Make a day out of 'The Lion King' in New York City

This long-running Disney Broadway musical is just one part of NYC's circle of life — discover other attractions that fans of the show should check out.

Gillian RussoJune 21, 2024, 04:00

In 1997, The Lion King roared onto Broadway and changed the New York theatre landscape forever. More than 25 years after its premiere, the Tony Award winner for Best Musical remains one of Disney's best-known Broadway shows and is as much of a must-see as the Statue of Liberty or Empire State Building.

What makes The Lion King so special, besides its basis on Disney's globally beloved film? With gorgeous scenery, costumes, and puppetry, the show totally transports audiences to the African Pride Lands, where young lion cub Simba must learn how to rule and take his rightful place as king.

For those who don't want to limit the magic of The Lion King to just 2.5 hours, New York offers plenty of other activities and attractions that explode with Disney magic, bring families up close with wildlife, and offer a taste of Africa. Read our curated guide to the best NYC things to do for Lion King fans — and then get tickets to the show at the Minskoff Theatre as your "mane" event.

Get The Lion King tickets now.

Museum of Broadway

The Lion King is the third-longest-running Broadway show ever, trailing only The Phantom of the Opera and Chicago. But at over 10,000 performances and counting, it's taken its rightful place in the circle of Broadway history.

As such, The Lion King has its own display at the Museum of Broadway, the only museum in the world entirely dedicated to Broadway shows. See the groundbreaking puppetry up close and learn more about the work of director and co-costume designer Julie Taymor, who became the first female Tony Award winner for Best Director of a Musical for The Lion King.

Get Museum of Broadway tickets now.

Address: 145 W 45th St. between Sixth and Seventh Avenues
Price: $

Central Park Zoo or Bronx Zoo

Seeing puppet versions of lions, gazelles, giraffes, and more is great, but why not check out the real thing? New York's zoos are great family-friendly attractions with so much exciting flora and fauna to see.

The Central Park Zoo is located closest to the Theatre District, and it's a seven-acre oasis tucked within the park. Trade the concrete jungle for tropic and polar zones, and see penguins, sea lions, bears, monkeys, and leopards — just to name a few. Since it's a fairly small zoo, an average visit only takes around 90 minutes, leaving you plenty of time to get to your show or explore more of the park.

Want to see even more wildlife? Go uptown to the Bronx Zoo, whose large array of animals rivals that of the Pride Lands. This zoo is a whopping 265 acres, and tickets are more expensive than the Central Park Zoo, but there's much more to do and see. Animal meet-and-greets, sea lion feedings, rides, and an obstacle course are among the unique activities on offer alongside the exhibits, which together display over 11,000 animals.

At both zoos, children under 2 are admitted free. Discounted senior and child tickets are also available.

Address: Southeast corner of Central Park, near Fifth Avenue and E. 64th Street (Central Park Zoo); 2300 Southern Blvd., Bronx (Bronx Zoo)
Price: $-$$

American Museum of Natural History

The world-famous American Museum of Natural History doesn't have live animals, but it has life-size, lifelike animals of all types on display. Head to the African Mammals section for the species you'd see in The Lion King, and then check out the many other areas of this vast museum. It's nearly impossible to see it all in a day, so plan your must-sees wisely — or come back!

Subjects of other historical exhibits include humans, outer space, rocks and gems, and marine life — the showpiece of that area is a massive blue whale hanging from the ceiling. Alongside these displays are many interactive exhibits and special programs, like a planetarium show and a butterfly garden. At the Natural History Museum, the entire circle of life is under one roof.

Address: 200 Central Park West, from 77th to 81st Streets
Price: $

Disney Store in Times Square

The full Disney-in-NYC experience isn't complete without a trip to the flagship Disney Store, located a block from the Minskoff in the heart of Times Square. Shop merchandise from all your favorite Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar films and TV shows, including past classics and new releases. Maybe your little one (or you, we don't judge) can pick up a Lion King toy to take along to the theatre, or a piece of Disney clothing to wear.

Address: 1540 Broadway between 44th and 45th Streets
Price: $

The Edge Observation Deck

Want to feel like everything the light touches is yours, just like Mufasa tells Simba as they sit atop Pride Rock? Then ascend above the city and look out over miles of skyline at The Edge.

This observation deck in Hudson Yards, located 15 minutes west of the Theatre District, will truly make you feel like you're on the edge of the world. The Edge is the highest outdoor sky deck in the entire Western Hemisphere, situated 1,100 feet in the air. A multimedia experience awaits on your way up — and once you're at the top, you're treated to panoramic views of New York.

Address: 30 Hudson Yards
Price: $$

Eat at an African restaurant

The Lion King is set in the African savannah, and there's no better way to get a taste of the continent than one of Midtown's African restaurants, encompassing various countries' cuisines.

One of the closest places to the Minskoff Theatre, three short blocks away, is the African fusion restaurant Lagos. Traditional African dishes, like Mozambican peri-peri chicken, are offered alongside sandwiches, salads, and tacos with an African twist.

Two laid-back African spots in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood — the Ethiopian Queen of Sheba, a Georgian restaurant. Its namesake dish is a pool of cheese baked into perfectly golden brown bread, but the lactose intolerant may opt for something like chakapuli (lamb stew), lobio (bean-and-barberry stew), or ajapsandali (Georgian ratatouille).

Address: Various addresses
Price: $-$$$

Aladdin

If you're seeing one Disney show in New York, why not see the other? Both offer family-friendly delights, familiar songs, and beloved characters — and you don't have to be a kid to escape into the whole new world of Disney.

Similarly to The Lion King, many of us adults grew up with Aladdin. Disney's 1992 animated flick follows a street urchin who, with the help of a magical genie, turns into a prince to win over a princess. As of 2024, the Aladdin musical has spent 10 years on Broadway, granting countless people's wishes for a fun day at the theatre.

Get Aladdin tickets now.

The Lion King

Now, it's time to experience the pride of Broadway for yourself. The Lion King features all the songs fans know and love from the movie, like "Circle of Life," "Be Prepared," "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," and "I Just Can't Wait to Be King."

What makes the Broadway show unique, though, is the puppetry. Headdresses and other hand-carved pieces represent the animals while still showing off the athletic actors — and some, namely those playing the giraffes, are even on stilts! The Lion King is a spectacle unlike any other on Broadway, so if you haven't taken your place in its circle of life yet, come join.

Learn more about The Lion King on Broadway.