Fun Group Activities in New York City: My Top 13 Things To Do
What are fun group activities in New York City?
Are you coming to New York City with a group of friends, your entire family or are you looking for a team-building activity? There are a lot of fun group activities in NYC that are worth checking out. When it comes to fun group things to do in New York City the list is endless. From sports to relaxing boat trips and a very different bus tour to the best event on my favorite island in New York.
In this article, I’ll share my favorite fun activities in NYC for groups that I have done with friends and co-workers and family members in the past. New York City is the perfect place to experience the best fun things to do in New York with a group because there’s always something going on.
Top 13 Fun Group Activities In New York City
Proof your skills at an Escape Room
The hype is still ongoing and Escape Rooms are still fun activities in NYC for groups. Proof your teamwork skills to solve puzzles and complete a themed challenge within 60 minutes. Regardless of whether you make it, you’ll have a great time!
One of my co-workers Maureen has experience with over 300 games and is convinced that the best games you can possibly play are in New York. We recommend Escape the Room NYC located in the Flatiron District. Other companies we recommend are Clue Chase and Exit Escape Room.
Visit the Painting Lounge
Bring your own bottle of wine to the painting class in NYC
Bring your friends and family and enjoy a really fun time at this BYOB (bring your own bottle) paint and sip class. The venue itself is spacious so that you are not elbowing the person painting next to you which why it is perfect to come here with a group. Each class can fit ~40ish people and is one of my favorite fun things to do in groups NYC.
Visit Spyscape in Midtown
SPYSCAPE Museum NYC is gaining more and more popularity and is the first interactive espionage museum in the Big Apple. Visitors can expect 5,600 square meters of excitement and a profiling system designed by the former Head of Training at the British Secret Service to determine which espionage career would be right for you. Especially with groups, this is one of the best fun activities for large groups in NYC.
At the entrance, everyone gets their own chip that’s put onto your wrist. This chip essentially gathers information about you. There are stations within the museum where you can scan your chip. You’ll be asked to complete challenges and quizzes and your results will determine what kind of spy you would be. It is so much fun and a really interesting challenge for groups.
Work out at Rumble Boxing
Let’s switch things up a little bit from all the sightseeing in the city
When you are into fitness and want to take up on a challenge, join a class with your friends and family at Rumble. Rumble is HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training), strength training, metabolic conditioning, and uppercut throwing cardio in one class.
Boxing classes are fun things to do in New York with a group because you can join the locals working out but also switch things up a little bit from all the sightseeing. When you are very active and sporty back home, come join Rumble for a class with your group of friends. You won’t need much equipment either. Gloves are free, but you have to buy hand wraps for $5 (or bring your own). Classes are $36 each.
Play Volleyball or Basketball at Chelsea Piers
Talking about sports, don’t miss out on Chelsea Piers when traveling to New York. Chelsea Piers is a 28-acre sports village with enough excitement for the whole family, your co-workers or group of friends. Chelsea Piers offers a lot of fun group activities to do in New York such as Volleyball, Basketball or golf.
The Field House provides fun for all ages and sizes of groups with a 24,000-square-foot gymnastics center, four batting cages, and two indoor turf fields. In case your group is full of fitness lovers, Chelsea Piers Fitness health club is a must-visit.
Play at SPIN New York City
Spin has seemingly endless Ping-Pong balls thanks to the ball boys
Spin NYC is a modern lounge with 19 Ping-Pong courts, full bar service & dining and one of the best fun group activities to do in NYC. Ping-Pong is a fun activity and especially at Spin NYC with seemingly endless Ping-Pong balls (adjacent to the table and replenished by the ball boys) makes playing a few games rather seamless.
During the week Spin is relatively slow so you can just come and grab a table. On the weekends though, it gets crowded. Make sure to make a reservation for you and your group.
Take a Circle Line Cruise
If you are looking for something more relaxing for your group and yourself, consider taking a Circle Line Cruise. Exploring NYC by the water is a great alternative if you just want to sit and enjoy the views.
