Category: Things to do with kids in New York

Museum of the Chinese in the Americas

Walk around the areas below Canal Street and take in Chinatown, the most robust ethnic neighborhood in New York City since it was settled in the 1800s. Few people, including children, know the particular hardships and history of Chinese immigrants in the City, and so the MoCA was founded to set the story straight. A modest-size museum in the heart of Chinese New York, the MoCA houses historical artifacts, photos, art, and interactive displays and maps. A theater in the building showcases traditional and contemporary performances, a great respite from Chinatown’s famously crowded streets.

Contact no: (212) 619-4785

Location: 70 Mulberry Street, New York, NY 10013

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Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art

 

Most art museums aren’t really set up for kids’ enjoyment. This happy exception focuses on material made with kids in mind. Exhibits focus on the influence that cartoonists and comic artists have had on our culture in general. You can expect to see a mix of art you haven’t seen since your own childhood lovingly preserved and framed. Your child can expect to see many of her own favorites treated similarly. You can try to explain the political themes that run through Pogo to her while she tries to help make sense of Spongebob Squarepants for you. Good luck!

Contact no: (212) 254-3511

Location: 594 Broadway, New York, NY 10012

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Lower East Side Tenement Museum

Located in the neighborhood it honors, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum offers a major slice of immigrant life near the turn of the century. The museum is a hands-on, living showcase of life among Jewish, Italian and African-American immigrants. You are shown around by a costumed interpreter who greets you as if you were newly arrived immigrants and shows you how to adapt to a new life in America. Every item in the apartments is true to the period, and kids are allowed to touch, pick up, and examine whatever they like; a major plus for those who get bored at stuffier exhibits. Kids whose ancestors were, at one time, immigrants will learn about their own families’ pasts.

Contact no: (212) 982-8420

Location: 108 Orchard Street, New York, NY 10002

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Hayden Planetarium

 

At the Rose Center, inside the Museum of Natural History, you can visit the world-renowned Hayden Planetarium, which some consider the museum’s crown jewel. This theater shows specially produced astronomical movies on its domed roof. There isn’t a bad seat in the house, so just lean back in a comfy seat, and you’ll feel like you’re on a family vacation hurdling through space.

Contact no: (212) 769-5100

Location: 15 West 81st Street, New York, NY 10024

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Guggenheim Museum

One of the city’s most iconic museums has a few family programs that keep culturally curious children intellectually and artistically satisfied. Regular classes and workshops cover an array of diverse topics you would expect from the progressive Guggenheim people – from neo-Impressionism to digital art – all employing the museums vast facilities, galleries, and even its Mac lab.

Contact no: (212) 423-3500

Location: 1071 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10128

Learn more here.

Children’s Museum of Manhattan

 

This is never the same museum twice, as the exhibits frequently change throughout the five floors of well thought-out, interactive fun (it’s all very educational, but in such a subtle way that it will fly under kids’ radar). PlayWorks, probably the coolest attraction here, is meant for your youngest child. children can drive a giant fire truck, paint on the large mural, and crawl through a super-fun obstacle course. There is a bevy of other creatively stimulating activities where you and your little genius will draw, sing, and dance the day away. It’s a perfect day indoors during New York’s commonly inclement weather. Again, if your little ones are very little, the talking baby dragon that eats alphabet letters is a must-see.

Contact no: (212) 721-1234

Location: 212 West 83rd Street, New York, NY 10024

Learn more here.

Madison Square Park

The playground at Madison Square Park is widely considered the best in the city. During the summer, it even features a 15-foot tall water sprinkler, the sort of thing usually only seen in private parks. The playground itself has large wooden climbing structures, although those can get a bit crowded during the summer. A swing set and tire swing seal the deal.

Contact no: (212) 538-6667

Location: Fifth Avenue & Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010

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Brooklyn Bridge

 

A marvel of civil engineering, the Brooklyn Bridge is a powerful symbol of not only New York’s modern age, but of the optimism that pervaded the whole country at the time. Unlike other monuments of its age, (it shares a birth year with Edison’s “Electric Lighting System,” and national time zones) the Brooklyn Bridge is still in actual, practical use every day. Taking your children for a trip across the great structure will be part adventure in heights and part history lesson. If you’re in a hurry, drive across and admire the view from the window of your car. If you have a bit of time, take the kids on a stroll across the bridge and into Brooklyn. On the way, you’ll be treated to breathtaking views of lower Manhattan and the East River. Grab a slice of pizza in Brooklyn, and then take the subway from High Street back into the city.

 

Location: Brooklyn Bridge, NY, NY 10038

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American Museum of Natural History

There probably isn’t a more educationally enjoyable way to spend the day in Manhattan than at the Museum of Natural History. Of course there are longtime favorites to see: dinosaur skeletons, a blue whale that’s a few times bigger than your first house, and the arctic wonder of the polar bear diorama; but the museum also hosts a variety of unique, temporary exhibits year round, so you’re sure to see something new. You might be drawn to Teddy Roosevelt’s monument, but when traveling with children, it’s best to stick with the cool insects and big bones.

Contact no: (212) 769-5200

Location: Central Park West and 79th Street, New York, NY 10024

Learn more here.

Statue of Liberty National Monument

Take your children on a ferry ride from New York City’s Battery Park to Ellis Island to visit the Statue of Liberty. Built in 1886 as a joint effort by the United States and France to commemorate the American Declaration of Independence, Lady Liberty is a monument to freedom — and one of the first many immigrants saw when they arrived on the Nation’s shores. Tell your children about your ancestors’ arrival in the States. Then from the statue’s observation deck, view the spectacle that is New York City. The Ellis Island Immigration Museum is now open; visit after you tour the monument and continue America’s history lesson. Remember, the lines are quite long and the ascent on the inner staircase is quite steep, so wear your best walking shoes. Reserve tickets ahead of time for both the monument and the ferry – America’s favorite lady is very popular.

Contact no: (877) 523-9849

Location: Battery Park, New York, NY 10004

Learn more here.