Times Travel, an immersive walkthrough experience that takes viewers through the history of the iconic New York City landmark, will open in One Times Square on Friday.
After seven years of production on the attraction, visitors will be transported to key moments in Times Square’s past, zipping through decades of change in the bustling square and witnessing the construction of One Times Square, erected in 1904, which served as the original headquarters of The New York Times and houses the beloved New Year’s Eve Ball.
Michael Phillips, president of management company Jamestown, which owns and operates One Times Square, said that Times Travel will allow guests “to not just be spectators, but to engage with the energy and magic of the neighborhood and iconic celebration year-round.”
“It’s a new way for people to connect with a tradition that has brought the world together for more than a century, and an opportunity for visitors to be part of the story in a meaningful way,” Phillips said.
Guests will first step into a motion-activated portal filled with visuals of One Times Square’s history, taking them through the “memories” of the landmark. A virtual tour guide developed using an artificial intelligence language model will lead viewers through the interactive portal as they prepare to ascend 16 stories up. The guide, Mattie, is named in honor of Matilda Ochs, the sister of former New York Times owner Adolph Ochs.
“Times Travel” immersive walkthrough experience at One Times Square.Photo courtesy of One Times Square 
Get up close and personal with the Times Square Ball.Photo courtesy of One Times Square
Before guests rise above Times Square, they can view a bed of quartz crystal, a tribute to the city’s unique bedrock that produces over 100 varieties of minerals. Some, including former mayor Eric Adams, have attributed the city’s “special energy” to its rare, elemental foundation.
During their journey to One Times Square’s 16th floor, guests will be taken through the “Times Machine,” a tech-enhanced glass elevator that reviews over five centuries of Times Square’s creation in mere seconds.
Guests can further watch the landmark evolve from its previous name, Longacre Square, which once served as a bustling horse-carriage exchange in the 19th and 20th centuries, in “Building One Times Square.” Viewers will hear “testimonies” from workers who built the 25-story skyscraper as they assemble the steel framework for what would soon be the headquarters for The Times.
The experience features historically accurate reconstructions of the building’s construction and was made in tandem with Roto, a global design firm that has led projects at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Game developer Behavior Interactive helped create the visual aspects of the experience, including the look for Mattie.
As guests enter the 1930s, they can view the city from above in “An Airship Above Manhattan,” a flyover simulator that goes over the East River, Central Park, an unfinished Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, and New Year’s Eve celebrations in Times Square to usher in 1933.
“Times Travel” immersive walkthrough experience at One Times Square.Photo courtesy of One Times Square 
“Times Travel” immersive walkthrough experience at One Times Square.Photo courtesy of One Times Square
Before guests travel into modern times, they can walk around steel beams from the original Times Square building. One Times Square has undergone many renovations in the 122 years since its opening and has been under a $500 million redevelopment since 2022, which includes the creation of the museum experience and viewing deck. One Times Square has slowly been reopening to the public, with other ticketed experiences, including i Candy NYC, premiering earlier this year.
Speeding through time, viewers will ride in a virtual taxi cab that takes passengers through the Great Depression era and the 1980s, when Rolling Stone dubbed West 42nd Street the “sleaziest block in America,” to today.
Entering the present, guests will experience “Eternal Midnight,” an exhibition of New Year’s Eve traditions that houses replicas and retired New Year’s Eve balls, including the ball that last dropped to ring in 2026. Guests can watch virtual New Year’s Eve fireworks and customize confetti, which will be dropped at future New Year’s Eve celebrations.
The walkthrough concludes on the 19th floor with the Times Square skywalk, a 360-degree wraparound viewing deck that brings guests closer to the New Year’s Eve Ball than ever before.
Tickets for Times Travel can be purchased at onetimessquare.com starting at $44 per person.