A New Yorker’s Guide to Rockefeller Center: See the Christmas Tree!

Rockefeller Center is one of New York City’s enigmatic landmarks and the site of arguably the most famous Christmas tree in the world. An estimated 125 million people visit Rockefeller Center every year, and after Thanksgiving, a huge chunk of them come specifically for the tree — 750,000 people daily, or about the population of Seattle.

Here’s what you should know about Rockefeller Center during the holidays, including how to see the tree, get an official photo in front of it, and enjoy nearby holiday activities.

Location of Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Center is a lot bigger than most people think it to be. It covers 22 acres between 48th and 51st streets and Fifth and Sixth avenues in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. Though most people only think of it as NBC Studios, Radio City Music Hall, and the skating rink, it encompasses 19 buildings and an extensive maze of underground rooms and corridors that link directly to a major subway station that’s named after it (47th-50th Streets-Rockefeller Center) and countless stores both above and below ground.

The street that runs north and south parallel to Fifth and Sixth avenues from 48th Street to 51st Street is private but essentially a public pedestrian thoroughfare maintained by Rockefeller Center. If you have ever seen an episode of the “Today” show with a live musical performance, Rockefeller Plaza between 48th and 49th streets is where they usually stage these.

It’s right across from St. Patrick’s Cathedral, 2 blocks from the Museum of Modern Art, and 6 blocks from Bryant Park and the main branch of the New York Public Library (the one with the lions). The easiest way to get here is to take the B, D, F, or M train to the eponymous subway stop, but it’s also an easy 10-minute walk to Grand Central Terminal and Central Park (they’re in opposite directions) and less than 10 minutes by foot to Times Square.

New York City is served by John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), which is about 80 minutes away by car; LaGuardia Airport (LGA), which is 45 minutes away by car; and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), which is an hour away by car.

Hot Tip:

Rockefeller Center shouldn’t be your first stop if you’ve just disembarked from a plane. If you want to start your New York City visit on the right foot, drop your bags off first so you won’t have to lug suitcases around.

History of Rockefeller Center

What’s now Rockefeller Center started at the beginning of the 19th century as a botanical garden that was then sold to Columbia University, which never built or held classes there. In the mid-1920s, the Metropolitan Opera began looking for a bigger, better opera house. This project was soon championed by financier John D. Rockefeller Jr., the son of Standard Oil founder John D. Rockefeller Sr., still considered the wealthiest man in American history. In 1928, Rockefeller (the son) signed a lease for the land from Columbia for $3 million per year for 87 years.

The following year, Wall Street had its infamous crash, and the Metropolitan Opera could no longer afford to move. Rockefeller pivoted and found a new tenant in the Radio Corporation of America (parent company of the National Broadcasting Company). He devised plans for a massive complex centered around the new mass media technology — a “Radio City.” Architects designed the buildings in Art Deco style and broke ground for what was then the largest private development project in U.S. history, costing about $1.7 billion in today’s dollars.

You’ve probably seen “Lunch Atop a Skyscraper,” that iconic photo of construction workers sitting in a line atop an I-beam jutting out 850 feet high over New York City. In that photo, you were looking at ironworkers during the construction of Rockefeller Center’s RCA Building (now 30 Rockefeller Plaza) in September 1932.

By 1939, Rockefeller Center officially opened. Further additions included the art, including Lee Lawrie’s Atlas, which possibly partially inspired and has become inextricably associated with Ayn Rand’s Objectivist novel “Atlas Shrugged;” Diego Rivera’s fresco “Man at the Crossroads,” which was quickly demolished and replaced with a portrait of Vladimir Lenin; and Paul Manship’s gilded bronze statue Prometheus, which lords over the skaters at the Rockefeller Center ice rink.

Activities at Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Center was always intended to be a city within the city. It would be impossible to detail every possible activity within its confines, but here’s an overview of a few of the most popular things to do and see.

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree tradition began before the center was completed when construction workers put up a small tree on the site for the 1931 holidays. The center erected a 50-foot tree for the public 2 years later, and it’s grown in size (up to 100 feet) and popularity ever since. It’s usually found in the autumn somewhere in upstate New York, installed in mid-November, topped by a 900-pound Swarovski crystal star, officially lit in late November or early December, and taken down in mid-January, after which its lumber is donated to Habitat for Humanity.

