Fun ways to stay cool during NYC’s heat wave this week

Take this toasty time to hang out in some of NYC’s best movie theaters. Maybe this is the perfect time to go to one you’ve never been in! From a bougie dine-in theater to an old-school classic, here’s our list of favorite theaters where you can soak up some AC in the summer heat.

Rooftop Cinema Club takes movie-going to a whole new level—literally. This rooftop film series at a midtown skyscraper offers stunning views and an impressive lineup of films. 

While we definitely wouldn't recommend an afternoon movie during this heat wave, check Rooftop Cinema Club's calendar for the lineup of evening films to enjoy once the sun goes down.

In addition to the movie magic, the venue also offers movie snacks, a full bar and cute photo opps. This season features movies that will appeal to ‘90s kids, a Grease sing-along, Pride films, Wine Wednesdays and lots more.

It helps to have the sea breeze for sure, but there’s nothing like feeling the wind in your hair aboard one of the thrill rides in Coney Island, including on the Cyclone, the Thunderbolt, and the new Leti’s Treasure—a log flume ride with 12 flume boats that lifts riders up to 40 feet in the air before plunging down.

Let internet boyfriend Pedro Pascal be your guide on a tour of the universe. The famous actor is the narrator for a new space show at the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium titled Encounters in the Milky Way. 

The show—conveniently located inside the museum's air-conditioned planetarium—takes a 20-minute voyage through outer space with stunning visualizations of dazzling stars, constellations and planets. Stirring music complements Pascal's narration, and you'll even feel your seats move as if you could blast off to space yourself. 

Encounters in the Milky Way is a visual treat, but it is also based on important (and fascinating) scientific research. 

We love ice cream in all its forms—and all year round. Though we’ll happily partake any time, ice cream is a true joy in the summertime. New York City has an abundance of options for when you can’t catch the Mister Softee truck. These are our favorite classic, offbeat, unique and traditional ice cream offerings to help you cool down this season.

Games like Settlers of Catan, Cards Against Humanity and Ticket to Ride have grown in popularity over the last dozen years, taking over tables across the U.S. and becoming the central draw for many new cafes, especially here in New York City.

Board game cafes across the city offer great places to get your game on indoors where you can beat the heat. Pairing this hobby with a beer, pizza or a good latte is always the right move.

Our area’s finest water-top spots are an easy, breezy way to bottle a few drops of the yachting lifestyle without the high price and pesky barnacles that stow away on an actual watercraft. Mostly only open seasonally, they’re peak spring and summer destinations with the warm weather menus to match, all with a side of the sea. 

After a four-year renovation, The Metropolitan Museum of Art has reopened its galleries dedicated to the arts of Africa, the Ancient Americas and Oceania. These historic galleries, housed within the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, are packed with 1,800 artworks spanning five continents and hundreds of cultures. 

Inside the galleries, you’ll find several objects on view for the first time, including new acquisitions of contemporary African works and new commissions by Indigenous artists for the Oceania galleries. Also don’t miss a gallery dedicated to light-sensitive ancient Andean textiles, which is the first of its kind in the United States. 

New features, such as documentary films, audio commentary, artist bios and expanded wall text, help to provide contemporary perspectives and offer deeper engagement with the work.  

Every Tuesday, this dreamy affair gives you an astronaut-worthy view of the stars from the high-powered telescopes of the Amateur Astronomers Association. And here we all thought we couldn't gaze at constellations in New York City! Stargazing at the High Line runs from sunset to 30 minutes before the park closes each Tuesday.

Just in case you're worried you'll have no idea what you are looking at, the AAA leads the star-spotting expeditions, pointing out celestial bodies above the park. Follow the High Line’s Twitter feed (@highlinenyc) for updates in the event of inclement weather.

If you're looking for an elevated pool experience, hanging poolside with a cocktail in hand is the answer. Several of New York’s finest hotels offer day passes for their rooftop pools, most of which include chaises and cabanas for lounging in addition to a full-service bar.

You'll forget about the nasty weather while you're inside a temperature-controlled Broadway theater. Broadway shows are central to the experience of New York City.

The most popular Broadway shows tend to be musicals, from long-running favorites like The Lion King and Hamilton to more recent hits like Hadestown and Moulin Rouge!—but new plays and revivals also represent an important part of the Broadway experience. Here's our full list of what's on Broadway right now. 

Portraits of American First Ladies typically don't tell us much about the personality of the person. Maybe we can see a steely determination in her eyes or get a sense of her style, but we don’t learn much about who she is. Amy Sherald’s portrait of Michelle Obama changed all of that by focusing on the essence of the subject.

You can now see this iconic portrait and many other renowned works by Sherald in a new exhibit at the Whitney Museum of American Art located in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. The exhibition, titled “Amy Sherald: American Sublime” is open through August 10, 2025. 

With nearly 50 paintings, it’s the most comprehensive exhibition of the American artist’s work, which includes a portrait of Breonna Taylor, as well as paintings that center everyday Black Americans. 

Be transported when you step inside The Woo Woo, which aims to evoke the 1980s and Times Square in those same, pre-Disney days with sex shops and speakeasies. These themes are executed with a combination of graffiti that reasonably approximates the style of the time, vintage nude mags and video tapes, rouge neon, throwback punk show posters and the whole password thing. 

Those who lived through the Cold War era will remember the horrors of the time: Wearing identification tags to school, practicing duck-and-cover drills and facing the constant threat of nuclear war. Though we’re only a few decades removed from that generation, it can be hard for younger people to wrap their minds around those terrors. 

