One of the questions I receive most often is ‘what do I do in NYC with kids?’ And after 4+ years of raising two little New Yorkers in Manhattan, we’ve finally curated a list of our favorite things to do as a family!
Normally, we spend most of our days walking around aimlessly, eating whatever sparks our fancy, and simply meandering in and out off different shops or museums. {with of course, stopping at many play grounds along the way.} But we also have a bunch of go-to locations we love to visit with our boys. Each weekend we normally start walking in lower Manhattan {where we live} and slowly meander up to Central Park- yes, it’s a very long walk, but we enjoy aimlessly strolling. Find my Manhattan neighborhood descriptions here to help decide where you might want to explore!
These are our top recommendations of things to do in NYC with kids {for reference, I’m writing this as my kids are 2 & 5}.
Keep in mind- most places will not let you use their toilets unless you are a customer {and some stores won’t even then}. So if you have young kids- use toilets when you find them! Bryant Park {at 42nd and 5th Av} usually has pretty clean bathrooms.
In Central Park
We love exploring all of Central Park, but these are a few highlights!
- Central Park Zoo
- Central Park play ground (Hecksher Playground is one of our favorites)
- Boat Pond (I always just called it the Stewart little pond, but I believe it’s called the model boat sailing pond or something)
- Bethesda Terrace always has artists & often big bubble blowers. It’s just a beautiful spot we always ended up at
- Bow Bridge for people watching and animal watching
- The ramble is a more outdoors-y part of the park that feels a bit more unkept and the boys loved walking those paths
- Sheeps Meadow is fun for running around
- Ride the carousel
Museums
- American Museum of Natural History
- Met – Cayson loved all the knights
- Children’s Museum of Manhattan
- Intrepid – the boat on the Hudson River is really cool!
- Brooklyn’s Children Museum
- New York Transit Museum (a fun way to explore old subway trains!)
In Brooklyn
- Walk Brooklyn Bridge
- Toss Rocks at Pebble Beach
- Ride the carousel in Brooklyn
Some of my favorite Viewpoints
- Empire State Building (they redid the experience of going up so it’s more fun- although it’s not my favorite viewpoint of the city. But it is iconic)
- SUMMIT One Vanderbilt (interactive with kids)
- Top or the Rock (cliche but still one of my favorite viewpoints)
- One World Observatory
- The Edge at Hudson Yards
Favorite Neighborhoods for Strolling
- Greenwich Village
- West Village
- Meatpacking District
- Chelsea
- SoHo (although very crowded)
- Gramercy
- Hell’s Kitchen
- 5th Avenue {between 42nd and 59th for the luxury store experience at Christmas}
- Upper West Side
- Upper East Side
find more information about the different NYC neighborhoods here
Other Suggestions
- Playgrounds- there are playgrounds literally EVERYWHERE. Some of our favorites were the ones in Central Park, Battery Park (near seaglass carousel is a fun playground with huge slides, but all of battery park is pretty and fun to run around in), Hudson River Pier 51, East River Park Playground, Brooklyn Bridge Playground, Chelsea Waterside play ground,
- Walk the highline for fresh air, car free walkways and pretty views.
- Broadway – might be a bit old for the kids but there are also off- off broadway versions made for kids. Most we saw are down in the village area
- Classic Harborline Cruise- We love taking these! They ride around Manhattan for pretty views and you get a complimentary drink. This was always one of our favorites. We brought snacks too.
- Seaglass Carousel in Battery Park
- Bronx zoo
- We always attended reading times in the NYPL near us, but that’s kind of a basic local thing to do. But could be fun if you’re looking for a kid specific thing. There are also kids music classes in the park, but again they are usually a more local thing.
- Alice’s Tea Cup is a fun, casual afternoon tea place
- Run around Seaport
- Many streets in Meatpacking district are pedestrian, so we liked walking around there and eating here too
- Times Square- ha obviously the worst place on earth but it is quite the site to see for a young kid.
What would you add to this list?
I wish we knew about the transit museum when we went! That would have been so much fun!
NYC is definitely on my bucket list! You offer such an amazing list of ideas on what to do with kids. Noting this for my future trip!
This is a great list of things to do! I haven’t been to NYC before, with or without kids, but there are so many options! We want to take a trip that way soon, just have to find the right time and price on flights.
This is a fun list of things to do in NYC and my son would enjoy so many things on here. I hope we can make it out there soon to see and every experience these amazing things!
Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com
These are great tips! I took my (then) 3 and 5 year old last year and they absolutely loved New York. I was a bit scared at first that it would be too overwhelming, but we all had a great time.
Most people probably don’t think of New York City as a kid-friendly place to visit. But, there are so many locations and activities in the city that kids will enjoy!
This guide to NYC with kids is a fantastic resource! I appreciate the variety of suggestions and the personal anecdotes make it feel like a trusted friend’s advice.
We have two little sons, but they never saw NY. I hope we will go there in a few years, and I can’t wait to walk in Central Park with them and ride Brooklyn`s carousel.
Going to a zoo park is so much fun with family and kids. New York city does have good things and places to do with kids, thank you for sharing these great recommendations.
So many things to do in NYC. Travelling with kids can be challenging but I will surely add museums to our list.
We always wanted to visit and explore NY. Thanks for the suggesstions. We will surely go playgrounds!
We have seen broadways for kids. They love them and actually so do we, lol That is a good suggestion.
I love going to NYC with my kids! They are teenagers now and we find all sorts of things to do. I love all of your ideas too!
It helps to know what there is available for kids before you go. I’ve only been once without them so far. Alice’s Tea Cup sounds perfect for my girls.
I’m glad there are so many child-centric things to do. I haven’t taken my kids, but I think it’s the perfect city to take them!
As someone who loves travelling with my family, I always look for fun and exciting activities with my child, especially when visiting a new city. I am willing to visit New York in the nearest future, so this really helps with my plans. Thank you.