In 2024, the 74-foot Norway spruce from the Berkshires in Massachusetts was officially lit on December 4. It lights up at 5 a.m. and goes dark at midnight Sunday through Wednesday and 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. On Christmas Day, it’s lit for 24 hours. On New Year’s Eve, it lights up until 9 p.m.

Viewing the tree is free, and your best chance to take a gander at it may be on 49th Street between Rockefeller Plaza and Fifth Avenue — though you must tolerate the big crowds during the holidays. If you’re dead set on that perfect shot of you with the Christmas tree, you can shell out $40 for an official photo of you and the tree from a better vantage point.

Radio City Music Hall

It’s no opera house, but Radio City Music Hall — the only part of the development that kept the original “Radio City” name — still puts on regular live shows, with acts ranging from Kevin Hart standup to Riverdance to a Hugh Jackman one-man show scheduled for early 2025.

But the show Radio City Music Hall is best known for, of course, is the “Christmas Spectacular” starring the Radio City Rockettes, an ensemble of 84 highly trained, rigorously selected professional dancers who’ve put on a high-kicking holiday show at Radio City almost every year since the music hall opened in December 1932.

Ticket prices vary by time and seat, ranging from $71 to over $600. You can buy them online directly on the Radio City Rockettes website.

Skating Rink

The ice rink has been a focal point of Rockefeller Center’s outdoor plaza since nearly the beginning, starting as a temporary attraction in 1936 and becoming permanent in 1939. It’s usually open from around mid-October to March, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The regular entrance is down the stairs on the side of the rink opposite the Prometheus statue.

Tickets for 60 minutes inside the rink start at $21 each but can cost as much as $114, depending on when you go. You can rent ice skates for $12. Expect long lines, especially during the holidays, and buy your tickets ahead of time online on the Rockefeller Center ice rink’s webpage.

NBC Studios Tour

Though you won’t get to see the sets of popular New York City-based shows like “Seinfeld” and “Friends,” both of which were filmed in Los Angeles, or “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” which uses soundstages at Chelsea Piers for its usual interior shots, you can still soak in the magic of television at Rockefeller Center with a tour of NBC Studios.

The tour typically lasts from 75 to 90 minutes, and which studios you get to see depends on when you go and the shooting schedules of the various TV productions based at Rockefeller Center. Some of the sets and studios often included are “Saturday Night Live,” “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” “Today,” “Nightly News with Lester Holt,” and “NBC News Now.”

Buy your tickets ahead of time online via the tour’s NBCUniversal website, and arrive at least 15 minutes early. General admission is $48, and children under 8 aren’t allowed.

Top of the Rock

One of Rockefeller Center’s best attributes is its central location and view — if you’re high enough.

You can get that necessary altitude if you buy tickets to Top of the Rock ($74 and up for general admission), which includes access to the 3 levels of observation decks, exhibits, and more on the rooftop. However, you have to pay extra for activities like the Beam, the Skylift, and drinks at the cafe.

It may cost an arm and a leg ($190), but the VIP tour may be the ultimate way to experience Rockefeller Center besides working inside of it for 2 to 10 years, which includes all those plus priority lanes, use of the high-speed elevator, and a VIP lounge where you’re served snacks and beverages while you wait for your tour guide to pick your group up.

The Beam ride sees you strapped atop a steel beam that ascends 12 feet up. Staffers let you pick from an assortment of foam rubber props (doughnuts, apples, and seemingly everyone’s favorite, hammers), and a camera fixed onto the wall takes photos of you recreating “Lunch Atop a Skyscraper.”

On the other hand, the recently installed Skylift rises up from the topmost roof of Rockefeller Center’s highest building. It has transparent walls and floors and rotates, giving you a fantastic view of Manhattan, New Jersey, and parts of the outer boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. A 360-degree panoramic camera in the middle takes a photo of your group (and the employee who has to go up with you to operate it and keep everyone safe).

