19 Exciting Things to Do in NYC with Kids for 2023!

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Planning a trip to NYC with kids and not sure what there is to see and do? Don’t worry, I’m here to help.

Deciding what to do in New York City can be overwhelming at first since New York is one of the most iconic cities in the USA and has so much to see and do. It’s home to Broadway, world-famous buildings, historical landmarks, and some weird but wonderful museums.

As soon as you land in the Big Apple, you’ll be met with honking cars, steaming subways, and a lot of people, all seemingly in a hurry to get to their destination. There’s nothing quite like it, and your kids will be amazed by the enormity of it, even if you’re city folk.

We spent two weeks visiting NYC in December with our kids, taking in the sights, the sounds, the food, and the most popular New York attractions.

We found there were so many things to do in NYC with kids, there was never enough time to see it all. In this guide, we’ve listed some of our favourites and a few hidden gems for those families who like to discover something new.

Go take a look!

Is New York a good trip for kids?

You might be asking yourself if New York City is a good place to visit with kids. While it’s not the first destination that springs to mind when I think of family holidays, we did find it to be an enjoyable destination for a family.

As well as having plenty of kid friendly things to do in NYC, we didn’t feel like they were unsafe at any point. Most of the attractions are in touristy areas, so we never ventured into a neighborhood that would cause us trouble.

The main concern for parents bringing their kids to NYC is traffic and the number of people. Keep an eye on your little ones and don’t let them run off and you’ll have a great time!

New York is also fantastic for teens. Here are our top things to do in NYC with teens.

NYC Attraction Passes

Before we get into the top things to do in New York City with kids, I just wanted to show you something that will help you save a ton of money.

Doing a NYC tour can be a fun and convenient way to explore the city, especially if you don’t have much time and you have fussy children that make planning difficult.

This is why we recommend you get yourself an attraction pass, which gives you discounts on many of the top NYC attractions for kids and some special tours. This allows you to skip the queue, save on entrance fees and save time.

There are three main attraction passes in NYC, but we’ve done a complete comparison of them here.

We prefer the NYC Sightseeing Pass (links below), but the GoCity and CityPass are also great options depending on what you want to see and do and how much time you have.

Things to do in NYC with kids

Whether you’re looking for cheap things to do or something adventurous and memorable, these are the best things to do in New York City with kids!

1. Explore Central Park

Central Park is an incredible oasis in the middle of a concrete jungle. New Yorkers (and tourists) flock here to escape the crazy traffic and high-paced life that is in NYC.

Stretching three avenues wide from 59th Street all the way up to 110th Street, it’s 840 acres of landscaped and recreational areas and 6% of the entire island of Manhattan.

We explored Central Park in three different ways. On foot, by bicycle, and by horse & carriage ride.

It’s the place to go to let your kids have space to run around in nature.

Cycling in Central Park

We love riding bikes. Besides walking it’s our favorite way to explore a destination.

It took us about an hour to do a full loop of the 6-mile path and that’s including a few stops along the way to take in the scenery and shoot some photos and video.

The bike path is mostly flat and our kids did awesome, except for a hilly section at the northern end of Central Park. And it’s very safe, with a designated cycling path.

There are cars but the speed limit is slow, and you just have to watch out for the horse and carriage rides.

We had a tag-a-long bike for Savannah (6 years old) which was attached to the back of my bike. So if you’re looking for fun things to do in NYC with kids, do this!

Central Park Sightseeing has bikes for rent in various locations around the East Side and NYC. They provide different options for the whole family, including helmets, baskets or bike bags, bike locks, and a map of the park!

Walk Around Central Park

Of course, you can explore Central Park for free on foot. It’s one of the best free things to do in NYC with kids.

Grab a cheap map and just wonder.

Points of interest you can visit include:

• Belvedere Castle
• Gapstow Bridge
• Bethesda Fountain
• Alice in Wonderland sculpture
• Walk down the Mall – lined with American elms and leads to the beautiful Bethesda Terrace.
• Pay your tribute to John Lennon at Strawberry Fields
• Loeb Boathouse
• Have a picnic in Sheep Meadow
• The Great Lawn
• and for the super energetic there are 58 miles of hiking trails throughout the park.

There are playgrounds for the kids to enjoy and of course, there’s the Central Park Zoo.

2. American Girl Doll Store

This store is incredible. It’s every American Girl Doll owner’s dream.

Our girls absolutely LOVE their American Girl dolls and if there’s one place we had been hearing about for months leading up to our trip to NYC, it was taking them to the American Girl Place Store in New York.

We took them, and their dolls Coral and Lilliana to get their hair styled (there’s a salon) and to have lunch with their dolls in the cafe – we decided against this and that $20 kid’s meals were a bit much!

