Winter Bucket List 2025-2026 for Staten Island
Sure, we live on an island, but it’s not exactly the type with palm trees and white sands. If only the nearest tropical plant weren’t hundreds of miles away! Here in Staten Island, brisk winters call for either hibernation or braving the cold. If you have kids, you’ll more than likely be heading out for some fun but freezing family adventures. We recommend you start with our Winter Bucket List, where there’s something for everyone this season!
Visit the critters at the Staten Island Zoo in their winter habitat – a child’s ticket is just $8!
Take the brand new NYC Ferry from St. George and spend the day in Brooklyn.
Update your winter decor at the new Home Goods in the Charleston Shopping Center.
Experience over a century of Staten Island holiday traditions with a candlelit tour of Historic Richmond Town.
Holiday shop ‘til you drop at The Boulevard, an open-air shopping center located at Hylan Blvd. & Beach Ave. renovated not long ago.
Enjoy a brisk family winter hike at one of Staten Island’s many trails – we are the greenest borough, after all!
Snap some share-worthy holiday photos at scenic Snug Harbor.
Go skiing for a day (without going far) at Big Snow in American Dream Mall.
Choose and cut down your own holiday tree, Clark Griswold-style! See a list of tree farms in nearby New Jersey here.
Drive around your neighborhood to see twinkling holiday lights; join the popular Facebook group Staten Island Christmas Houses to see which ones are worth the trip to another zip code.
Warm up with a cup of hot cocoa at one of Staten Island’s best hot chocolate spots.
Stay warm on a cold day and visit your local library branch to check out books and partake in some free programs the kids will love.
Stop into one of the Island’s many cultural museums for a fun and educational way to warm up.
Have a date night inspired by the popular Netflix movie, Nonnas, at Enoteca Maria, where real grandmas serve up authentic eats daily.
Check out the famous Christmas Show at St. George Theater, featuring an all-star cast of Staten Island talent!
See the lighting of the world’s largest menorahs at Grand Army Plaza in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and Midtown, Manhattan, every night of Hanukkah in Park Slope.
Bounce the day away at Urban Zone, Staten Island’s newest and only trampoline park.
Take your kids – and furry friends too (on select days) – to meet Santa himself at the Staten Island Mall.
When the snow comes down, grab your sled and head to one of Staten Island’s sledding hills.
Head over the bridge to Brooklyn’s Dyker Heights (between 11th to 13th Avenue or 83rd Avenue to 86th St.) for the neighborhood’s famous annual holiday light displays.