Come early to make sure that you and your group can sit together. My favorite tour is the Best of NYC Circle Line tour that takes you under 20 bridges, over 3 rivers, and lets you see all 5 boroughs of the city from the water. Check out one of my fun things to do in NYC with large groups all year long. It is always a great experience.
Have fun at Dave & Buster’s
Eat, drink, play and watch sports at Dave & Buster’s! It is so much for the whole crew – no group is too large, no family is too big. I have always loved arcades and the games here are great. I especially loved the monopoly game and basketball. A night at Dave & Buster’s is high on my list of fun group activities in NYC.
You load money on your card and use this card to play at every arcade game. It can get packed in here so make sure to come early and avoid a Saturday or Friday night. When I was there with my family, we haven’t tried the food, but I heard it’s decent.
Go on a Museum Hack Tour
There are many museums in NYC and of course, heading to a museum is always a great idea when it comes to fun activities in NYC for groups. But I have a tip on how your museum visit can get even more exciting. Have you ever heard of the Museum Hack Tours?
Museum Hack Tours take you inside the best museums in the city and offer you a glimpse behind the scenes. The tour guides share stories about the artifacts, artists and the museum itself that you probably would have never imagined. I have attended the Museum Hack Tour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art before and we had a blast.
It’s a “museum tour for people who don’t like museums” and the tour guides have a little sass and sarcasm. (Please take note that we do not recommend taking this tour with children. There’s a lot of cursing, which makes it fun).
Hop on the Ride Bus Tour
I would personally never go on a Bus Tour in NYC just because of the traffic situation and how much time gets lost during the tour, BUT there is one tour that I can highly recommend especially with larger groups.
The Ride NYC is an interactive bus tour that will offer a lot of entertainment with 2 comedic hosts and 5-7 live street performances featuring a 4.2-mile route of the Times Square area. There is such nothing like this and you and your friends or family will feel like you are inside the world’s only moving theater. This fun group activity in NYC sells out fast. Make sure to book your tour a few weeks in advance.
Check out an event on Governors Island
Did you know that Governors Island hosts some of the best events in NYC in the summer? Every year, many unique events take place, from music festivals to food events. Governors Island has amazing views of Lower Manhattan. It’s a great alternative from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan.
Fun group things to do in NYC are not hard to find on Governors Island. Take the ferry for only $3 from the Governors Island Ferry Terminal and have some fun with your group of New York City enthusiasts on Govis Island. Governors Island is open from Labor Day to Memorial Day.
Rooftop Bar Hopping
Even though this is more of fun group things to do in New York City in the summer, Rooftop Bar hopping can be so exciting. Beforehand make sure to check out our list of the best rooftop bars in NYC and then pick the ones that suit you the most. From fancy to casual and really local to more touristic, NYC has you covered.
Every bar has its very own atmosphere and going from one bar to the next with your group of friends, co-workers or family promises a lot of great memories. New York is home to hundreds of rooftop bars, so it’s not easy to find the best of the best, especially if your time in this beautiful city is limited.
⚠️Don’t forget: The minimum age for admission is 21. Typically, you will be asked to present your ID upon entering the bar.
My Personal Best Fun Group Things To Do In New York City
One of my personal best fun group things to do in New York City is exploring Central Park together and finishing up the sightseeing with a picnic in the park on Sheep Meadow.
There is so much to see and do in Central Park that there is no way that any of you in your group would get bored or not like the idea of heading to Central Park. Near Columbus Circle inside “The Shops” there’s a Whole Foods Market where you can purchase everything for your picnic. From there it is only 10 minutes walk to Sheep Meadow.
Sitting on the lawn with people I love being surrounded by, talking about life and all the memories we made in the city is one of my favorite things to do as a group in NYC. If you find yourself exploring different ideas with your friends and family, please leave them in the comments. I would love to hear about your experience as a group in New York.
More Fun Things to Do in New York City
New York City has so much more to offer than its must-sees. In order to inspire you with not so typical activities, we’ve compiled a list of the top fun things to do in NYC for you. Also, you’ll find the most fun activities in New York City in different categories on this overview page. We made sure there’s more than enough fun stuff to discover for everyone!
