Cultural & Enrichment Trips to New York

New York’s famous Empire State building soars more than a quarter of a mile above the heart of Manhattan. Located on the 86th floor, the observatory offers panoramic views from within a glass enclosed pavilion.

The newly renovated Observation Deck on the 70th floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, in the heart of midtown Manhattan at Rockefeller Center. The view itself is unique and astonishing, unobstructed for 360 degrees and stretching for miles in every direction.

This cruise circumnavigates Manhattan Island allowing you to see all its highlights (dependant on length of cruise chosen) 3 rivers, 7 major bridges, 5 boroughs, over 25 world renowned landmarks and, of course, a magnificent close-up of the Statue of Liberty. Beverages, food and souvenirs are available on board.

The Statue of Liberty is New York's most symbolic structure. The Auguste Bartholdi statue was given as a gift from the people of France and stands at 111 feet 6 inches from the toe to the crown. In the base of the statue there is an interesting museum devoted to the statue's history.

Make the most of your stay by rounding off the day with a Broadway show. The best value tickets are available for mid-week performances and can be combined with dinner in a nearby restaurant before the performance.

Tickets to the to a basketball or ice hockey game is a fantastic way to spend an evening in New York. Prices start from around $35, depending on availability.

Wollman Rink provides 26,600 square feet of ice for skaters in the winter. Wollman Rink, located near the Parkside Avenue/Ocean Avenue entrance to Central Park, is open for ice skating from late November through March. The Rink features a snack bar, skate shop, skate rental and free lockers.

The tour includes the New York Yankees Museum, Monument Park and the dugout. Guests will pass through the batting cages and Yankees clubhouse area before ending the tour in the Great Hall near the team store.

The Circle Line to Staten Island offers impressive panoramas of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. The ferry departs from Battery Park every thirty minutes.

This attraction holds models of a whole host of celebrities including Brad Pitt, Woody Allen, Whoopi Goldberg and Madonna. Madame Tussauds NY provides visitors with an entertaining educational opportunity to experience the world’s most fascinating celebrities, influential world leaders, historical figures and sports icons.

One of the great pleasures New Yorkers and tourists enjoy is getting away from it all in Central Park. Stretching 51 blocks between 59th and 110th streets, this 843-acre area, green rectangle has served its city well since 1859. From famous statues to castles, there is so much to see within this pastoral landmark.

A tour round the building will explain the history of the building and show the beautiful art deco interiors. You will learn the secrets of the Great Stage, one of the largest indoor performance stages in the world; the stage’s hydraulic system, and their impressive new technological features. For those thinking of a career in theatre they can give an insight into the behind-the-scenes aspects of what it takes to run Radio City Music Hall.

The seat of power of arguably the most powerful country in the world cannot fail to inspire students of history and politics. Washington’s grand buildings, parks and monuments present a calm and ordered façade, the antithesis of the political debates and scandals which take place within. A coach tour is available to this great city.

Boston's nickname, the "Cradle of Liberty" is evidence of the city's historical role in the American Revolution. It is also a city of architectural treasures with many fine examples of Federalist, Georgian, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival and Victorian designs. A coach tour is available to this great city.

Opened in 2014, the museum explores the implications of the events of 9/11, documenting the impact of those events and exploring 9/11’s continuing significance. It demonstrates the consequences of terrorism on individual lives and its impact on communities at local, national and international level. The museum is growing a permanent collection of artefacts, stories, photos, video and other materials.

The Freedom Tower is a 104 storey building that stands on the World Trade Center site in Manhattan - giving amazing views of the city.  Interactive exhibitions reveals the transformation of New York City from unsettled lands to today’s remarkable forest of skyscrapers.   Ascend the 102 floors to the observation deck in under 60 seconds in one of five sky pod elevators!

The museum contains Solomon R. Guggenheim’s excellent collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings. It features works from artists of the 19th and 20th century including: Brancusi, Braque, Calder, Chagall, Robert Delaunay, Giacometti, Kandinsky, Klee, Leger, Miro, Picasso and Van Gogh. The building itself is also worth seeing as its spiral form is truly unique and is the only building in New York designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

MoMA is closed for expansion from June to October 2019

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) contains the finest and most comprehensive collection of 20th Century Art in the world. The contemporary design is a masterpiece of glass spaces and high ceilings creating the perfect setting for its collections of modern art. The MoMA also has revolving series of retrospectives of past masters and shows from leading artists today.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art houses more than three million works of art from all over the world across history. It is almost impossible to see everything in one day: the two million square feet too much for even the most organised visitor. Instead of wandering through all the galleries, visiting one of the themed exhibitions is a good plan.

There is also a roof top garden overlooking Central Park, which is open in the summer.

This classic tour of Yankee Stadium allows you to absorb the history of one of the most iconic of American sports teams.    The tour will take you to famous locations such as Monument Park, get you up close to historic baseball memorabilia as well as teach you more about how the stadium is used and the events hosted here which go beyond baseball.   Each tour is led by an expert guide and culminates in the chance to purchase some of its famous merchandise.

RiseNY pairs museum-style galleries with an amusement park-quality ride.

Begin your adventure with an immersive film by an award-winning documentarian that transitions to an interactive self-guided walkthrough tracing tipping points in history that helped shape Music, Fashion, TV, Theater and more in each dedicated gallery:

• Discover the rise of Wall Street and The New York Stock Exchange in the Finance Gallery.
• Learn the history of mass media with Telsa’s Coil in the TV/Radio Gallery.
• Understand the law of physics through the Otis elevator brake in the Skyline Gallery.
• Visual, language and performing arts come to life in the Fashion, Music, Broadway and Film Galleries.

Then, board an extraordinary elevator experience that transports you to a spectacular virtual soaring ride! Feel the rush of wind in your hair as you “fly” over the world’s most stunning skyline.

Explore three levels of mind-bending multi-sensory immersive experiences. With magnificent views over the Manhattan skyline, Summit takes the concept of an “observation deck” to entirely new heights.

Edge is the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere, a marvel of architecture, engineering, and technology with panoramic views of New York City. Edge combines the pulse-quickening excitement of leaning out over a 100-story outdoor balcony with the warm welcome of elevated food & beverage service in a unique social space.

There are free downloadable STEM resources to take students on a virtual adventure into NYC’s newest and most forward-thinking neighbourhood. Get students thinking like community builders and changemakers by harnessing the Design Engineering Process, a simple tool you can use to elevate Reach for the Sky resources and ground student explorations in project-based learning.