But they thoroughly enjoyed walking around the store checking out ALL the dolls and ALL the accessories.

And thanks to Nanny and Poppy back in Australia, they each got to choose a new doll as an early Christmas present.

Kalyra chose Gabriela (doll of the year for 2017) and Savannah chose Julie. They now have two dolls each so we have four daughters now lol.

3. Empire State Building

It was so cool to stand at the top of the Empire State Building with our kids, an icon of New York City and one of the most famous buildings in the world.

Many movie and TV scenes have been shot up here, and the 360-degree views over Manhattan from the 86th floor are incredible.

For different experiences, you can go up during the day, at sunset, or in the evening.

But like many attractions in NYC, the Empire State Building is very popular and requires some planning to avoid long wait times with kids, especially if you are on a tight schedule!

4. Go Ice Skating

One of the most fun family-friendly attractions in NYC. And unique for us as Australians – we couldn’t get our kids off the ice.

Caroline and I first went ice skating in NYC back in 2004 on Christmas Day in Central Park, which was magical, and we were excited for our kids to experience it too.

There are four options for ice skating; Bryant Park, the Wollman Rink in Central Park, Chelsea Piers and of course Rockefeller Plaza at the Rockefeller Center.

Bryant Park

We got our skates on twice at Bryant Park and loved the whole Christmas in New York experience there.

Bryant Park was recommended to us by many people within our online community, thanks guys, and is now one of our favorite places in NYC

It was the first time ever ice skating for Savannah and at first she wouldn’t let go of the side barrier, but eventually, she got up the nerve to go around holding Caz’s hand and then by herself.

Kalyra was a bit of a natural and picked it up almost instantly. All up the girls went around for at least 2 hours.

We also loved walking around the Christmas markets at Bryant Park. They call it “Winter Village at Bryant Park” which includes the skating rink, the pop-up shops, the Christmas tree and other festive attractions.

It’s basically a winter wonderland in midtown Manhattan. They do great hot cider here!

Oh, and close by is our fave Aussie coffee shop in NYC, Bluestone Lane, and our other fave coffee spot Culture Espresso. 

AND across the street from Bryant Park is Whole Foods Market where we grabbed lunch and dinner a few times and sat looking out the window over the park!

Bryan Park Winter Village is the only free ice skating rink in NYC, but you do need to rent the skates. The rink is open daily from October 28, 2022 – March 5, 2023

Wollman Rink, Central Park

No doubt about it, the Wollman Rink in Central Park has a picture postcard background of the Manhattan skyline.

This location is a special place that has been featured in movies and TV, and if you visit NYC during winter why not incorporate skating here into your whole Central Park experience

On the day we skated here it wasn’t as crowded as Bryant Park.

• Entrance fee: Adults: $15.00 Youth: $10.00  Seniors: $10.00 (Mon – Thur), Adults: $25.00 Youth: $10.00 Seniors: $10.00 (Friday – Sunday and Holidays)

Rockefeller Plaza

And of course, the Rockefeller Plaza is a famous and very popular place to go ice skating in NYC in the heart of midtown Manhattan.

We didn’t skate here. The rink is much smaller than the other two and I believe there was a wait time for general admission skating, and you can also make a reservation online before. 

Our kids loved ice skating at Bryant Park and the Wollman Rink and they got better and better with each skate getting better and better at skating.

We did prefer the overall experience at Bryant Park. The food and drinking options were better and the staff seemed friendlier and more professional.

The rink opens from November 5th, 2022 until March 2023. It costs between $11-$73 per ticket depending on the time of day and packages you get.

5. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge

A stroll across the iconic Brooklyn Bridge is another one of the free things to do in NYC with kids.

It’s one of New York’s most recognizable structures and connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn, spanning the East River.

There’s a designated pedestrian walking path, and cycling path, in the center of the bridge above the automobile lanes, and more than 4,000 pedestrians and 3,100 cyclists cross the bridge each day.

Access to the Brooklyn Bridge is 24 hours per day, with sunset being particularly nice and popular in the summer months.

But any time of the day is impressive with incredible views of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Manhattan Bridge.

It can get chilly up there as you are more exposed to the elements so dress appropriately for the season you are in.

The Brooklyn Bridge is 1.3 miles (2.09 km) long so if you are walking at a casual pace with kids, and stopping to take photos, give yourself about 40 minutes.

Here you can:

• Wander through Brooklyn Bridge Park promenade
• the kids can ride Jane’s Carousel
• Eat a pizza at famous Juliana’s  or Grimaldi’s 
• Grab an ice cream at >Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory
• And get the iconic shot of Manhattan Bridge from the cobblestone intersection on Water Street.
• Many families also love Prospect Park in Brooklyn

If you want to get a great photo of the Brooklyn Bridge, walk back to Manhattan over the Manhattan Bridge.

