Look into Citypass or the like for NYC, we did 3-4 of the options, included top of the rock, natural history and it was well worth it.

Statue of Liberty is not worth stopping, much better to view it from the ferry and continue on to Ellis Island.

I’m not sure I would bother with AMNH if you go to the Smithsonian. My kids enjoy it but it’s not spectacularly different. The Met is wonderful and there are lots of special areas to see. My kids love the period rooms in the American wing and the Gubbio studiolo which is fascinating (and entire room made out of marquetry, or inlaid wood). They also enjoy the Ancient playground nearby and they also love the playground closer to Colombus circle.

The Tenement museum is fantastic as are their lower east side walking tours.

The Edge is the “new” cool view spot in Hudson yards. I’m not sure I would go just for that but it’s very popular and a shorter wait than the other places (at least on week days).

My tweens adore Hamilton, Six, Hadestown, Wicked and the lion king. You know your kids best to know which they will enjoy but they’re all great shows. My kids have seen a lot of shows and these are their favorites currently playing.

Brooklyn Bridge park is great for a chill day and views of Manhattan. You can get good pizza and ice cream in DUMBO or go to TimeOut market there where there are lots of options. Essex market in LES is also fun.

Rent bikes (or citi bikes) and bikes the loop around Central Park. It’s one of my favorite things to do.

When are you going? There are lots of free performances happening in the summer which are fun!

Anonymous wrote:Thanks! Definitely want to see Ellis island and statute of liberty—my grandparents came through there and I lhave never been, despite living in NY previously.

It seems like kind of a pain to go up the pedestal at the statute of liberty though. Any thoughts on whether that’s worth it? Looked like you stand in a line even with tickets, and it’s a lot of stairs in the heat with no bathroom.

PP who went a few weeks ago. There was a really minimal line for the pedestal when we went. You do have to go through another screening and they limit what you can bring (no food). There are lockers so you can store stuff. We did the stairs but you had the choice of stairs or elevator. I’m not in great shape and had no problem with the stairs. The whole thing took maybe 30 minutes-so the lack of bathrooms isn’t really an issue, we just went before going up the pedestal. The long lines were to get on the ferry.

You do have to get specific pedestal tickets, but they’re pretty much the same price as the tickets for the ferry. I’d go as early in the morning as possible, it gets more crowded throughout the day.

Yes to Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island, and The Lion King.
Skip the Natural History Museum.
MoMA would be great for those ages
Times Square, just because
Intrepid Sea/Air/Space Museum

If your lids are into it, there's a huge Harry Potter store in Manhattan, down around 20th and 5th or something like that...can't remember rxact location. We were in NYC for a long weekend back in June and noticed it, but I don't know details.

Thanks! Definitely want to see Ellis island and statute of liberty—my grandparents came through there and I lhave never been, despite living in NY previously.

It seems like kind of a pain to go up the pedestal at the statute of liberty though. Any thoughts on whether that’s worth it? Looked like you stand in a line even with tickets, and it’s a lot of stairs in the heat with no bathroom.

PP here who lives in NYC with tweens.
Our kids don’t like the Met although Temple of Dundur and Arms and armor are the highlights for them. Also turtle pond is nearby so we always end up there. They like MOMA better because they know more of the paintings and it’s smaller. You can quickly walk to Rockefeller center from the MOMA, too, and they like the stores there. You can also keep going to the Kinokuniya Japanese store near Bryant Park, which they love.

We take advantage of theater weeks, and have seen a lot of shows.
On Broadway they loved Six, and off-Broadway they loved Little Shop of Horrors. My friend’s tween boys really liked The Play where Everything Goes Wrong, but my kids just liked it well enough. My other friend’s 7th grade son loved the Harry Potter show (we haven’t been - my kids aren’t into Potter). Our kids liked Wicked - it’s quite a spectacle. They thought Hamilton was loud and long and didn’t like the guns/shooting. Bizarrely, they didn’t like the Lion King - they said the Lion King show at Animal Kingdom in Orlando was better. Very strange children! If you go to a musical then listen to the soundtrack before you go - we have trouble making out what is going on sometimes and it helps to be familiar with the music.

Our kids thought top of the rock was boring, but we live on a high floor of an apartment building on the UES and they whined that it wasn’t that different from home (it most definitely is - but we went in the winter during COVID and it was freezing cold and they wanted to leave). They liked the speedy elevator, though. Not sure it’s worth the full price just for an elevator ride. We got some sort of coupon - maybe see if you can find one or get some sort of deal.

We go to Governor's Island I’m the summer because we have relatives in Brooklyn near the ferry. That’s a lot of fun, but it’s not full-on NYC touristy.

Oh! If the weather is nice then take the NYC ferry instead of the subway or bus (if it will get you where you need to go); it’s cheap and fun. Sometimes we just get on and ride around.

We live in NYC and are members of the ANHM. We go at least every other month - it’s great. The new hall of gems and minerals is amazing. Our kids like running around looking for the 5 little angelfish sculptures that are carved out of rubellite tourmaline that are scattered throughout the exhibit.

Natural History Museum is wonderful but we still needed timed tickets when we went in June so plan ahead.

Just took my kids (8 and 10) last month and their favorite activities were Statue of Liberty and Lion King.

We also chose Rockefeller Center over the Empire State Building for the reasons everyone else stated. It was cheaper too.

We also spent a morning just wandering through Central Park and they liked that too.

I loved the view from the Empire State building. Just so iconic.

Met is definitely worth it. The paintings alone - there are so many that are staples in art history books and you can stand right in front of them. Be sure to check out whatever the rotating exhibitions are, because they're usually big draws.

I prefer Top of the Rock over Empire State Building - then the view includes the Empire State Building itself which is an iconic part of the skyline.

If you live in DC then the Natural History Museum is a definite pass - it's got nothing on the one here.

Top of the Rock also has a better view of central park.

Empire State Building is cool though.

Empire State Building is great, but I actually prefer going up Rockefeller Center/30 Rock, or whatever they call it now. It’s not the Empire State Building, but you get one thing on top of Rock Center that you’ll never get from Empire State Building, which is a view of the Empire State Building. Both are cool, but I prefer Rock for this reason and it’s a little less crowded- at least it was 5+ years ago.

I will be the dissenting voice and say the Met is not that great and the Egyptian temple is only so-so. If you really love art, sure, but otherwise pretty meh.

Did not feel natural history museum was worth it, just not very spectacular.

Empire State Building absolutely yes! Buy tix in advance and the lines aren’t too long. If you have ancestors who went through NYc, Ellis island and the tenement museum are great.

My kids want to do some of the touristy things. Has anyone gone up the Empire State Bldg? It's so expensive! Is it cool, or no? Are the lines long if you have reserved tickets?
Is the Natural History Museum worth it, considering we have a Natural History Museum here in DC?
We're thinking about the Met for the Egypt room -- any other must-sees or highlights at the Met?
Kids are teens/tweens.
Thanks!