6. Riverside Church – Most Historic
For the first time in twenty years, visitors were allowed inside the Riverside Church bell tower in December 2020. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic forced the tours to temporarily pause, but they returned for the 2022 season. Tours are expected to start again in the summer of 2023 and visitors will have an experience like no other. After taking an elevator up twenty floors, guests walk up 145 stairs through the bell tower to reach the top. As you climb the metal staircases, you weave your way through 74 massive bells of varying sizes. The small ones are just ten pounds and the largest is 20 tons! You will also get a peek at the carillon, the instrument used by the carillonneur to play the bells. The bells ring every fifteen minutes.
The walk through the bell tower alone makes the price of admission worth it, but once you get to the top of the tower you step outside for views that stretch from the George Washington Bridge to One World Trade Center in the distance. On the east side, you can see Yankee Stadium and Randalls Island. You’ll also get a unique view of Grant’s tomb from above. You can purchase tickets on the church’s website.
