NYC with Kids

The Brooklyn Children's Museum is located in the Crown Heights neighborhood and was the first children’s museum in the United States.

This multi-level underground museum houses a plethora of interactive exhibits designed to both entertain and engage the minds of young children, ranging from a working greenhouse to World Brooklyn, which is a section of rooms portraying various cultures from New York City, such as an Italian pizzeria and a replica of an MTA bus. Totally Tots is an area dedicated to children under five that features daily art experiences. The museum is available to rent for birthday parties and other private events.

145 Brooklyn Avenue, Brooklyn, Phone: 718-735-4400

A visit to the fascinating Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) will give you an insight into the myriad of facets which form the essence of the Big Apple. Located at the top of Museum Mile in East Harlem, the museum is home to a collection of over 750,000 objects which include historic prints and photographs of New York, paintings, sculptures, textiles, theatre costumes, furniture and other diverse decorative arts. In one exhibit you can admire women’s clothing from the 20th century, while other important collections include New York silverware dating back to 17th century. In addition, the museum hosts regular temporary exhibitions showcasing a wide range of subjects central to the city.

Museum of the City of New York (MCNY), 1220 Fifth Ave at 103rd Street, New York, NY 10029, 212-534-1672

The Museum of Interesting Things is a traveling exhibit that presents artifacts and exhibits related to the history of invention. The exhibits and demonstrations feature many antiques and interesting items from the past. Items that can be included in the exhibition range from toys, cameras, and music devices to science and medical devices and nearly everything in between.

The traveling show is a self-proclaimed speakeasy and can be scheduled for private events and parties or can be found at 177 Prince Street once a month. The museum’s offices at 60 East 8th street can also be visited by appointment and here visitors can see special items that are not presented in the traveling show. Phone: 212-274-8757)

Unique Attractions

The New York Botanical Garden is a National Historic Landmark and botanical garden located in the Bronx. The park features 250 acres with over 1 million plants. The garden exists both as a recreational green space and as an educational and research facility. Each year many school children, families, and teachers visit to learn about plants, ecology, and healthy eating through the botanical garden’s programming.

The property features 50 distinct gardens and plantings, including a cascade waterfall, an old-growth New York forest, and wetlands. Other highlights include a vintage 1890s greenhouse, a Japanese rock garden, a library, and more. Additionally, the New York Botanical Garden hosts many seasonal and special events and activities.

2900 Southern Blvd, Bronx, NY 10458, Phone: 718-817-8700

Grow NYC strives to improve quality of life in New York City through a variety of environmental initiatives, serving as the city's most established environmental nonprofit organization today. The organization, which was founded in 1970, hosts more than 50 Greenmarket farmer's markets throughout the year, including a world-famous flagship location at Manhattan's Union Square. Visitors can enjoy cooking demonstrations throughout the week by New York City's top chefs and peruse hundreds of vendor stalls selling produce, meats, cheeses, wines and ciders, and pantry goods. Twice a week between March and December, the market hosts beer and spirits tasting popups. Other activities throughout the year include cookbook signings and education stations offering youth and adult cooking education programming. Visit a Farmer's Market

The New York Hall of Science is a science museum in Queens. The building was part of the 1964 New York World’s Fair, for which the museum was originally created. Featuring more than 400 immersive hands-on science and technology exhibits focusing particularly on the disciplines of biology, chemistry, and physics, the museum is primarily geared towards children aged 1 to 17.

The large permanent collection includes exhibits such as Mathematica: A World of Numbers…and Beyond, Amateur Radio Station, The Search for Life Beyond the Earth, Hidden Kingdoms: The World of Microbes, and many more.

47-01 111th Street, Corona, NY 11368, Phone: 718-699-0005

Make Music New York Inc. is the only New York City’s music festival for the people by the people. It is organized for the last 12 years by Make Music New York, a not-for-profit organization that has a mission to celebrate the musician in all of us, bring new artistic creations to the public, unite diverse New York communities, and energize the common spaces of New York. They produce two annual citywide celebrations. Their flagship festival, Make Music New York, is held each summer on June 21st, and Make Music Winter, a series of musical parades held each winter on December 21st. On these days, music makers of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities are encouraged to take to the stage and show off their skills and passions. Every year, there are more than 1,000 live concerts in public parks and plazas, on sidewalks, in front of shops, and in all five boroughs, from jazz to rock to hip hop to opera.

33 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217, USA, Phone: 917-779-9709

The Toy Museum of New York is a theater and performance-based museum that houses a large collection of toys dating back to the 1880s. The museum is dedicated to the city’s history in toy manufacturing and showcases many varieties of classic toys, including rare dolls and teddy bears, model trains, the original Frisbee pie pan, and more.

Toys from the museum’s collection are used in theatrical performances and plays for kids that are educational and teach children many important social skills in a toy-filled, fun, and interactive environment. The theater’s plays for kids are designed for children from pre-K through 4th grade.

Columbia Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231, Phone: 718-243-0820