New York City with Kids Bucket List

If you live in New York City and you have kids, then this is the list for you! And if you’re coming out of town to visit, then take a look for some off the beaten path ideas of things to do in NYC with kids!

This list is organized by borough and also into indoor and outdoor locations, so it is easy to decide where to visit depending on the weather!

When we moved to the New York City metropolitan area, I created a big list of the places we were most interested in visiting. In the five years that we lived in NYC, we checked off most of these, (though we still have a few more to go).

Start Here:

The Best Things to do with Kids in New York City– best for out of towners! If you’re in NYC for a few days to a couple of weeks, these are the must-see destinations.

If you’re hanging around longer, then take a look at this complete list of things to fo in New York City with kids!

Manhattan Outdoor Destinations 

  1. Central Park– Kerb’s Boathouse, Belvedere’s Castle, Strawberry Fields, Central Park Zoo
  2. Times Square– Characters, Hershey Store, M&M Store, Toys R Us Ferris Wheel
  3. Financial DistrictBattery Park, the Sea Glass Carousel, South Street Seaport, Imagination Playground
  4. Battery Park City Parks (Nelson Rockefeller Park, Irish Hunger Memorial, Teardrop Park)
  5. Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
  6. Governor’s Island (and more here) – summer only
  7. Roosevelt Island Tram
  8. Staten Island Ferry (see the Statue of Liberty for Free! or explore NY by water)
  9. Highline
  10. Chinatown and the Lower East Side: Eldridge Street Synagogue, Mahayana Buddhist Temple
  11. Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
  12. Midtown Parks- Bryant Park, Madison Square Park, Union Square
  13. World Trade Center 9/11 Memorial
  14. Rockefeller Center

Brooklyn

  1. Cross the Brooklyn Bridge
  2. Coney Island Luna Park
  3. Brooklyn Beaches: Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Manhattan Beach
  4. Brooklyn Bridge Park
  5. Brooklyn Botanic Garden
  6. Prospect Park
  7. Prospect Park Zoo
  8. New York Aquarium
  9. Walk around Williamsburg and Domino Park

Queens  

  1. Flushing Meadows
  2. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
  3. US OPEN
  4. Rockaway Beach
  5. Queens County Farm Museum 
  6. Queen Zoo
  7. Socrates Sculpture Park

Bronx

  1. The Bronx Zoo
  2. New York Botanical Garden
  3. Baseball Game at Yankee Stadium
  4. The City Island Seaside Trolley departs from Pelham Bay Station the first Friday of every month
  5. Wave Hill

Staten Island

  1. Staten Island Ferry
  2. Snug Harbor
  3. Greenbelt hiking trails

NYC Museums and Indoor Destinations

Manhattan Museums

  1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art– Mummies, Ancient Greece, Knights (The Met Breuer and The Met Cloisters)
  2. Museum of Modern Art- Starry Night
  3. American Museum of Natural History
  4. Children’s Museum of the Arts
  5. One World Observatory
  6. Children’s Museum of Manhattan
  7. The National Museum of the American Indian
  8. Guggenheim
  9. Cooper Hewitt Museum of Design
  10. The Intrepid
  11. Museum of the City of New York
  12. The Skyscraper Museum
  13. Jewish Museum
  14. Rubin Museum
  15. Folk Art Museum
  16. Tibet House
  17. Museum of Chinese in America 
  18. Museum of Art and Design
  19. Grand Central Station
  20. New Museum
  21. NY Public Library main branch at 42nd st 
  22. Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology
  23. FAO Schwarz- dance on the piano
  24. Dylan’s Candy Bar
  25. Empire State Building (Top of the Rock)

Brooklyn Museums

  1. New York Transit Museum
  2. Brooklyn Museum
  3. Brooklyn Children’s Museum
  4. Jewish Children’s Museum

Queens Museums

  1. MoMA PS1
  2. New York Hall of Science
  3. Queens Museum of Art
  4. Museum of the Moving Image

What’s your favorite place in New York City? Locals: Any place you think I should add to the list?