Get Inside the Game at the New NFL Experience in Times Square

1/19/18 - By Jody Mercier

New York may lay claim to a pair of NFL teams, but catching them in action and experiencing the thrill of an NFL game day has long required a trip on NJ Transit or hopping in a car and heading across the river. That is, until now.

The opening of the NFL Experience in the heart of Times Square in December gives New Yorkers a taste of what an NFL game day looks, feels, and tastes like—all just a subway ride away.

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Situated on the corner of 47th Street and 7th Avenue, the NFL Experience is hard to miss, with flags representing each of the league's 32 teams dotting the exterior. Stepping inside, you're enthusiastically greeted by NFLX staffers, who direct you to the elevators to begin your experience. Inside the elevator, seemingly larger-than-life cutouts of NFL stars surround you.

Your first stop is a hall dedicated to "The 32." Each of the NFL's eight divisions has a case filled with memorabilia from every team, and a room-length bank of interactive tables allows you to find your favorite team and relive its glory days by watching highlights of the biggest plays in franchise history, meeting the biggest stars, and learning fun facts about their history. Though I was thrilled to see John Elway's autograph in the Broncos' case, it was just as fun to peruse the collection from teams I don't root for. I was disappointed there wasn't a "cheesehead" from Green Bay, but I did spot a piece of "frozen tundra" from Lambeau Field!

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Stepping inside The Stadium, a 4D theater, you'll get pretty close to game action. Photo courtesy of the NFL Experience 

After you've had your fill of The 32, you'll head into "The Stadium," a 4D theater that gets you as close to an NFL stadium as you can be without paying big-time ticket prices. Three sides of the room, plus the ceiling, are illuminated with the sights of a stadium on game day. Chairs rock with each earth-shattering hit and you're exposed to enough elements to forget you're actually in a Times Square building and not at a football field...if only for a moment.

From there, you'll exit into "The Equipment Room," where you get a sense of just how much gear it takes to run an NFL squad, plus get to see some special game-worn pieces, like Matt Ryan's cleats from Super Bowl LI. Remember the Falcons' epic collapse before you consider rubbing them for good luck!


See what it takes it takes to suit-up for a game, then warm up with your favorite team. Photo courtesy of NFL Experience

A series of interactive activities follow. Kids (or kids-at-heart) can battle a blocking dummy, pretend to hit the weights, and do a vertical jump before virtually suiting up in their favorite team's uniform. You can also see how you measure up to a typical NFL star, either by grabbing a football marked with a star's handprint (they're HUGE) or standing next to a wall between the New England Patriots' 5-foot-10 wide receiver Julian Edelman and the Jacksonville Jaguars 6-8 defensive end Calais Campbell.

In "Game Plan," you're greeted by newly minted Raiders head coach Jon Gruden, renowned QB guru, who walks you through calling a play. Though it sounds like Greek to me, my son liked watching the on-screen tutorial, then ducking under the cover of an interactive screen to simulate a huddle, where he called the play and ran it multiple times, watching the coverage and deciding whether to throw his pass to the tight end or wide receiver. He fared better than I did and hit all his targets; I flubbed one pass and finished with just 66% accuracy.

I took a little flack for that until we stepped up to the "Quarterback Challenge" and battled head-to-head in an arcade-like passing challenge. We each suited up as our favorite team's QB: Dak Prescott for him; Trevor Siemian for me, and threw a trio of passes. Here, mom was crowned the winner, by hitting my receiver for a touchdown three times to his two. I'll remind him, my athletic 12-year-old son, of this over and over for years to come. Count on it!

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The field level allows fans to experience the thrill of a Superbowl win, complete with confetti and celebration videos on the screen. Photo by the author

The last section of the Experience takes you to a lower-level "field" where you can pretend to celebrate like a Super Bowl champion. Confetti dangles from the ceiling; a green screen allows for a Gatorade-pour photo-op, and the glistening Lombardi Trophy awaits posing fans. You can also see tickets from each Super Bowl (and marvel at how the prices have skyrocketed!) and rings representing each winning team. Seeing how these have ballooned in size, you'll likely share in Peyton Manning's conclusion that before long, wearing one will throw a player's shoulder out. They are humongous.


Forty-two mirrored screens engulf fans in the spirit of the NFL as they get a peek at never-before-seen footage. Photo courtesy of the NFL Experience

A walk through the Victory Tunnel shows you one more round of highlights before you're deposited—like seemingly all new attractions—into a gift shop, where NFL memorabilia abounds. Beyond the retail store, there's a spot to grab a snack or a drink, inspired by stadium eats. We scarfed some nachos overlooking Times Square before calling it a day.

This is an all-ages attraction. Those who will get the most out of it are super fans, no matter their age. My son and I enjoyed it, but I think my younger, non-football-watching daughters would have been bored with much of it. Many of the interactives are challenging, but you could team up with your little ones to perform some of them, too.

The NFL Experience is located at 20 Times Square and open daily. Prices start at $19 per person, though search online for discounts before purchasing. We saw discounted tickets on both Groupon and Goldstar. Visitors under the age of 2 do not require a ticket.

Top photo: Throw like quarterback at the NFL Experience. Photo by the author

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