Travelling with kids is not for the faint of heart but I know that everyone (however reluctantly) would agree that trips are a great way to bond as a family. The surest secret to make ANY trip amazing is enjoying it yourself. When your kids see your spouse and you having fun, they will have an awesome time too… even if they are just taking the sub in New York.
Besides taking the subway or getting the New York taxi experience there are several places in New York worth visiting as a family. Here are the top places. I think that every family has things they love and things they hate to do so take your pick from all of New York’s variety.
1. Madame Tussauds:
I’d recommend taking a day at Times Square to visit this attraction and a few others in the area. If your family loves the movies and music or history and art they will definitely enjoy the life-size, life-like wax statues that Madame Tussauds creates. For most of us, it’s the closest we’ll get to our favorite celebrities!
2. Discovery Times Square Exhibit:
While you’re in the area, you’re not going to miss visiting this exhibition. It’s not just your kids who’ll love it but you will too. Their current exhibitions include Body Worlds, Shipwreck and The Art of the Brick. If you’ve ever wondered what human beings look like under their skin, Body Worlds will help you understand the intricacies of the human body. While it might be shocking at first, it changes how you think of yourself and others.
Shipwreck is an exhibition about experiencing what it’s like to be lost at sea. They also put about 500 artifacts and long lost treasures from the depths of the deep blue. Who doesn’t like a good pirate’s treasure?
Their last exhibition is on the artistic side but you’ll never get his tools—Legos! Just plain Legos! Artist Nathan Sawaya puts his unparalleled Lego “sculptures” and “paintings” on display. There’s no place in New York that gives you as much bang for your buck as Discovery Times Square (Shhhh! Don’t tell your kids that they’re going to a real fun educational experience too!)
3. Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM):
If you have younger kids the CMOM has a lot of fun activities to keep them occupied while you take pictures and enjoy every stage of development that your kids go through. They have workshops for kids ages 2-10 that challenge them to be curious, inventive, inspired and imaginative—what every child should be!
The Bronx Zoo:
The Bronx Zoo has a huge variety of animals to see and feed and pet. If you’re anything like me, a good zoo still makes me as excites as any 5 year old. No little boy or girl would want to miss the Dinosaur Safari that’s running until September 8ththat provides the dinosaur experience of a lifetime. I can just hear the “I wanna go, I wanna go, Iwanna go” in the back of my head. If this is something your kids look forward to that much then leave it as the last thing you do in New York so they’ll always have something to look forward to.
Don’t forget to plan out which restaurants you want to visit as a couple and explore the various cuisines in New York even if the kids don’t appreciate it yet. They will thank you later for challenging them to taste new things. Always carry snacks for emergencies because no one likes to be hungry. Enjoy New York with your family—even though it’s a bustling city, visit Central Park and you’ll find some time to relax.
