Things to Do in Brooklyn

Set on the Brooklyn shore of the East River’s Wallabout Bay, directly between the Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges, this shipyard was once America’s largest. Utilized by the U.S. Navy since 1801, it saw the building of some of the country’s most renowned fighting ships, including the USS Maine and USS Missouri. Remaining attractions within the Yard include a 24-acre Naval hospital campus and a dry dock that pre-dates the Civil War and is still in use for ship repair today.

The Navy Yard reached its peak of operations during World War II, when 70,000 employees worked here around the clock. After a period of decline in production, the shipyard was decommissioned in 1966 and a few years later the entire yard was purchased by the city of New York.

Today, the 300-acre Brooklyn Navy Yard is an industrial park operated by the nonprofit Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, with over 40 buildings leased by more than 330 companies in a wide range of industries, from movie and television production to green manufacturing. One building houses BLDG 92, a LEED-Platinum Visitor Center that includes exhibitions about the past, present, and future of innovation at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and a café that overlooks the site. From World War II history to sustainable architecture and industry, there are various tours of the yard available, including theme-based bus and bike tours start and end at BLDG 92. A portion of all ticket proceeds go to support the Visitor, Exhibition, and Employment Center at BLDG 92.

A gracefully gentrified neighborhood in South Brooklyn, Carroll Gardens was originally considered part of more working-class Red Hook, just a few blocks to the south across the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. First settled by Dutch farmers, then Irish, Italian and Norwegian merchants, and now a combination of French immigrants, American yuppies and aging couples, this evolving area retains traces of all its past inhabitants. Most renowned for what it has preserved, Carroll Gardens today is increasingly full of independent-owned cafes, boutiques and antique stores, most set along Smith Street.

Named for Charles Carroll, a Revolutionary War hero and senator from Maryland and the only Roman Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence, the neighborhood is centered on tree-lined Carroll Park. Around and near the park is the Carroll Gardens Historic District, comprised of 19th-century brownstones with elaborate gardens out front.

Located in Brooklyn, Dumbo, or “Down Under The Manhattan Bridge,” is a small, artsy neighborhood offering clear views of Manhattan, the New York Harbor and Statue of Liberty, as well as creative galleries and quirky shops. For the best views from Dumbo, stroll down Front Street to snap memorable photos from different perspectives, or walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. To experience the neighborhood’s creative side, take in an innovative performance at St. Ann's Warehouse or walk down Front Street and browse the many art museums and galleries like the Dumbo Arts Center, the Nelson Hancock Gallery and 5+5 Gallery. For artsy eats, ReBar is an indie movie theater with an extensive food and drink menu, while the Archway Cafe is like an eatery and gallery in one.

The Brooklyn Museum's impressive and iconic façade may look just like any other, but the galleries of this borough staple are ripe with some of the most diverse, colorful and iconic artwork in all of New York's five boroughs. An impressive group of professional curators insures not only that the 1.5 million permanent pieces in the collection are well cared for and displayed with pride, but that visiting shows and installations  are in keeping with the pulse of the borough. Paintings from diverse artists like Kehinde Wiley, as well as socially conscious video installations and pop-culture savvy temporary shows like The Rise of Sneaker Culture speak to the museum's urban focus and desire to bring art to the masses. It's part of what this destination at the center of the Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Flatbush and Park Slope neighborhoods has been known for since it opened in 1895.

Well-known as the hipster-hub of Brooklyn, Williamsburg is full of creative types and indie venues. It’s safest and most vibrant areas lie near the L train stops, with the main street of the neighborhood being Bedford Avenue and having shops, bars, restaurants, galleries, performance spaces and museums extending out from there. It’s the type of neighborhood where you’ll forever be stumbling across unusual, eclectic and ironically hip spaces. For example, The Brooklyn Flea Market sells vintage clothes, antiques and a variety of artwork, while Buffalo Exchange allows you to buy and trade your clothing for trendy outfits and vintage duds. If you like music and performance, the Knitting Factory puts on concerts and comedy shows and offers old-school video games, cheap beer and quirky art. Artsy folk enjoy one of Williamsburg’s newest additions, Nitehawk Cinema, which shows independent films and serves fluffy homemade popcorn. If you want to gallery hop, you’ll find free creative spaces littered all over the neighborhood, especially on Grand Avenue. And for something completely quirky, visit the City Reliquary which showcases unusual New York City artifacts like horse bones, rotting birthday cakes, antique subway maps and L train paint chips.

While the first beer was brewed in Brooklyn in 1822, this homegrown brewery founded in 1988 by a couple of neighbors, led the charge towards a new trend in borough-local micro-brewing. While it began with just a single lager, Brooklyn Brewery’s lineup now includes a pilsner, an IPA, a brown ale, a few seasonal brews, and a number of rotating small-batch brews. These days, the Brooklyn Brewery label (designed by graphic artist Milton Glaser of “I <3 New York” fame) is ubiquitous in the pubs, tavern and markets of New York City.

Due to Brooklyn zoning laws, neighbors and home-brewing enthusiasts Steve Hindy and Tom Potter originally had to open their operations in Utica, New York, but were finally able to move to their present Williamsburg digs in 1996. Garrett Oliver, Hindy and Potter’s first apprentice, has been their brewmaster since 1993 and is now one of the most famous faces in the beer industry. All three of these gentlemen have written books on beer, and all are available for sale at the brewery.