Best of NYC with kids

There are so many fun and interesting attractions to see and do in NYC, it can get overwhelming as well as expensive. Before our visit we did a lot of research checking out all the attractions that we knew Luca would love.  We mapped out all our MUST DO on our google map, as well as our nice to see if we have time. Mapping out our visit made it very easy to plan what attractions to visit each day based on their location and proximity. This allowed us to see as many attractions as possible on a more leisurely and less exhausting schedule while avoiding traveling back and forth.  As an example, we knew we wanted to visit Brooklyn for the day, so we planned our visit to the New York Transit Museum via subway, then a few photo ops we had on our list, then we rested our feet over what Brooklyn is known for PIZZA, and then made our way back to Manhattan by foot across the Brooklyn Bridge with an incredible sunset view. 

If you plan your visit in advance you can find lots of things to do with the kids that are either free or inexpensive, this will allow you to pick and choose what attractions you are willing to pull out your wallet for. Mapping out your visit and knowing the attractions hours of operations is key. Some attractions are closed on certain days, so you aren’t trekking across the city to find out they are closed. 

Here is what we visited:

Trolls Experience – 218 West 57th
(Closed on Wednesdays)

If your kids are fans of the animate Trolls movie they will love this. Your kids are on a mission to help Princess Poppy plan for her dance party, there are different activities and tasks they need to do in each room to collect stickers, at the end they arrive at a 3D dance party which then leads them to an activity space where they get to complete a scrap book with the stickers they collected along the way.  At the very end the are greeted by Princess Poppy and a photo with her. There are two kinds of admission –General admission at $25 (you get your nose painted and a paper hair mask), or you can upgrade to the Hair We Go VIP Experience at $75 (full face painting, and wig).  We chose general admission. 

Central Park

This massive and impressive urban park is the most visited parks, and every season has different things to offer. The park is filled with playgrounds, trails, ponds and wildlife. Luca had so much fun at the playgrounds, the Carousel, and just running around and climbing all the massive rocks. The park has so much to offer, from the Central Park Zoo ($13.95 for adults 13+, $8.95 children ages 3-12, Free for children 2 and under, $10.95seniors 65+), Belvedere castle, Alice and Wonderland bronze statue, boat rides in the spring/summer, and skating in the winter. The list goes on and on. Make sure to thoroughly plan your visit because there is no way you can do everything. 

Staten Island Ferry – Free (runs daily)

This is a great free activity to do with your kids offering great views of the Manhattan skyline and passing by the Statue of Liberty.  We taught Luca the history of the Statue of Liberty gearing up to our trip, so he was super excited to see it in person from the ferry. The travel time in either direction between St George and Whitehall is about 25 min. If you chose to get off and explore the other side of the island or if you choose to just do a round trip for the boat ride and Statue of Liberty views. You will need to get off and them get back on.  If you chose to ride the Ferry, you should take a ride on the Sea Glass Ferry at the Battery Conservancy just next to the entrance of the Ferry. It is a beautiful aquarium themed carousel for $5, we were bummed it was closed, but it is usually open every day. 

New York Transit Museum–

Boerum Pl & Schermerhorn St, Brooklyn NY 11201

This awesome transit museum is located in Brooklyn, and if your kids love trains and subways they will love this museum. Luca had so much fun exploring and learning about the vintage subways and elevated cars.  The museum is on the actual tracks of the subway system which we thought was really cool.

Skating at Bryant Park – 5th/6th Ave between 40th and 42nd, (open daily), skates available for rental

The weather was beautiful on our visit and the perfect opportunity to take Luca for his first-time skating. There are many outdoor skating rinks throughout the city, Bryant Park, Rockefeller Centre and Central Park to name a few. The hotel we stayed during the first half of our trip was in Bryant Park, so it was a no brainer for us. Luca had a blast and did such a great time for his first time in skates. They have cute little animal skate aids for the kids to and push across the ice helping them keep their balance. Bring a pad lock if you want to lock up your belongings as you are not allowed to bring your backpacks or bags on the rink (pad locks are $10 on location, so bring your own). Skating is free, but skate rental and skate aid fees differ at each location so make sure to check online for pricings. Bryan Park’s skate rental is $20 for the day, Helmet rental $5, skate aid $30 per hour.  They also have ice bumper cars that are book by the hour for $15. 

