New York City with kids is an experience. Whether you are visiting or relocating to one of the 5 boroughs it is important to start with that knowledge.

Like everywhere we’ve lived, there is good and bad.

New York City is overwhelming and exciting.

It is loud and busy and full of opportunity.

It is smelly and dirty and also full of light and green spaces.

New York City is an experience.

What I love most about moving as much as we do is the opportunity to really delve deep into wherever we are living. It’s kind of like immersive family travel.

We know wherever we are now is temporary and so we explore and see as much as we can and just experience it in a way we might not if we were settling in for good.

When we moved to New York City we were determined to experience the city as much as we could. This is the culmination of our year and a half living in one of the greatest cities in the world.

New York City with Kids

Resources

• My First Trip to New York – helpful book that focused on the kid friendly side of NYC.
• Fodor’s Brooklyn – not family specific, but awesome advice for what’s worthy of visiting in Brooklyn.
• Mommy Poppins New York City – great blog for getting an overview of the many, many options in NYC for families.
• A Child Grows in Brooklyn – more Brooklyn focused blog for families. 
• Little Kid Big City – another great NYC based blog. LOVE her Instagram feed. She also has a really fun NYC guide book / choose-your-own-adventure book for kids also called LITTLE KID, BIG CITY that is really fun.
• Globetrotting Mommy – this mommy and her little girl are big adventurers based in NYC.

Things to Do

I divided this area up by borough to hopefully make it more navigable and helpful.

Start with: 10 Must Do Things for Families in New York City or Thanksgiving Weekend in NYC with Kids

Manhattan

• 9 Hours in Lower Manhattan
• Sea Glass Carousel in Battery Park with Kids
• Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and Liberty State Park with Kids
• 5 Things to Know Before Visiting the One World Trade Center with Kids
• What to Know Before You Visit Intrepid Sea Air and Space Museum with Kids
• Children’s Museum of Art
• A Visit to the Museum of Math in New York with Kids
• Grand Central Station with Kids
• Guggenheim with Kids
• Central Park with Kids
• Unofficial Guide to the Playgrounds in Central Park
• Kellogg’s NYC: Kid Friendly & Allergy Friendly Snack Spot
• Non-Touristy Things to do in NYC

Brooklyn

• What to do at the Brooklyn Bridge Park with Kids
• Brooklyn Botanical Gardens with Kids
• A Visit to the Brooklyn Children’s Museum
• Marine Salt Marsh Hike with Kids

Queens

• 5 Reasons to Head to the New York Hall of Science

The Bronx

• New York Botanical Gardens with Kids

Seasonal Events

• How to Enjoy the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with Kids
• Thanksgiving Weekend in NYC with Kids
• 5 New York City Christmas Events Families Shouldn’t Miss
• New York Botanical Gardens Train Show