Immersive Experiences In New York City This Summer

In a city as big and diverse as New York, there are always new immersive experiences to explore. Along as being a hotspot for Broadway shows, world-class concerts, and leading museum exhibits, Manhattan is home to a number of thoroughly immersive experiences. ranging from brand-new to longtime-favorites. Here’s what to check out this summer and beyond.

ARTECHOUSE is known for championing experiential art and innovative storytelling, and its latest exhibit, “Life of Neuron,” is no different. Created in collaboration with the Society for Neuroscience, the immersive experience reconstructs a human neuron from the prefrontal cortex, showing a brain’s development from before birth to death.

Part museum exhibit, part augmented reality, Arcadia Earth takes visitors on an immersive journey around the planet in 15 rooms that showcase current environmental challenges, from food waste to overfishing. Each visit helps support Oceanic Global plus planting a tree.

There’s still time to see the Half Note jazz club from Disney and Pixar’s film “Soul” — until August 31 – at The National Jazz Museum in Harlem. The Disney experience is traveling around the country, transforming special spots into the charming club. While in Harlem, the exhibit, The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure, also features artifacts from the neighborhood’s jazz hyday, including Duke Ellington’s white grand piano. Tickets are free but need to be reserved for a specific time in advance

Head to Chelsea’s Starrett-Lehigh Building to catch the highly-anticipated Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure exhibit, featuring 200 pieces of the artist’s work and artifacts. Designed by iconic architect Sir David Adjaye OBE, the engaging exhibit shares both key Basquiat pieces as well as an intimate look at his life and background.

Even muggles are allowed to browse the world’s largest collection of “Harry Potter” merch at Harry Potter Store’s flagship location in the Flatiron District. Along with countless branded items — including personalized wands you can pick out at The Wand Shop — you’ll find iconic pieces and props from the famous films, from wands to horcruxes.

Not for the faint of heart — and certainly not for those with a fear of heights — the sky-high experience of SUMMIT One Vanderbilt is as awe-inspiring as it is mind-bending. The fourth-tallest building (67 stories) in New York is home to three distinct experiences designed to wow: an immersive glass and mirror exhibit by Kenzo Digital can “Air,” nearly 360° views thanks to a glass-bottomed floor at “Levitation,” and rising even higher in the “Ascent” glass elevators.

Perhaps one of the best-known immersive theater experiences, “Sleep No More,” continues to thrill audience members after a two-year hiatus. Based in a Chelsea warehouse built to look like a 1930s hotel, the site-specific production is based on Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” and invites the audience to wander through its halls, choosing their own adventure.

There’s always more to explore. Check out our NYC Travel Guide for recommendations on where to eat and what to do here in New York.