concert and harbor cruise to a food festival and jazz soiree...how will you spend the long weekend?
Have a Drink on the World’s Smallest Aircraft Carrier
Photo by Ilka Muller
The USS Baylander is a Vietnam War-era ship and a great place to grab a drink! The Baylander went into service for the US Navy in 1968 and was converted into a helicopter landing trainer in the 1980s. The vessel, now docked at West Harlem Piers near 125th Street, opened as a restaurant in 2020. Military artifacts are incorporated into the restaurant as furniture and decor.
Attend a Concert in a Cemetery
⏰ Monday, May 26th at 2pm – 4pm ET 📍The Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn 🎟️ Free, registration recommended
For over 20 years, The Green-Wood Cemetery has hosted a free Memorial Day concert on the bucolic burial grounds. This year, high-school musicians of the ISO Symphonic Band at Third Street will play works that honor those who served in the armed forces. The music selections also highlight works by some of Green-Wood’s permanent residents, including James Weldon Johnson, Fred Ebb, and Leonard Bernstein, as well as a diverse range of contemporary composers.
Go on a Military History Tour of New York Harbor
USCGC Sturgeon Bay at Brooklyn Navy Yard, Courtesy of Classic Harbor Line and Turnstile Tours
⏰ Monday, May 26th at 10am 📍Chelsea Piers (Pier 62), Manhattan, NY 🎟️ Book online
Uncover the rich military history of New York Harbor during a limited-run tour presented by Turnstile Tours and Classic Harbor Line! This 2.5-hour boat tour covers harbor history from the Revolutionary War to today, with special emphasis on the role of the port in World War II. You'll visit historic military sites, monuments, and fortifications, including the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn Army Terminal, Staten Island Navy pier, and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, as well as get a waterside view of the active Navy and Coast Guard vessels in town for Fleet Week. It all takes place aboard the Manhattan and Manhattan II yachts, 1920s-inspired vessels that offer comfortable seating and unobscured views for all!
Barbecuing sounds like a pretty basic thing to do on Memorial Day, but the holiday presents a unique opportunity to do it in Central Park. The park only allows guests to barbecue three days out of the entire year: Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day. Be sure to check the park’s website and follow all the rules! You’ll need to bring your own grill (no propane) to prepare your food, and you can only do so on Memorial Day (not all weekend) and only in certain areas.
Tour a Historic Ship
New York City, Fleet Week, 2016
Fleet Week brings a jam-packed lineup of events and activities to New York City through May 27th. Throughout the week, New Yorkers can tour vessels from the Navy, Coast Guard, and the Royal Canadian Navy in Manhattan and Staten Island. Public tours end on May 26th. Check the Fleet Week website for more information!
Explore the Gilded Age Mansions of Fifth Avenue
⏰ Friday, Saturday, & Sunday, May 32rd-25th at 2pm ET 📍General William Tecumseh Sherman Monument 🎟️ Save 50% off as an Untapped New York Member! Learn more.
Want a relaxing day this Sunday? Join Untapped New York’s tour of the most famous Gilded Age Mansions along Fifth Avenue. Your expert tour guide will bring you to 19th-century mansions that still stand today, and revive lost structures with stunning photographs from the era. From insane stories of wealth to the art of architecture, this tour will feed your inner history buff. You’ll also hear about glamorous balls, society scandals, and more secrets of this opulent age.
Across the five boroughs, you’ll find memorials for service members who fought in conflicts dating back to the American Revolution. This Memorial Day Weekend, take some time to acknowledge the meaning of the holiday by visiting one of New York City’s many war memorials, from the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument in Fort Greene Park to The Hiker Statue in Tompkinsville, Staten Island.
Eat Ribs from NYC's Top Chefs
Photo by Chris Gampat, Courtesy of Rib King NYC
⏰ Saturday, May 24th at 12pm-4pm ET 📍Industry City in Brooklyn 🎟️ Book Online
The Rib King NYC™ food festival brings more than a dozen of the region’s top restaurants and rising-star chefs to Brooklyn this weekend, where they will serve up their best takes on ribs for the chance to be crowned this year’s Rib King. Sample some Cherry Wood-Smoked Porkstrami Ribs with Rye Breadcrumbs or St. Louis Pork Ribs with Finback Brewery’s Banana Pudding Stout Sauce, and many more. Wash it all down with drinks from Brooklyn Gin, Fort Hamilton Distillery, and other local vendors.
Tour an Abandoned Hospital
⏰ Saturday, May 24th at 11:30am ET 📍Battery Park 🎟️ Book Online
Want something totally different to tell people about when they ask what you did over the long weekend? Join Untapped New York and Save Ellis Island for a tour of the lesser-traveled side of Ellis Island. While most visitors head straight for the immigration museum, the south side of the island hosts an overlooked hospital campus that has been abandoned for over 50 years. Thanks to the preservation efforts of Save Ellis Island, many spaces are now open to the public on special hard hat tours.
These tours take visitors into places usually off-limits to the public, giving you exclusive access to the autopsy amphitheater, the laundry facilities, the contagious disease wards, and more.
⏰ Friday, May 23rd at 7pm ET 📍Prospect Park South 🎟️ Book Online and save with code UNTAPPED
Kick off the weekend with a Speakeasy Soirée! Urbane Arts Club in Brooklyn (a real former speakeasy!) will host a Gin & Jazz night full of swing dancing, live music, burlesque, and a clandestine cocktail menu. Happy hour starts with drink discounts on the porch from 7pm-8pm. You can book a VIP table inside that comes with complimentary sparkling wine!
See a Movie Aboard an Aircraft Carrier
Courtesy of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, by Reist Photography
Outdoor movie season starts this weekend, and one of the most unique places to catch a flick is the deck of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. The historic aircraft carrier’s flight deck is surrounded by views of the Hudson River and the city skyline.Admission is free and spots are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 5:00 pm. The movie begins at sunset. The first film of the season, Top Gun, screens on Friday, May 23rd.
This post contains affiliate links, which means Untapped New York earns a commission. There is no extra cost to you and the commissions earned help support our mission of independent journalism!
