Making New York Fun for Families

Karla Courtney discovers some of the best ways to chill out with the family in New York City.

See the harbour

Take a long Saturday stroll from Manhattan to Brooklyn across the Williamsburg Bridge for views of the harbour and city skyline. Your delicious reward is Smorgasburg market, which has more than 100 food vendors. For a less energetic experience, hop on the free Staten Island Ferry and see the Statue of Liberty from the water.

The Best Things to See and Do in New York with Kids

Take to the heights

The High Line is a great place to walk on a weekday when it’s less busy. Start at the northern end at 34th Street and stroll to Chelsea Market, where highlights include Posman Books for kids’ reads and toys; Creamline for American comfort food such as griddled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; Sarabeth’s for famous cookies; Doughnuttery for hot morsels made on the spot; and L’Arte del Gelato for Italian scoops.

Hit the park

Central Park is an obvious choice – the challenge is choosing from the 21 playgrounds. Adventure (west side at 67th Street) and Heckscher (mid-park from 61st to 63rd streets) both offer water features. For a real chill, head inside Central Park Zoo’s Polar Circle exhibit, which has seals and penguins. And at nearby Tisch Children’s Zoo there’s a climbable giant spider web.

Image: Central Park Conservancy

Explore the museums

Visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA or the Guggenheim, all of which offer programs and tours for kids. No child can leave NYC without seeing the dinosaurs and travelling into space at the American Museum of Natural History. Don’t miss the shop, where you can buy kid-size NASA astronaut suits.

Walk the words

See the Big Apple as it’s appeared in literature with a copy of Storied City: A Children’s Book Walking Tour Guide to New York City by Leonard S. Marcus. Written for kids and teens, it offers 21 detailed walking tours featuring 100 literary hotspots.