last-minute trip to NYC with kids. What to see/do?
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Anonymous
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OP here, so happy to come back and find so many good recommendations. I agree with Central Park, esp. for the PP with the younger kids. We went when ours were 5 and 3. We rented a rowboat and the five-year-old insisted on rowing us all over the pond!
We'll try the diner, go to Central park, try to see a show, hang out by NYU. Will check with kids about WTC tour. And we got tickets for this exhibit https://gulliversgate.com/ Someone recommended a river tour. I really like the tram idea! |
Anonymous
| I'm surprised no one mentioned the High Line. Really neat to walk along. |
Anonymous
| Tenement museum would be great for kids that age. Of course, Central Park, High Line, Staten Island Ferry, walk across Brooklyn bridge if it isn't too cold. |
Anonymous
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Has anyone seen School of Rock recently? Or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?
Good for a ten year old girl? We've seen Wicked and Matilda and she loved both. |
Anonymous
| The statue of the girl staring down the bull! |
Anonymous
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If you go on the Rossevelt Islad Tram (and I would - it's quick and fun), Dylan's Candy Bar is right down the street.
Watson's Adventures has kid themed scavenger hunts almost every morning next week. (It's spring break for NYC schools, too.) There's one at the Natural History Museum and one at Grand Central. They sound like fun. I did one of their adult scavenger hunts in DC years ago, and it was great. |
Anonymous
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If its nice out, take the kids to walk the Highline.
And Central Park--can't beat it. Do the museum of natural history (and Hayden planetarium) then walk over to the park. For lunch, go to Black Tap. Kids love the mutant shakes, lol. |
Anonymous
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Top of the Rock is great at sunset. You get timed entry tickets, and once you're up there you can stay as long as you like.
We really enjoyed Museum of Modern Art as well. |
Anonymous
| I was hoping to get tickets for Hamilton - have they become more accessible? Any way to get discount tickets? |
Anonymous
hahahahaha NO. You are not going to get discount tickets to Hamilton. You can enter the lottery, though. Places to go: Natural History museum and the Met are wonderful, though more expensive and not THAT much better than the Smithsonians in DC. Bronx Zoo is also cool but again you may feel like it's not THAT much better than DC's (it is definitely bigger though). NYC Public library is very cool. Centrally located but off the beaten track is Teddy Roosevelt's birthplace. Yes to the tenement museum, and there are some fun places to eat around there too (doughnuts, pickles, knishes, candy, etc.). The UN might be interesting to some kids but not others. Chelsea Piers has a lot of sports stuff--may also be able to take a tour of Yankee Stadium or Citi Field if your kids are into that. Kids who are ok with a little adventure might like the Beast boat ride. The NBC studio tour is ok--more focused on SNL and other grown-up shows, but kids who like TV might find it interesting. I think you can do tours of Radio City Music Hall and Lincoln Center too if that interests your kids. Cathedral of St. John the Divine is beautiful. So are the Cloisters. Doing a walk through Chinatown and Little Italy could be fun. And definitely walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and/or take the Staten Island Ferry for some good free views! |
Anonymous
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I'm surprised no one mentioned the Intrepid: http://www.intrepidmuseum.org
You can buy tickets online. We parked in a parking garage a few blocks away. Even with tix, there's a bit of waiting in line. Even if you're not a military history buff, there's so much to see; it's quite impressive. They have a food court, but there are some good restaurants within walking distance, which is what we did. |
Anonymous
Lots of good advice here. Note, though, that the Beast won't be running over Spring Break. It opens for the season in May. NP here who is also going to NYC over Spring Break with a 7 year old. We've been several times before, and have already seen lots of the popular sites. I've long had the Cloisters and the Tenement Museum on my to do list, but haven't tried either one yet. Would they be worthwhile for a 7 year old boy, or should we hold off for a couple of years? The adults in the group would enjoy them, and not everything we do needs to be kid-focused, but we'll skip them on this trip if a 7 year old would be bored silly. |
Anonymous
She will probably like School of Rock. Mine did. |
Anonymous
| Not directly relevant to the OP but my six year old loved the Gazillion Bubble Show. Discount tickets are available. |
Anonymous
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Done this several times...
- stay in fun hotel if you can, one with a nice view. - top of Empire State Bldg - pre-purchase tickets and pay extra to get the express (or whatever it's called) access so you don't have to wait in line. Make sure to go to very top and go outside. - Have at least one dinner at a special dinner place, like a steak house that serves giant pieces of cake for dessert - Intrepid (aircraft carrier - kids always love it) - Take a Circle Line tour (no need to actually go to the Statue of Liberty - just take the two-hour tour that goes around Liberty island). Buy tix in advance on circle line website. - Fun Broadway show (not a late or after-dinner show though as younger kids will fall asleep or be cranky during show) - In winter, go ice skating at Rockefeller Center (rent skates there -- super easy) - Eat pizza at one of the many amazing pizza places (check out TripAdvisor or Yelp for suggestions near your hotel) - Natural History museum if you have time, but skip if not - we have great museums in DC - Perhaps World Trade Center 9/11 location and/or subway and/or other museums (Frick/MOMA) for older kids |