But if your kids are tired of walking, jump on the subway at the High Street station.

6. See a Broadway Show

Looking for things to do with kids in NYC that involve a mummy-and-daughter date night?

It doesn’t get much better than a date night out at the theater, on Broadway, to see the Lion King.

The Lion King had been on our bucket list forever and it did not disappoint.

Caz and the girls loved the show and loved getting dressed up for it. A must-do in NYC!

7. Eat Cupcakes

We never knew cupcakes were such a big thing in NYC.

Turns out they take their cupcakes very seriously in NY, and many of the well-known stores, like Magnolia’s, have lines out onto the sidewalk.

We didn’t fancy waiting outside in the cold, maybe next time when we revisit in warmer months, and only tried one cupcake store so the kids could get their fix.

We popped into Molly’s Cupcakes in Greenwich Village which was cute with a nice selection (my photo above is called cookie monster) and they have a cool counter with swings you can sit at.

And their story is sweet (pardon the pun). Molly was the founder’s third-grade teacher, and whenever one of them had a birthday, she would bake cupcakes.

So in honor of Molly and as a way to help the children, a portion of their profits is donated directly to schools in their community. Nice touch!

Put this on your fun activities in NYC list, well, for your kid’s tummies!

See a short video of our NYC top five with teens

8. Walk The High Line

One of the most popular free things to do in NYC with kids is to walk The High Line in Chelsea.

What a great concept this is.

They turned an old elevated train line into a pedestrian walkway spanning 20 blocks – it’s a nice way to escape the busy traffic on the streets below, and there’s some cool architecture and street views along the way.

When we did this walk in December it wasn’t as colorful as it would be in the spring, and a word of warning if you do it on a weekend like us, it can get crazy busy – consider doing it on a weekday!

There’s plenty of seating along The Highline and apparently, during summer there are weekly free drop-in workshops for kids.

For a bite to eat along the way check out the popular Artichoke Pizzafor one of the best slices in NYC (be prepared to wait) or the Chelsea Markets (very busy on weekends also).

But we enjoyed the cool and cozy atmosphere for lunch at the nearby Grey Dog on W 16th Street.

Our kids are generally good walkers and love to burn off their energy, and this walk is a must do in NYC. It can take 30 minutes, an hour, or more.

9. Christmas Lights at Saks 5th Ave

If you visit NYC during Christmas time, one of the festive things to do is see the Christmas Lights on the exterior of Saks 5th Ave.

Just don’t do what we did and attempt to see this on a Saturday night – the crowd was insane – so avoid the weekends if you can.

The light display is on every 10 minutes and runs for about 4-5 minutes and gets you in the Christmas spirit. Great for the kids to see!

10. Rockefeller Christmas Tree

Again, avoid this on a weekend night if possible, and if you attempt to see it on opening night like us, good luck and go super early or you will miss out like we did – one of the craziest crowd scenes I’ve been a part of.

But we finally got close enough on the same night we saw the lights at Saks 5th Ave, and it’s definitely pretty.

11. Top of The Rock

You can’t visit NYC and not see the Manhattan skyline from above at night time. It’s one of the coolest things to do in NYC at night.

The Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Building) is located nicely between the Empire State Building and Central Park, and the 70th floor offers an excellent perspective on both.

I suggest going up an hour before sunset so you get to see Central Park in daylight, then see the beautiful sunset over the Hudson River and the lights come on in the city.

I almost missed sunset as I booked my time for 45 minutes prior to sundown and it takes a while to get through security and through the lines to the elevator.

I would book your time for 90 minutes prior to sunset.

12. Ride the Subway

When in New York…

As much as we love exploring a city on foot, and New York is very walk friendly and easy to navigate with its grid system, you can’t walk everywhere with young kids, especially if you are there in winter, or the opposite and it’s super hot.

We bought a weekly pass for $32. Luckily Savannah was still free. Basically, if your kid can fit under the turnstile they are free.

So for us it was 3 x $32 for unlimited rides for seven days. And used the subway app on our phone.

Our kids had fun and we love to travel like the locals, see a city from their eyes, and you can be sure there is no lack of entertainment on a NY subway train.

Book a hotel that’s within easy reach of a subway station and you can be anywhere in NYC in no time.

We had a subway stop right near our Innside New York Hotel in Chelsea and could walk to Penn Station which was a super practical location for either taking the subway or walking.

13. Times Square

Flashing lights, streaming news, gigantic billboard ads, and a mixture of locals and visitors from all corners of the globe…it is the “crossroads of the world”.

Every visitor should visit Times Square once.

But, prepare your kids for heavy crowds, traffic congestion, and costumed characters who are happy to pose with you for photos, but expect to be paid.