A new exhibit at NYC’s Poster House titled “Fallout: Atoms for War & Peace” sheds light on the Nuclear Age, exploring its potential for scientific innovation and its use as a dangerous weapon. The exhibit chronicles the past through a visually stunning collection of 60 posters, including artwork by General Dynamics as well as activist pieces protesting nuclear war; it also offers important lessons for our future.

“Fallout” is the debut point-counterpoint exhibition at Poster House, which is the first museum in the U.S. dedicated to the history of posters. Find the exhibit in the Flatiron District museum through September 7, 2025.

Ice cream is at the center of this 20,000-square-foot museum that'll make the cold treat even more fun (who knew it'd even be possible?). Across 13 multi-sensory installations, visitors to the museum will be able to interact with fun elements like a three-story indoor slide and the all-pink Celestial Subway.

Even better: The sweet treats along the way. Yes, we're talking about unlimited ice cream throughout the museum. For adults, check out some fun themed cocktails as well.

Descend into a "crazy mini-golf course" and entertainment complex straight from London with three nine-hole golf courses across 23,000 square feet under 20-foot-high ceilings.

"Crazy golf" is a British spin on mini-golf, but it's for a 21-and-over audience since craft cocktails are served by caddies on the course. At Swingers NoMad, expect six cocktail bars with signature classic cocktails from London and D.C., as well as 12 cocktails created specifically for NYC, private rooms you can rent, an opulent clubhouse and several gourmet street food vendors.

Spend a few hours indoors belting your heart out at Ms. Kim's, a K-town karaoke lounge from Korean beauty entrepreneur Anna Kim that combines sophisticated style with sing-alongs. Ms. Kim's offers both communal space and soundproof private karaoke rooms, so guests can customize their experience as it suits their needs.

In the main lounge and bar, mixologist-approved cocktails take the place of the ubiquitous karaoke bar beer pitcher. Ingredients in the signature drinks, which start at $16, include butterfly pea flower, herbal infused syrups and top shelf spirits. Fine wine is sold by the glass or bottle, and beer is available on tap or by the bottle. For soju, the 46-proof Hwayo - 23° is available by the 375 mL bottle. 

The beloved Century 21 store is back in Lower Manhattan with cool temperatures and hot clothes. 

With 100,000 square feet spread across four floors, this discount retailer at 22 Cortland Street is a shopper's paradise. The newly reopened flagship sits in the exact same location as its predecessor, right across from the World Trade Center.

Starting from the basement level, you’ll find shoes, luggage and kids’ clothing. On the main level, there’s a wide array of handbags (including YSL and Louis Vuitton), sunglasses (including Raybans), fragrances and belts. Keep climbing the escalator and you’ll get to the women’s floor on two, then the men’s floor on three. 

Anybody who has taken a high school English class is likely familiar with the name Jane Austen, but that wasn't the case when Austen was alive. Instead, she published her works—even the famed Pride and Prejudice—anonymously. It wasn't until after her death in 1817 that Austen's name became famous as one of the great English novelists. 

That interesting legacy, as well as much more Austen lore, is part of a new exhibition at The Morgan Library & Museum titled "A Lively Mind: Jane Austen at 250." It features first-edition copies of her novels, corresponding artworks, personal letters, historical documents and artifacts from Jane Austen's House in Chawton, England. This major exhibition celebrating Austen's 250th birthday is now open through September 14, 2025.

It might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about summer in the city, but when you need to beat the heat, why not give free kayaking in NYC a try? We’ve got plenty of water, from the Hudson River to the East River.

There are many organizations around the city that aim to reconnect urbanites to nature and the aquatic ecosystems that surround us. Groups of boaters and paddling enthusiasts lead small groups around New York’s waterways, offering a cool, relaxing and educational adventure. Best of all? It’s free!

Now you can actually look forward to going to JFK International Aiport because of this gorgeous, completely renovated TWA Terminal, which serves as a hotel, food-and-drink and convention destination. The interior of Eero Saarinen’s landmark 1962 building exudes 1960s chic with 512 guest rooms that offer views of JFK’s runways, a Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurant, a rooftop pool and an observation deck. 

Escape the stifling heat and do as a vampire might do—head underground to one of NYC’s coolest subterranean bars. Though some share a crossover speakeasy-style appeal, these bars are all literally underground, safely ensconced in basements where you can eschew the SPF and avoid the harsh light of day outside. As cool as they are chill, these are the best basement bars to beat the heat in NYC. 

New Jersey’s Atlantic City now has a special distinction—it is home to the world’s largest indoor beachfront waterpark.

Visitors to the casino haven can head to Showboat—a family-friendly resort with the largest arcade in the world, go-kart racing, minigolf, roller skating and more—to the new ISLAND Waterpark.

At 120,000 square feet, ISLAND Waterpark holds more than 317,000 gallons of water that cascades down 11 curvy slides (the Electric Eel, Sonic Serpent and Barracuda Blaster), three “Tidal Racers” and five waterslides suitable for younger visitors at Slide Island.

If you’re going to be stuck inside, it might as well be somewhere that’s quirky, entertaining or transformative. NYC has a fair share of themed restaurants that fill that niche, such as a grandma’s house-themed diner, a roller skating-themed bar and a cat-themed cafe. We have a list so you can pick your next adventure.

NYC's public swimming pools are an oasis for heat-weary New Yorkers every summer, whether they take a dip in the cool waters or just lounge poolside. We certainly have our pick of options as there are dozens of public swimming pools scattered around New York’s five boroughs.

Here's our comprehensive list of the squeaky clean—and totally free—swimming pools in NYC.

Note: NYC's outdoor pools open for the season on Friday, June 27, 2025