Winter ONEderland: A Holiday Experience Above It All Review

Winter ONEderland: A Holiday Experience Above It All atop One World Trade Center in New York City is a one of a kind family friendly holiday event! We were thrilled to be invited to review this fantastic experience at One World Observatory.  

From the moment we entered the building, we felt like we walked into a magical land decorated for winter celebrations. The employees were dressed for the occasion with snowflake scarves and cheery personalities.  We took a journey through the eyes of Ollie the snow owl, from his home in the winter forest, to the greatest landmarks in the world, including China, Australia, Egypt and England, among others to see how they decorate for the holidays across the world, leading us right back to New York City! The ride up the fast elevator to the 102 floor in the Snowy Skypods was just enough time to clear our minds of the hustle and bustle of the city. My children loved the entire experience, especially the magical frosted windows (touchscreen) and the giant Snow Globe bigger than them! Who wouldn’t want to visit the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere during the holidays? The views of NYC are breathtaking at night, and the interactive exhibits are perfect for families.  On our clear night, we saw the beautiful Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building lit up like a Christmas present.  Amazing.

We loved our tour ambassador, Emma, who explained in detail the history of New York City at the City Pulse show area in the Observatory.  The show has a video display with multiple screens intertwined in a circular motion, flashing scenes from the city and fun facts over the course of several minutes.  We learned that One World Observatory at it's highest point is 1,776 feet, symbolizing the year of the Declaration of Independence.  Perfect way to honor our great country.

On our way out, we made sure to purchase our spectacular keepsake family picture taken right before we stopped in the Gallery at One World gift shop. Strollers are allowed, as well as pictures, and the Observatory would like you to tag them @oneworldnyc.

We drove from Worcester, directly to a parking garage nearby the event in just under 4 hours during a winter storm on Christmas weekend. The entire experience takes between 45 minutes to an hour, although, we took a little longer admiring the view and were there for close to 2 hours. It is a must see this season. We spent one night in Manhattan, and enjoyed being tourists for the day. Winter ONEderland: A Holiday Experience Above It All is open from 9am to 9pm (last ticket sold at 8:15pm) daily until January 7th.  I can guarantee that my family will visit the One World Observatory again when we drive down to NYC, and I hope that you take the time to do the same!