Radio City Music Hall, New York City, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

Radio City Music Hall is an Art Deco theatre at 1260 Sixth Avenue in Rockefeller Center, Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Opened in 1932, it is often described as the world's largest indoor theatre and is the home of the Rockettes.

The story behind it

John D. Rockefeller Jr. took a lease on a large piece of Midtown land in 1928, when the plan was to build a new home for the Metropolitan Opera there. After the stock market crash of 1929 the opera project fell apart, and Rockefeller went ahead on his own with a far bigger idea: the complex we now know as Rockefeller Center. Construction carried on through the Depression years and gave many people work.

The music hall opened in 1932 as an entertainment palace for a wide public. It came out of the vision of the showman Samuel "Roxy" Rothafel, and Donald Deskey designed the Art Deco interior. Outside, on 50th Street, three roundels by the artist Hildreth Meière represent Dance, Drama and Song. They are made of metal and enamel and echo the arts-themed decoration used across Rockefeller Center.

What to look for

• Look up along 50th Street for Hildreth Meière's three roundels, which are larger than they seem from the pavement.
• Step back on Sixth Avenue to take in the tall vertical sign and the marquee, which make the building easy to spot from several blocks away.
• Notice the clean lines and geometric ornament of the facade, typical of Art Deco design from the early 1930s.
• Compare the hall with its neighbours in Rockefeller Center, where the same planning and artistic themes repeat from building to building.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 15 to 20 minutes for the outside, longer if you add photos and a walk around the corner to the 50th Street roundels.
• Seeing the interior means buying a ticket to a show or joining a tour, so check current opening hours and tour availability before you go.
• Evening is a good time for the lit-up marquee, while early morning is quieter for photographs. The holiday season brings big crowds.
• Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral and Fifth Avenue are all a short walk away, so it fits easily into a Midtown stroll.

See it on a quest

Midtown New York: Mob Hits & Hangouts gives the hall a place in a longer walk through Midtown with a crime-history theme. You reach it on foot as one stop on the route, the app tells you about it when you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

Secret Societies of Manhattan: Magic Hunt Walking Tour & Escape Game is a good fit if you like your sightseeing with a mystery attached. You walk between stops in Manhattan, hear about each place as you get there, and solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

Theatre & Music in Manhattan: Alternate Universe Adventure suits a building built for the stage. The quest passes the hall as part of a walking route about theatre and music, with the app telling you the story of each stop and a puzzle to solve at each one. One ticket covers the whole group.