Coney Island Beach is one of the popular beach of south brooklyn, New York which is waiting for you to explore its wide range of things or activities. It is a free and public gem of New York that you can explore during the weekends when it offers a lively and vibrant environment. Here you see people relaxing, younger people playing volleyball, and kids making sand castles and vendors selling candies.
Coney Island Beach also allows you to swim from memorial day to labor day when the lifeguards are on duty and there are changing rooms as well. If you have a lazy day, all you have to do is bring your foldable chair and just unwind and sunbathe. At this beach, Parking can sometimes become a hassle on weekends, but don’t worry, you need to arrive before 11 am to avoid this hassle.
If you want to explore the area around the beach, there are so many exciting things that you can do and explore the beach. This island is a complete package of fun activities.
Best Things To Do in Coney Island
Coney Island Beach is a complete package of exciting things, which is open for everyone to perform and make new memories with your loved ones. There are so many nearby theme parks, aquariums, and the legend boardwalk available where you can perform a wide range of activities. Here you can explore local shops, eat their delicious street foods, enjoy cycling and the beautiful sunset view. So, let’s deeply find out some of the best Things To Do in Coney Island that you must try.
Explore Reigelmann Boardwalk
The Reigelmann boardwalk, also known as the Coney Island Boardwalk, has almost all the famous attractions next to this boardwalk. This famous landmark stretches approximately 2.7 miles. It was opened in 1923 which is after some time became a landmark of this beach. This boardwalk has a rich history and has many designated landmarks, like the parachute jump, B&B carousell, coney island cyclone, wonder wheel, and thunderbolt. This lovely boardwalk can give you its own history which can be the main reason why this place gives such an old-time vibe.
In Coney Island, the first thing you have to do is go on a boardwalk stroll and see Coney Beach’s iconic sunset. This boardwalk has everything you would want to see like Street shops, amusement parks like Luna Park and Deno’s Wonder Wheel. It may make you feel nostalgia because this boardwalk is an essential part of the history of Brooklyn and Coney Island.
Visit Luna Park
Near the Coney Island Beach, there is a popular Luna Park which is well-known for its thrilling and amazing photogenic locations. It’s famous cyclone rollercoaster ride is the world’s second-largest wooden rollercoaster, and the park itself is one of the first amusement parks of the United States.
Luna Park is open for everyone, whether you are a local or a tourist. It is a place where you don’t need to pay for the entry, which means you only have to pay for the rides. Here you have different types of wristbands available like the platinum wristbands (between $79-$99), extraordinary wristbands ($67-$79), and family fun wristbands. This place will make you feel giddy and excited like a child. Luna Parks tickets are available online as well as offline but try to buy them online to get a little discount and avoid long queues.
Rather than the rides, there is a variety of food available at different outlets. You can grab a quick lunch at Al Cavallino or the Flywheel. Make sure you don’t forget to click pictures at the mermaid mural which is at the entrance of the scream zone and then there’s a souvenir shop where you can stop by and get their thunderbolt tees or cyclone gear. This place is open from June to August.
New York Aquarium
One of the oldest aquariums in the USA, that is New York Aquarium which is home of more than 500 species of sea animals. This Coney Island aquarium is spread across 14 acres on the island. They have an aquarium, playquarium, conservation hall, 4D theater and quest stations. They organise a variety of shows to help, educate and understand about marine life. In my opinion, at least once, you have to see the amazing sea otters and the shark exhibit which can teach you about the life of the deep ocean. The aquarium opens from 10 am to 4:30 pm and the ticket prices are as follows –
- 2 years and under – Free
- 3 to 12 – between $25.95 – $26.95
- 13 and over – between $29.95 – $32.95
- 65 and above is $27.95 – $29.95
Pat Auletta Steeplechase Pier
Another place close to Coney Island Beach which has its unique history as old as time. It is a popular spot for tourists and local people where they go for fishing, sunbathing and enjoy the scenic view. George C Tilyou opened an amusement park in the late 80s called the Steeplechase Park which was later replaced with the pier, the Maimonides Park, Steeplechase Plaza and the B&B carousel.
The famous parachute jump ride is still available there which has now become a public landmark that covers around 35,700 sq feet of area. Pat Auletta Steeplechase overlooks a beautiful beach where charming sunset and the city skyline make it much coolest place. On the weekends, it can become a little crowded area but on weekdays, it gives you a peaceful vibe. You can sit in shaded canopies, benches and other viewing platforms to relax. This spot is a popular fishing spot as well.
Enjoy various events in Coney Island
Coney Island hosts various iconic events, many of which can become your long-time memories. They have New Year’s traditions such as the polar bear plunge and they also have stunning fireworks displays this time of the year.
- Music Festival – Among their many summer festivals, this music festival is a full-day event that has famous artists performing in different genres. It has literally everything like food, merchandise and everything you could think of.
- 4th of July fireworks – Coney Island Beach has organized fireworks every Friday during the summer for years now, plus they also do special fireworks on the 4th of July. If you plan to visit Coney Beach then make sure you can’t miss Friday night and watch the beautiful fireworks.
- Movie nights – Every Monday evening during summer for 8 weeks Coney Island airs movies for free on an inflatable screen. All you have to do is bring your foldable chairs, a blanket and you can enjoy a movie night with your family.
- Coney Island Talent Show – There are so many shows, one of them is the annual Coney Island talent show. Conducted for different age groups, this friendly competition brings a lot of talented people from across New York in different genres such as dance, music, comedy and many more.
They also organise sand sculpting competitions, children’s Halloween parades, boardwalk barrels of fun and an endless list of events. If you’re visiting there during the summer, it means there is some event going on.
Deno’s Wonderwheel Amusement Park
Coney Island is a land of amusement parks which has one of the popular Deno’s Wonderwheel Amusement Park which was started in 1920. Once it opened, it became a big competitor of Luna Island because of multiple reasons like their rides. It is also famous for its 150 ft wonder wheel, a known landmark, it has adult rides, kid rides as well as family rides.
Some of their well known rides that you cannot miss are their Wonder Wheel ride also known as the most romantic ride, and the Phoenix family thrill roller coaster. For rides, they have fun cards with different price ranges available $50 will give you 60 credits, $90 will give you 125 credits, $125 will give you 175 credits. The best part about these cards is that they never expire and you can share them with your friends and family as well. This place is open from April to October and closed during the winter.
Nathan’s famous
Though you’ll find many eateries that offer their delicious local foods. From many of these eateries, you have one of the famous Nathan’s restaurants which serve their delicious hot dogs. This iconic place was started by Polish immigrant Nathan and his wife Ida, almost 100 years ago with just $300. At that time, it was just a hot dog shop stall and now it has opened its outlets in so many cities around the world. This shop has been offering hot dogs, burgers, chicken sandwiches, fries, etc, since 1916. They every year organise their famous hot dog eating contest which is held every 4th of July whose attracting thousands of people every year. Its famous hot dog-eating contest was started in 1972 where Joey Chestnut set the highest record of eating hot dogs (73) in 2013.
Conclusion
If you love bustling and vibrant places, then Coney Island Beach is a perfect destination for you. It is a gem of California that you must visit in your life. Plan a summer trip with your family to this beach, then make sure you can’t limit yourself because there is so much more to do. Kids, especially, will love their Prospect Park, sideshore by the seashores, American Veterans Memorial Pier, and Brooklyn Wall of Remembrance. So, quickly visit the Coney Island beach, complete your another bucket list wish, with our best-mentioned places and major attractions. Its people, history, beautiful art, landmarks and the beaches will make you want to visit this place again.