10 things to do in New York City with kids

Our daughter is always talking about two places she loves: Disney and New York! So as we were taking a look at our pictures from NYC we decided to write this post so it will help you plan your trip to the Big Apple with your kids! On this list of 10 things to do in New York City with kids we included things Isabella considers a must, but we also added a few things we think she'll love next time we visit NYC.

10 things to do in New York City with kids

1) Central Park

A great place to run, see squirrels, have fun on the playgrounds, see places they have seen in movies and go to the zoo!

2) Times Square

One of these days Isabella said that next time we go to New York she wants to go back to "that place full of lights and a lot of people". After some thinking we realized she was talking about Times Square! And yes, that's the best way to describe it! Kids also love stores like Hershey's and M&M's. *2020 updated: we spent 2 days in NYC in February and this the place Isabella kept talking about, we had to go twice 🙂

3) The Museums: Intrepid, the American Museum of Natural History and many others

At he Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum Intrepid (former aircraft carrier that is now a museum) we saw a lot of airplanes, interactive exhibits with a submarine, a Concorde and even the Enterprise space shuttle!

For more information check the official website.

We didn't go to the Museum of Natural History because on this trip we went to a similar museum in Chicago, but next time we are in NY it will be on the top of our list!

4) Tall Buildings

We visited Top of the Rock at Rockefeler Center and Isabella loved being up there. Other options include the Empire State Building and One World Observatory.

5) High Line

Visiting the High Line in NYC is definitely a unique experience! But what is the High Line? It's a public park built on a historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side. There aren’t playgrounds and you can’t play catch or ride a bike, but Isabella liked it very much. It’s not a traditional park but it’s still fun for kids. They can watch the streets through large glass viewing areas and pass by unusual buildings and beautiful wall paintings.

I think the idea of being in a park and at the same time being above the streets is cool and kids like cool things 🙂 Just don't make it a very long visit!

6) Broadway Shows

We didn't take Isabella to a Broadway show and we regret it. There are so many options. We are definitely going next time!

7) The Statue of Liberty

We didn't actually visit the Statue of Liberty so Isabella just saw it from the Staten Island Ferry, which is a very cool ride by way, but we promised her that next time we are going to do it all!

8) Grand Central Station

Great for kids and adults! We just loved the architecture and Isabella couldn't stop thinking about the characters from Madagascar!

9) The playgrounds

Kids love a cool playground, right? Your problem will be to take your kids out of them! Here is a list of the best playgrounds in NYC.

10) The subway

If you live in a big city, with subway, this doesn't mean much, but we live in a city that doesn't have subway, so for Isabella this is always a must! Just avoid peak times.