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Times Travel Turns One Times Square Into an Immersive Trip Through the History of the NYE Ball Drop
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Published Sep 29, 2026
Modified Sep 28, 2026
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Published Sep 29, 2026
Modified Sep 28, 2026
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If you've ever squeezed into Times Square on New Year's Eve, or watched the Ball Drop from your couch and wondered what it's actually like up close, you no longer have to wait until December 31 to find out.
One Times Square — the building that's served as the backdrop for the world's most-watched countdown for over a century — has opened Times Travel, a new self-guided attraction that walks visitors through more than a hundred years of Times Square history. The experience, which opened this past August, traces the building's story from its start as headquarters of The New York Times all the way up to the countdown the whole planet tunes into every year.
Times Travel blends interactive technology with multimedia storytelling to bring that history to life, moving guests through a series of fully themed environments based on different eras of the neighborhood. Highlights include the "Times Machine," a glass elevator ride that compresses generations of Times Square history into a single trip, and a walk-through exhibit on the construction of One Times Square itself in 1904, when it briefly held the title of tallest building in New York City.
From there, guests climb aboard a virtual airship over 1930s Manhattan before hopping into a digital taxicab for a ride through decades of Broadway — flashing marquees, storied theaters, and the moments that turned this intersection into the self-proclaimed Crossroads of the World.
Eternal Midnight: Stepping Into the Countdown Itself
The centerpiece of the experience is "Eternal Midnight," an entire section devoted to the Ball Drop. Visitors can stand among crowds of revelers pulled from different decades, then take a virtual zipline ride through Times Square as the countdown hits zero. The exhibit also displays four real, historic New Year's Eve Balls, including a replica of the original from 1907 and the retired "Big Ball" that rang in every new year from 2008 through 2025 — a rare chance to get close to the ball everyone's only ever watched from a distance.
Go Further: The New Year's Eve Ball Experience
For visitors who want to go beyond the history and get face-to-face with the countdown's biggest star, One Times Square offers an upgraded ticket worth considering: the New Year's Eve Ball Experience. It includes everything in Times Travel and the Times Square Skywalk, plus something few visitors ever get: up-close access to the actual New Year's Eve Ball, complete with a photo opportunity and the official Ball Show.
That means exclusive access to the ninth and newest iteration of the Ball, the Constellation Ball, a dazzling display of more than 5,000 crystals and radiant, ever-shifting lights that has come to define the modern countdown. It's the same Ball the world watches drop every December 31 now available to explore up close, any day of the year. Whether you're tracing the century-long history of Times Square, marking a birthday or anniversary, or just looking for a New York experience unlike any other, the Ball Show is a chance to reflect on the past while looking ahead, and to make a memory that lasts well beyond midnight.
The View From the Top
The visit ends at the Times Square Skywalk, a 360-degree observation deck nineteen stories above the Crossroads of the World, complete with a glass walkway and views stretching river to river. Souvenir hunters can even take home a piece of the celebration: an authentic Waterford crystal from the 2025 Ball.
"One Times Square is transforming the iconic New Year's Eve Ball into a quintessential New York destination where visitors can celebrate every day, discover the history of the neighborhood, and experience the energy of Times Square in a new way," said Michael Phillips, president of Jamestown, owner and operator of One Times Square.
Because the experience is entirely self-guided, visitors can move through it at their own pace whether that means a quick pass on the way to dinner or a full afternoon spent in every themed room. Tickets start at $44 per person and are on sale now.
Whether or not you're brave enough for the real thing on December 31, Times Travel and the Ball Experience upgrade for those who want to get even closer might be the closest you'll get to the center of it all, any day of the year.
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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