New York City has tons of museums worth checking out, but here are some which are especially great for kids (and you will love them too!):1. Children’s Museum of Manhattan: There is something for kids of all ages here, including babies! Kids can climb, build, slide, experiment with water (weather permitting), pretend to be firefighters, and so much more. There’s a whole floor dedicated to Diego and Dora, and another dedicated to New York City. Many signs in the Museum are bilingual and there’s a great exhibit about healthy food and nutrition on the first floor.
2. Brooklyn Children’s Museum: The Brooklyn Children’s Museum is definitely worth a detour to Brooklyn. It has great exhibits that are hands-on and your kids will love like the Con Edison Greenhouse, Totally Tots, a Sensory Room and World Brooklyn where a city block in Brooklyn brings you the world!
3. American Museum of Natural History If your child loves dinosaurs, a stop at AMNH is a must! But it’s not only for dino-lovers, AMNH has many more programs for kids of all ages. Make sure to check out the Discovery Room for kids 5-12. There’s also exhibits exploring ocean life, reptiles, gems and minerals. Also check out the “Hall of Human Origins” where you can discover the origins of human life in the Americas, the Pacific, Asia and other parts of the world.
4. Immigrant Tenement Museum: This museum, located in the Lower East Side, is a real tenement where immigrants lived in the early 20th century. The guided tours give a glimpse of life as immigrants in NYC. The tours are conducted in first person, so you can meet families from the early 1900s who tell you about their everyday experiences. You can go on several tours (it is the only way to tour the museum), meet Victoria Confino, a young Greek sephardic immigrant in the early 20th century or become a tenement inspector in 1906. You can also walk through restored homes of a German-Jewish family at the turn of the century and Italian-Catholic family during the Great Depression. Tip: This museum is better for older children kids, 8+ .
5. New York Hall of Science: Located in Flushing, Queens, NYSCI will surely spark your curiosity and get those minds working. The Hall of Science has something for everyone: a preschool place, interactive exhibits, design studios, telescopes, a Hall of Mirrors, 3-D Movies (currently you can explore the Galapagos!) For me the best part is definitely the outside water playground which kids LOVE! (weather permitting of course). You can also play mini golf for and additional fee. They have a science inspired gift store with great gifts that are fun and educational.