From these vantage points, even if you’re just on the regular rooftop and not one of the rides, you can take in fairly amazing views of Manhattan, including almost all of Central Park.

Shopping

Years ago, I met the queen of Malaysia at a water festival in Kedah. When she found out I was from New York City, all she wanted to talk about was the shopping on Fifth Avenue and around Rockefeller Center. So, if you’ve got the shopping bug and a healthy relationship with a luxury credit card, you’ll be set here.

Hot Tip:

See our in-depth analysis of the best luxury credit cards.

There are too many shops to cover in detail here, so here are a few highlights.

Tiffany & Co.

610 Fifth Avenue

You know it — you saw the movie and pretended to read the Truman Capote novella. This concept store has a curated selection of jewelry, home goods, and accessories. And no, you cannot have breakfast here.

The Shop at NBC Studios

30 Rockefeller Plaza

You know that “The Office” “World’s Best Boss” coffee mug your co-worker has on his desk? This is where he got it. You could also get a $298 NBC-branded Save the Duck woman’s winter coat.

New York Yankees Clubhouse

745 Seventh Avenue

Though it’s technically part of Rockefeller Center, this haven for fans of the Bronx Bombers is more like a satellite of the main bulk of the center, though still not far away.

The Rink Shop

Rockefeller Plaza (Rink Level)

Dedicated to knickknacks about the ice rink and Rockefeller Center in general, the Rink Shop is on the rink level of the plaza, meaning it’s 1 level below street level.

FAO Schwarz

30 Rockefeller Plaza

Sadly, FAO Schwarz permanently left its magical Fifth Avenue location in 2015, but its new owners opened a smaller flagship store at 30 Rockefeller Plaza three years ago. It’s a must-go for kids and toy lovers.

Lego Store

636 Fifth Avenue

The Lego Store is the Rockefeller Center for shopping for the brickheads in your life or setting traps for anyone who dares to walk barefoot in your home.

Nintendo Store

10 Rockefeller Plaza

Into Pokémon? Mario and Luigi? Or maybe you’re just in need of a new Switch? The Nintendo Store‘s your joint.

Dining

Having a pleasant meal in or around Rockefeller Center has always been challenging, especially around the holidays. But there’s good food to be had at Rockefeller Center, even with the tree crowds.

Naro

610 Fifth Avenue (Rink Level)

This Korean restaurant has earned 2 Michelin stars and is open for lunch and dinner. Naro is the kind of place you need reservations for, though you may be able to snag a walk-in seat at the bar or terraces.

Le Rock

45 Rockefeller Plaza

Le Rock is an elegant, art deco-infused brasserie from restaurateurs in Soho’s Balthazar. It has won the attention of local critics.

Ace’s Pizza

30 Rockefeller Center (Rink Level)

Ignore the topside pizza joints declaring themselves to be “New York’s Best Pizza” anywhere in Midtown. Instead, if you’re in Rockefeller Center, order a slice and find a section of wall to lean against at Ace Pizza, which is arguably the only truly good pizza in range around here.

Black Seed Bagels

30 Rockefeller Center (Concourse Level)

Believe it or not, New York’s been through a long drought of excellent bagels, partially because rising commercial rent costs have driven out many of the best old-school bagel shops. Black Seed Bagels, however, has given New Yorkers hope that a bagel renaissance may be at hand, even though it’s a chain based on Montreal-style bagels.

The Rainbow Room

30 Rockefeller Center

The storied event space, ballroom, and bar on the 65th floor of 30 Rock have been the place for New York’s upper crust to see and be seen since it opened in 1934. However, it’s not currently open to the public, having been turned into a private event space since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Final Thoughts

Rockefeller Center is New York’s city within city, a micropolis that encompasses everything the Big Apple dreams of being and that it hopes visitors see it as — a glitzy, wealth-tinged monument to progress and reach ever upward — sometimes literally. Come here not just for the shopping and the skating but also to catch a telling glimpse of what the New York City of the early 20th century thought its own future would be. It can be a wonderful place to visit for a day, if not work in for a decade.

Oh, and see the big tree.