Last month, I took a quick 48 hour trip to New York City with my husband. While there, we took the guided Rockefeller Center Tour! I couldn’t find many detailed reviews or tips for taking it when I was planning our trip. So, I thought I would post a review to help anyone else considering doing this.
Rockefeller Center Tour
If you follow me on Instagram, then you know that I took a quick trip last month to experience Christmas in New York City with my husband. I will be doing several posts over the course of this year looking at other aspects of that whirlwind trip. Today, I want to focus on the Rockefeller Center Tour!
This is a 75 minute walking tour of the three city blocks that make up Rockefeller Center. The tour costs $27/person but can also be booked with other packages. For our trip, we purchased the Rock Pass for $56/each and that included entrance to Top of the Rock. I intend to write a separate post on the Top of the Rock experience at a later date. Today, we will focus on the tour.
The Experience
I found the entirety of Rockefeller Center (not just the tour) to be confusing. The staff sent us to the wrong floor initially and we had trouble getting to where we needed to be. I recommend everyone arrive a little early for their tour if they don’t know where they are going. Thankfully, once we were where we needed to be, it was smooth sailing. Our guide gave everyone an ear piece to hear them better. Then, we were off!
This is a fast paced walk around the complex, including a look at the outside buildings. It was a cold winter day, but our guide didn’t seem to care. We were in and out of buildings without any regard for the constant back and forth temperatures. To be honest, it seemed almost random the buildings we went in. We seemed to zig and zag around and through buildings. Perhaps, that is just the nature of things here?
It was really interesting to learn about the history of the center. Our guide even showed us some photos on her tablet of people and places from years ago. It made the history aspect more engaging. I also enjoyed thinking about Mr. Rockefeller working on this center and Colonial Williamsburg, which tied my recent trips together.
It was also neat to have some of the artwork pointed out and explained. I certainly wouldn’t have noticed some of it or walked around like that on my own. However, I don’t think it’s a tour I need to repeat if I visit NYC again.
Pros
- Informative – The guide was quite knowledgeable about the center and its history. It was more interactive than just reading about it online.
- Unique – This is definitely an experience that’s unique to NYC and you can’t do it anywhere else. The artwork is best seen in person.
- Artsy – This tour certainly made me more aware of and appreciative of the art around and in the center.
- Short – I think the advertised 75 minutes was pretty accurate. I think any longer would be too long. It was a neat way to spend an hour or so.
- Inexpensive – Lots of tours are way more expensive. This one was really affordable.
Cons
- Bigger group size – We had about 20 people in our tour group, which is more than I expected. That made it a little difficult to fit everyone into small spaces or to stay together outside on the street.
- Weather dependent – It was a cold day and not ideal for this tour, in my opinion. I’d save this one for a nice weather day, if possible. I’m sure it’s not much fun in the rain either.
- Felt like walking in circles – I’m not sure if we really walked around in circles, but it sure felt like it.
- A little dry – I appreciate the addition of the pictures on the tablet, but it was a tad dry. I can see why they have separate tours for children and families as this definitely wouldn’t have been entertaining for them.
Tips
- Pick a good weather day – If you can wait until closer to your trip to buy tickets, pick a day with pleasant weather.
- Buy a package – We purchased the Rock Pass, which we felt was worth the money. The tour was a neat add-on to help us explore and appreciate NYC.
- Wear comfortable shoes/clothes – This is a walking tour that goes inside and outside.
- Arrive a little early – If you don’t know for sure where you are going, then I recommend arriving early to find it. The center is large and can be confusing.
- Consider booking Top of the Rock right after – We did the tour at 10:30 AM, which was great. However, I selected 4:30 PM for Top of the Rock and that was a mistake. It was way too crowded. I wish we had just gone right after the tour.
Should you do the Rockefeller Center Tour?
The tour worked well for us since it was our first time exploring NYC. I think it’s ideal for couples who like art or history. I could see lots of people getting bored though. If you are more into shopping or shows, then you might want to skip this one.
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