Coney Island
A free public beach, a two-and-a-half-mile boardwalk, a 1927 wooden roller coaster and a 1920 Ferris wheel, all at the end of four subway lines for the price of one fare.
- What it costs
- Beach, boardwalk and the Friday night summer fireworks are free. Rides are individually ticketed.
- Best in
- Summer
- Where
- 1208 Surf Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11224
- Official site
- nycgovparks.org
The free half
The beach and boardwalk cost nothing and are the better part of Coney Island. Two and a half miles of boardwalk, lifeguarded swimming from late June to Labor Day, and a genuine public beach in New York City.
In summer there are free fireworks on Friday nights, which is one of the great cheap evenings in the city — get there before dusk and walk the boardwalk first.
The New York Aquarium is on the boardwalk and is ticketed separately.
The rides worth paying for
Two are landmarks, not merely old:
- The Cyclone (1927) — a wooden coaster and a designated New York City landmark. It is rough, short, genuinely alarming, and unlike anything built since.
- The Wonder Wheel (1920) — a Ferris wheel with both stationary cars and swinging cars that slide on rails as it turns. Take a swinging car.
Beyond those two, Luna Park is a decent modern amusement park. Buy individual tickets unless you're committing to a full day.
When to go, and Brighton Beach
Weekday afternoons in July and August are the sweet spot. Summer weekends are extremely crowded. Off-season most rides shut and it becomes a bleak, atmospheric boardwalk walk — some people prefer that version.
Walk east along the boardwalk for fifteen minutes to Brighton Beach, which is a Russian and Central Asian neighborhood with far better food than anything on Surf Avenue. That walk is the move most day-trippers miss.
Getting there
The D, F, N and Q all terminate at Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue, one block from the boardwalk. About 45 to 60 minutes from Midtown — it is the far end of Brooklyn and the ride is long, so factor it in.
Stillwell Avenue is a genuinely handsome terminal with a solar-panel roof, worth a look on the way out.
Getting around once you're there
The boardwalk is flat, wide and step-free for its full length, and Stillwell Avenue station is accessible. Beach access mats run down to the sand at several points in season, and beach wheelchairs are available at the 10th Street entrance area — arrange through Parks in advance.