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Coney Island is the beach, boardwalk, and amusement district at the southern tip of Brooklyn, and it has been New York City's summer playground for more than 150 years. Its three miles of Atlantic beach, its wooden Riegelmann Boardwalk, and its two amusement parks, Luna Park and Deno's Wonder Wheel Park, draw millions of visitors a year for a day of rides, hot dogs, sand, and the particular seaside carnival atmosphere that exists nowhere else in the city.
Its landmarks are among the oldest in American amusement history. The Cyclone, a wooden roller coaster from 1927, still runs its original track and is a National Historic Landmark. The Wonder Wheel, a 150-foot Ferris wheel from 1920 with swinging cars, is the other. The Parachute Jump, a 250-foot tower from the 1939 World's Fair, no longer operates but stands over the boardwalk as the Eiffel Tower of Brooklyn. Nathan's Famous, the original hot dog stand from 1916, is on Surf Avenue, and its Fourth of July hot dog eating contest is broadcast around the world.
Coney Island is a summer place above all, with the rides, the beach, and the Friday night fireworks running from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and the New York Aquarium open year-round on the boardwalk. It's an hour by subway from Midtown, and it's the one place in New York where the city feels like a beach town.
Coney Island has been New York's seaside escape since the 1870s. Here are the key facts every visitor should know:
Coney Island is a summer destination first, and the timing of a visit matters more here than at almost any other sight in the city.
The amusement parks run daily from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and that's when Coney Island is fully alive: the rides, the beach, the boardwalk crowds, Nathan's, and fireworks on Friday nights at 9:30pm. Summer weekends are the busiest days of the year, with the beach packed and lines at the Cyclone; weekdays in June and September have the rides running and far more room.
Spring and fall weekends, from April through October, offer the parks on a reduced schedule with light crowds and cooler weather, and they're the best time for the boardwalk and the rides without the summer crush. The Mermaid Parade in June and the Nathan's hot dog contest on July 4 are the two biggest days.
In winter, the rides are closed and the beach is empty, but the boardwalk, Nathan's, and the aquarium stay open, and the stark, wind-blown boardwalk has its own appeal. The New Year's Day Polar Bear Plunge draws thousands into the freezing surf. If you want the full Coney Island, come between late May and mid-September; if you want it to yourself, come in October.
Coney Island is at the southern end of Brooklyn, and it's one of the easiest beaches in the city to reach by subway. Take the D, F, N, or Q train to Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue, the final stop on all four lines, which exits onto Surf Avenue directly across from Nathan's Famous and a two-minute walk from the boardwalk and Luna Park.
From Times Square, the N or Q takes about an hour; from Herald Square, the D or F about the same; from Lower Manhattan, the F is fastest at around 50 minutes. The Q runs above ground for the last 20 minutes through Brooklyn and is the most scenic route. For the New York Aquarium, get off one stop earlier at West 8th Street on the F or Q.
Use our interactive NYC subway guide to plan your exact route from any hotel or neighborhood before you arrive.
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