New York City with Kids

New York City with Kids

Though much of New York revolves around the distinctly adult pursuits of making and spending money, it's also a great city for kids. Our top activities include:

American Museum of Natural History. The hands-down favorite for both visiting and local kids, this museum's many exhibits could entertain most children for a week. The dinosaurs alone are worth the trip, as is the live Butterfly Conservatory that runs each year from October to May. There's also an IMAX theater, ancient-culture displays, and wildlife dioramas with taxidermied creatures that hit the right mix of fascinating and creepy.

Bronx Zoo. The country's largest metropolitan wildlife park is home to more than 4,000 animals, including endangered and threatened species. Plan to spend a whole day here, so your kids don't have to choose between Congo Gorilla Forest and the Siberian cats at Tiger Mountain. Be sure to check out the World of Darkness, a black-lighted indoor exhibit of nocturnal creatures. On Tuesday from April through October the zoo runs special tours for young children.

Central Park Zoo. Three climatic regions—Rain Forest, Temperate Territory, and Polar Circle—are represented at this bite-size zoo. The rain-forest frogs, red pandas, and performing sea lions are all nifty—but the showstopper is the underwater viewing window into the polar bear pool.

Children's Museum of Manhattan. Interactive exhibits in this five-floor museum change frequently—but they're always fun. As well as visiting with TV friends like Dora the Explorer, your little ones can build castles in the sand laboratory, and—in warm weather—race boats on a zigzagging outdoor watercourse.

New York Aquarium. Alongside the creaky amusements of Coney Island, this aquarium is home to more than 10,000 marine species, including walrus, giant sea turtles, sand-tiger sharks, and sea otters.

New York Botanical Garden. Fifty gardens and plant collections fill this gorgeous 250-acre space; there are flowering rose and water-lily gardens in the warm months, and hothouses full of tropical flowers in winter. Don't miss the Children's Adventure Garden and its boulder maze.

Rose Center for Earth and Space. The appropriately space-age design of the new Hayden Planetarium (and its accompanying cosmos museum) has made waves among architects—but the thrilling daily space shows inside are a big bang with kids. The complex is part of the American Museum of Natural History, though planetarium tickets are sold separately.

Sony Wonder Technology Lab. The line to get into this futuristic fantasy world might be long (as well as having great interactive exhibits, the museum has free entry). But don't worry—a slightly freaky talking robot will keep your kids entertained while they wait. Inside, there are more robots and image and sound labs where kids can record their own digital music, movies, and games.

South Street Seaport Museum. The fleet of historic square-riggers with looming masts might be the first thing to catch your children's eyes—but there's much more going on here, including weekend concerts, performances by storytellers and shanty-singers, and special guided tours for families.