Just walk through Times Square as an experience, stop for a moment and take it all in, then go and do something else close by that New York has to offer:

• See a Broadway play (get those discount tickets at TKTS)
• Make your way to Bryant Park and Rockefeller Plaza
• Jump on one of the hop-on-hop-off buses

Oh, if you do stick around to grab a bite to eat here, we enjoyed Hard Rock Cafe which is never our first choice but pretty good for a chain as far as quality and price go.

14. The Ride

Many of our blog readers and followers on Facebook suggested going on The Ride.

So we did. And what fun we had. This is definitely one of the most unique things to do in NYC with kids.

Just picture a multi-million dollar bus with theater-style seats facing sideways towards the sidewalk with street performers entertaining you as you drive around the city.

The ad-libbing rapper was sensational.

15. One World Observatory & One World Trade Center

We spent most of the day visiting the One World Observatory (or Freedom Tower), the 911 Memorial and Museum, and The Oculus – which is extraordinary in its design, symbolism, and remembrance.

So many emotions went through our minds when we visited the site of the September 11 terrorist attacks in NYC.

They have done such a remarkable job here honoring those who perished and the heroes who responded. New Yorkers are seriously strong and amazing people! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

The top of the new One World Observatory is the highest viewpoint in the western hemisphere and offers spectacular 360-degree views all over Manhattan and beyond.

I won’t spoil the surprise for you, but be prepared to be wowed when you first enter the viewing floor and are shown a short movie.

It’s epic.

Our kids enjoyed arriving at the top via Sky Pod elevators (climbing 102 stories in 47 seconds) whilst it reveals the transformation of New York City.

They also loved using the interactive iPad (One World Explorer). 40 of New York’s most interesting sights are highlighted for video content, including a section of special interest to kids. 

16. Brooklyn Children’s Museum

Of course, for attractions in NYC for kids, you must visit a children’s museum. There are a few in the city, but the very first (and most famous) is the one in Brooklyn which has been running since 1899. It was the first Children’s Museum in the world.

The exhibits are specially designed for families to help their children learn through sensory play. Exhibits are based on themes of nature, natural science, technology, and the world. It’s educational but in a fun way – they probably won’t even realize they are learning!

The museum also offers programs based on visual arts, music and performance, natural science, and world cultures.

Another great Children’s Museum is the Children’s Museum of Manhattan in the upper west side.

17. The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum

The USS Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is an attraction that’s fun for the whole family!

It’s an American military and maritime history museum where you can board retired navy ships and have a true, immersive experience while learning about this unique history.

Kids will love exploring the ship, wandering through the hanger, and seeing real-life warplanes and helicopters.

It is located at Pier 86 on 46th Street on the Hudson River.

18. Ride the Ferry to Liberty Island

No trip to New York City would be complete without taking a trip to see the famous Statue of Liberty.

While kids may not appreciate the statue and the history of Lady Liberty or what she represents, the ferry over the New York harbor is a really fun-filled activity for kids.

As you sail towards the island, you’ll pass by the iconic cityscape of New York with skyscrapers and high-rise buildings of lower manhattan.

Ferries depart every 15-20 minutes from Battery Park, at the southern tip of Manhattan in New York City, and Liberty State Park in Jersey City.

19. Dylan’s Candy Bar

Dylan’s Candy Bar is a candy store that has the largest selection of candies and candy-related items in the world. There are several stores in NYC, but the biggest store is in Times Square.

As well as being a place to shop, it’s also fun to see what candies people eat in other countries. The decor, as you might imagine, it also candy-themed.

See more than 7,000 types of candy and try your best to choose something unique to take home!

More Things to Do in NYC with Kids

We couldn’t do everything during our trip to NYC due to time or weather, so below are suggestions from our online community of other great things to see and do in NYC with kids:

• Bronx Zoo
• Coney Island
• Governors Island
• Radio City Christmas Spectacular staring the Rockettes
• American Museum of Natural History
• Metropolitan Museum of ART
• New York Transit Museum
• Visit the playground at Hudson River Park

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Final Word on Things to Do in NYC with Kids

So there you have it, those are the best things to do in New York City with kids! As you can see, there’s a lot of fun to be had, and it’s not just children who will love these attractions, but adults too!

New York is the most visited city in the United States with more than 10 million visitors each year. And when you look at all the attractions and activities, it’s no wonder!

All that’s left for us to do now is wish you a great time in the city.

New York City Travel Videos

And if you need more inspiration, check out our New York City playlist and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel.

More USA Inspiration

Are you planning to see any other cities in the USA? Then you may find these resources useful:

• 33 best things to do in Seattle with kids and adults
• 28 fun things to do in San Francisco
• 20 things to do in Los Angeles with kids
• 16 awesome things to do in San Diego with kids
• 15 awesome things to do in Nashville with kids

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