FAO Schwarz – 30 Rockefeller Plaza


The largest toy store in NYC. After an absence of 3 years this iconic toys store re-opened their doors. You can find one of a kind toys here, very expensive to affordable toys. The store is just so fun, with interactive stations that your kids can play with some toys. You can also play on the iconic floor piano that Tom Hanks made famous in the movie Big. The store is packed so we suggest visiting early morning, or close when the store closes, allotting enough time for your kids to explore the store and play without too much of a crowd.  We went 2 hours before the store closed and were able to enjoy the floor piano all to ourselves. 

Brooklyn Bridge


The Brooklyn bridge connects the boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan and one of the oldest railway bridges in the USA. It is the city’s most popular tourist attractions. We suggest taking an Uber or Subway to Brooklyn then walking the Bridge from Brooklyn towards Manhattan vs the other way around. Walking across towards Manhattan will treat you to the most incredible Manhattan skyline views. It is beautiful no matter what time of day, whether in the daylight or in the night seeing the city lit up.  We would a lot about an hour if you are in no rush, and plan to stop to take photos and rest on a bench and have a snack and just take in the views. 

Gulliver’s Gate – 216 W 44th St (Mon-Sun 10am-8pm)


A large display of interactive world miniatures, 50,000 square feet of 25 cities from 5 continents. Kids under 3 and under are free, adults 13-64 ($36), children 4-12 ($12), Seniors 65+( $27).  Luca had so much fun walking around with his interactive key making the models move.

230 Fifth Rooftop Bar


A beautiful rooftop bar with amazing skyline views of the city. Children are allowed until 7pm, of which after it becomes adults only zone as it becomes a lounge. During the winter they had these awesome clear plastic igloos that you can dine in.  We treated ourselves to some dessert and hot chocolate.

United Nations Headquarters


We are lucky to have good friends that work for the United Nations and were kind enough to set some time out of their busy schedules to give us a private tour of the headquarters. The headquarters is stunning, and we couldn’t help but get goose bumps as we walked the same grounds of some of the most empowering members and ambassadors. It was impressive getting to stand in the General Assembly and the Security Council. The UN offers 45-60 minute guided tours to the public in multiple languages, children under the age of 5 are allowed in the UN visitor center but for security reasons are not permitted on the tour.  You will need to present photo ID to receive your security pass. 

Rockefeller Centre
Between 48th and 51st St facing 5th Ave


Thomas and I got engaged on the skating rink here back in 2011 so it holds a special place in our hearts.   You can go ice skating in the winter, or just enjoy the beautiful fountain in the summer. There are tons of shops and eateries that makes for a nice visit. FAO Schwartz is located here so you can hit two attractions at once. 

M&M’s World – 1600 Broadway (at 48th) 
Who doesn’t love M&Ms. You can build your own bag choosing amongst the colorful self-serve tubes. You can even pick yourself up some fun souvenirs. Yes, no matter how many people are in there they always have enough M&Ms for everyone. 

Lego Store –Rockefeller or 200 5ht Ave  


Luca recently got into the Lego phase, he is obsessed. There are two main Lego stores in Manhattan and yes, we visited both since they were along the way of the sites we were visiting. He loves looking at all the sets, and with the loose Lego’s they have at the stores for kids to play with while shopping. Let’s just say we didn’t leave empty handed. 

Below are the things we didn’t get time to visit but our list for our next visit.

Broadway Show – There are so many amazing shows for kids. The first on our list is The Lion King. The Lion King is NYC most popular shows, so the tickets never go on sale, and well it isn’t cheap.  We chose to skip out this time and wait until Luca is a little older.

Roosevelt Island Tramway (open daily)
The tramway runs every 7-15 minutes from 59th street at 2nd Ave to Tramway Plaza on Roosevelt Island. The tram ride offers an impeccable view of the city.  This is a very fun cheap attraction that cost the same fare as the subway ($2.75 – Adult, $1.25 – Seniors, Free – Child up to 44 inches (112 cm).

Dylan’s Candy Bar – 1011 3rd Ave (at E 60th) This iconic 2 floor candy shop has a bar upstairs where you can grab a bit to eat. They also have special events from time to time, so ensure to check out their website.

As you can see there is so much more that NYC has to offer, you are sure to find something for everyone in your family to enjoy. There are a ton of museums you can visit, as well as going up the Empire State Building and the Chrysler.  We hope this blog helps you plan your visit. 

Check out our First day video here