This big downtown bookstore focuses on educational material, but they carry a full range of children’s books. You can expect visits by characters from the more popular books such as Harry Potter, Clifford the Big Red Dog and even Captain Underpants as well as book readings and author signings.
Contact no: (212) 343-6166
Location: 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012
Learn more here.
Experts say that learning chess is an ideal method for stimulating young minds. Kids learn valuable math and logic skills, not to mention fair play and sportsmanship, and who better to acquire such traits than from their wisest relative? (That’s you.) Village Chess Shop, with its classic storefront and gaggle of different chess sets, tables, and tournament gear is highly regarded as not only a shop but a veritable chess museum and Mecca. Aptly named by the New York Press as “The Best Place To Think In Public,” Village Chess will set you up with a fully stocked chess set, a board, a table, and two chairs for a dollar an hour. You’ll have to give the lessons yourself, so you might want to brush up on your openings beforehand.
Contact no: (212) 475-9580
Location: 230 Thompson Street, New York, NY 10012
Learn more here.
This tiny Greenwich Village shop is crammed with the latest and greatest imported Japanese toys. Although the emphasis here is on selling toys to adult collectors rather than to kids who will actually play with them, they have a good variety of unique and strange toys that will captivate kids more so than any trip to the MoMA. Bunnies with moustaches, plants wearing suits and other oddities predominate, most of them from Japan, which seems to specialize in such things.
Contact no: (212) 966-6688
Location: 126 Prince Street, New York, NY 10012
Learn more here.
This legendary bookstore, just south of Union Square, is known for its “18 miles of books,” and not much else. You’ll find no latte stands or leather couches in this bare-bones book warehouse. Despite the lack of polish or flair, the children’s book section is the best in New York City, which is probably why it has been around for over 80 years and isn’t going anywhere. With bookcases stacked higher than those mattresses in the “Princess and the Pea,” you and your literate children can get lost for hours browsing everything from Harry Potter to more obscure titles like “The Linnet’s Tale” and “Night birds on Nantucket.” You’ll be back buying college textbooks together before you know it.
Contact no: (212) 473-1452
Location: 828 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
Learn more here.
Its mammoth size and unfaltering popularity have made FAO Schwarz a venerable city landmark. Yes, it can be a bit crowded and pricier than your average toy store, but this buzzing, blinking, whirring toy megalopolis is hardly average, and no trip to Manhattan with kids in tow is complete without it. If you trust your feet, you can play the Dance-On Piano, immortalized by Tom Hanks and Robert Loggia in the famous “Chopsticks” scene from the movie “Big.” Browse the world’s biggest and coolest collection of toys, ogle the giant stuffed animals, and check out the newest ride-on cars and scooters. After you’ve seen all you can handle, stop at the new ice cream bar downstairs to kick back and grab a treat.
Contact no: (212) 644-9400
Location: 767 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10153
Learn more here.
Create your own teddy bear (or help your children make theirs) at the Build-A-Bear Workshop. Do they want their bears to be physicists? Olympic medalists? Ballerinas? They’ve got every conceivable accessory, and the customization ensures that kids get exactly the present they wanted and will treasure forever. Private rooms available for parties.
Contact no: (212) 871-7080
Location: 565 5th Avenue , New York, NY 10017
Learn more here.
There are dozens of bookstores in this city, each with their own area of expertise. Some specialize in cookbooks, some in biographies, and some in feudal Brazilian textiles. Since you have a child with you, you’re probably looking for children’s books. Books of Wonder is New York City’s largest and oldest independent children’s bookstore. They have a broad selection of rare and out-of-print books and an expert staff ready to help you find that one book you want to give your son. For any Emerald City-bound readers, be they your children or yourself, be sure to check out the incomparable “Oz” section, dedicated to all things along the yellow brick road, including Frank L. Baum’s volumes and all subsequent literature based on the same city.
Contact no: (800) 207-6968
Location: 18 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011
Learn more here.
