5 Exhilarating New York Tours

5 Exhilarating New York Tours

Just being in New York City is an exhilarating experience, but there are ways to add even more excitement to a New York City tour. You can experience fun, breathtaking New York tours on land, sea and even air! Here to help you plan your NYC tour are ideas for 5 exhilarating New York tours:

Helicopter Tours

An aerial New York City tour is a one-of-a-kind sightseeing experience. From the Statue of Liberty on one end of Manhattan Island to the George Washington Bridge at the other, New York tours from the seat of a helicopter offer an outstanding vantage point on the city’s familiar and famous sights. Fly with Helicopter New York City, which was voted “Best Tour in NYC” three years in a row by the Association of Hotel Concierges. Helicopter New York City offers 3 aerial NY tours, lasting from 12-30 minutes. Go airborne on your New York helicopter tour and check out panoramic 180-degree views of the city’s skyline and landmark sights, including the Brooklyn Bridge, Ground Zero, Times Square, the Empire State and Chrysler Buildings, Central Park and Times Square.

The Beast Circle Line Speedboat Tour

For more than 60 years, Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises have taken passengers on New York City tours around all or part of Manhattan – and if you’re feeling adventurous, get a ticket for the Beast Speedboat Ride, a 30-minute thrill ride through the New York harbor. Hold on to your seat in a custom-built off-shore racing power boat that zooms up to 45 mph down the Hudson River from Midtown to the Statue of Liberty, where this New York tour stops for a quick close up photo op. Before planning to take The Beast NYC tour, bear in mind that it doesn’t operate during the winter season (from October through April) or when it’s raining – although you’re bound to get wet even on a sunny day! Also, you’ve got to be at least 40″ (100 cm) tall to ride on this wet-and-wild New York City tour.

NY Skyride

When your feet are too tired to take one more step on the city streets, here’s an idea for a unique and exhilarating New York tour: NY Skyride, the city’s only virtual tour simulator. With the use of high definition flight simulation, you’ll take a sky-high “flight” over 30 of New York’s most recognizable buildings and landmarks. NY Skyride is located on the 2nd floor of the Empire State Building, and this one-of-a-kind New York tour is open every day of the year. Check out NY Skyride for a comprehensive New York City tour in just 30 minutes! A visit to NY Skyride also includes two pre-shows: “I am New York,” which tells the history of the Empire State Building, and “Top 10 Things To Do in New York,” which offers helpful sightseeing ideas for NYC tours.

Ziplines

For a unique twist on your New York tour experience, escape the urban jungle for the real thing and go on a New York Zipline Adventure Tour at Hunter Mountain (a popular ski resort), just two hours outside of New York City. The entire family will enjoy the Mid-Mountain tour, which sweeps you off your feet and into an outdoor adventure that includes 6 ziplines, 4 rope bridges, 9 aerial tree platforms and a rappel climb. For a more extreme New York tour experience, the Skyrider Tour – the longest, fastest and highest zipline tour in North America (due to open in December 2011) – features nearly 5 miles of ziplines, and you’ll soar about 600 feet above ground and reach speeds of up to 50 mph! Sign on for excitement and good times and relax in the knowledge that these zipline New York tours are led by professionally-trained guides.

Skydiving

Another exhilarating NY tour idea is skydiving – of course you can’t jump out of a plane right over Manhattan, but travel just an hour or so outside of the city and your New York tour can take flight. Several companies on Long Island offer tandem skydives (you’ll be harnessed to a certified instructor) that allow anyone over the age of 18 (weight limit is 240 pounds) to go on a NYC tour unlike any other! You’ll have a breathtaking view of the city and the Atlantic coastline and a thrill-of-a-lifetime experience on a New York tour that takes you up, up and away!