Spending time in the big apple?

With so many fun activities and places to visit, you will have a hard time choosing what to do!

Here’s some of our favorites for almost any season to enjoy…

1. Visit one of the 21 playgrounds located inside Central Park. Our favorite ones include the Tarr-Coyne Wild West Playground (located West 93rd st off Central Park West) and the Ancient Playground (located at East 85th st off Fifth Avenue).
2. Get a beautiful view of Lady Liberty and Ellis Island as well as skyscrapers and bridges while taking the Staten Island Ferry. It’s free and only a 25 minute ride.
3. Visit The National Museum of the American Indian. It’s located in downtown Manhattan near South Ferry. It’s free and part of the Smithsonian Institution.
4. Walk the High Line. It was created after dangerous street level train crossings were removed in the 1920s. The elevated High Line train tracks today is now an amazing public space. It’s almost 1.5 miles long and features over 500 species of plants and trees.
5. Check out the Bronx Zoo (free admission on Wednesdays). It has over 10,000 animals to see.! Take note advance timed tickets are required.
6. Visit the New York Aquarium (free admission is on Wednesdays after 3pm). Advance timed tickets are required.
7. Have you taken a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge? It has amazing views of the East river and NY Harbor. The kids can count how many boats go by!
8. Afterwards, check out Brooklyn Bridge Park, a terrific waterfront park to hang out and partake in fun activities.
9. If you’re feeling hungry in Brooklyn, take a visit to the TimeOut Market NY. The market has a great food court with a rooftop bar.
10. Have a glimpse of the spectacular city views from Governor’s Island. There’s food, slides and more.
11. Fly a kite while having a picnic in Central Park. This manmade park has over 800 acres.
12. A fan of gardens? Take a stroll through Central Park’s Conservatory Garden located at 105th st and Fifth avenue. Beyond the Vanderbilt gate, you’ll find a 6 acre formal garden featuring French, Italian and English gardens.
13. Visit Little Island to experience winding pathways, nature and art in an urban oasis, located in Hudson River Park.
14. If you’re feeling thirsty or snack-y after Little Island, step inside Pier 57. There’s a cool rooftop with amazing Hudson river views to enjoy your yum yums.
15. Take a stroll through Grand Central Terminal and check out it’s cathedral like architecture and famous clock in the main concourse.
16. Does your child enjoy skateboarding? Check out one of the city’s skateboard parks.
17. Is there a book lover in the family? Visit the NY Public Library’s main branch, the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. You’ll see lots of books in the Rose Main Reading Room. Currently, the library has a special edition hip hop library card to commemorate 50 years of hip hop. For the young readers, there’s also the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Branch right across the street. The children’s area on the lower level is nice and open.
18. If you’ve been wanting to check out the newly relocated Whitney Museum of American Art, head down to Chelsea on a friday night where it’s pay as you wish and children under 18 are free. If time allows, you can even have a bite in Chelsea market and walk the High Line! (who says you can’t include fun and romance! lol )
19. As stated above, Chelsea Market has a variety of food vendors so definitely a good spot to check out. Enjoy spicy hand pulled noodles from Very Fresh Noodles or sweet/ savory crepes from Bar Suzette to name a couple.
20. If you’re visiting the Bronx or uptown along the Hudson, consider taking in the gardens at Wave Hill. Breathe and feel relaxed like in your own private garden with stunning Hudson river and palisades views. Free admission Thursdays.
21. If you’re a family that loves Legos, take a visit to the Lego flagship store on fifth avenue. For those with more time to see the sights, Legoland NY is in the town of Goshen, NY.
22. Gorgeous weather outside? Stroll along Hudson River Park. This 550 acre public park spans over 4 miles along the west side of Manhattan offering plentiful opportunities to walk, run, bicycle (you can rent a citi bike), kayak, enjoy playgrounds and just being with nature outside (the water views are great too!)

These are our top things to do in NYC.

What are your FAV spots to visit?

Happy Travels!!