The Solo Scale:

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If you’re in New York City near the holidays, one of the most iconic shows to see is at Radio City Music Hall. If you’re a fan of the Rockettes, this might already be on your Must Do list. However, if you’re in New York at any time of the year and you’re just looking for more activities to fill your day, a tour of Radio City Music Hall is a great way to spend your time.

It’s located at Rockefeller Place, which is also home to Top of the Rock and Rockefeller Square. It’s an iconic tourist destination that will have plenty of people milling around. If it’s December, it’s worth it to go and see the massive tree all lit up. In general, there’s also a lot of great shopping to be done in this area. Once you’ve finished your exploration, you can head into the small ticket booth area to start your tour.

How Do I Buy Tickets?

You have two options to buy your tickets. If you already know your schedule or you’re extremely determined to do the tour, you can pre-purchase your tickets online. If you choose to do that, don’t be alarmed when you’re on the Ticketmaster site, as this is who controls the sales. You can search for a tour time here.

However, most times of the year, you can also walk in and buy your tickets the day of. That’s what I did on a June day when New York City was still fairly busy. I did a mid-afternoon tour, but my group wasn’t too packed and I was able to get a single ticket with no problem. If you have a larger group, this may be a reason to buy in advance. However, if you run out of luck, you’re well-situated to do plenty of other things, so it’s a fairly low-risk thing to wait for tickets. The exception to this is if this is something you absolutely must do, then I recommend buying in advance.

What Will You See On The Tour?

Throughout the tour, you’ll be taken through the grand hallways of the Radio City Music Hall. The best part is being able to see the incredible architecture on display without fighting the crowds. If you were to return during a performance, you’d be in some of these areas, but without the ability to see the details. On the tour, you get that freedom to move around.

If you’re lucky, you won’t only be seeing the outer halls. If there’s nothing in rehearsals or set up, you’ll actually get to walk on the stage. Standing there and looking out into the cheap seats is something that I never thought I’d get to do. If you have dreams of performing, it really is a spectacle.

After that, you get to continue seeing behind the scenes. They’ll take you up to the rehearsal rooms for the Rockettes. Sure, it doesn’t look like much more than a dance rehearsal space, but seeing some of the finer details of where the Rockettes rehearse is a treat to see how the sausage is made (so to speak).

What’s the Best Part?

I’ve saved the best part for last. At the end of the tour, once you’ve seen the rehearsal hall, you get to meet a Rockette! They’ll answer questions for you and talk about their job. Plus, then you can take a picture with them without an additional charge (or at least, there was no extra charge when I did the tour).

There isn’t much time to ask questions, but they’ll chat a little about their work before you all line up to take your picture.

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Radio City Music Hall is a combination of great reasons to visit. It’s an iconic New York City destination. If you love history and architecture, the tour gives you a glimpse into some of the best the city has to offer. Plus, it’s a behind-the-scenes look at the machine that is the Rockettes. On top of that, you get to meet one.

Plus, you get to do all of that in a little more than an hour. You’re also located centrally so you can jump to your next stop with ease!

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