Family-friendly ideas for your New York vacation

If there’s a more perfect start to a family vacation in NYC than soaking in the views from the 86th-floor observatory at the Empire State Building, we’ve yet to find it. Ascend this Art Deco icon of the Manhattan skyline King Kong-style (or, y’know, take the elevator like everyone else) to see the whole of the city spread out beneath your feet – around 1,050 feet beneath your feet, to be precise. Eyes peeled for Times Square, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty and the One World Trade Center tower, to name just a few. Kids will also enjoy posing with King Kong himself – you’ll find him shaking and shrieking furiously among the exhibits on the second floor.

Of course, other observation platforms are available. Older kids and teens may prefer something edgier like Edge, with its super-high alfresco platform and glass floor. Then there’s Top of the Rock, which promises some of the finest views of the Empire State Building you’ll likely ever see. 

Check out our complete guide to NYC’s best observation decks here.

The lazy/smart parent’s approach to NYC sightseeing, New York’s Big Bus sightseeing tour ticks off several dozen bona fide Big Apple icons without you having to lift so much as a finger. Kick back and relax as your little darlings ooh and aah at Times Square, Central Park, Museum Mile, the Brooklyn Bridge and, way out there in the bay, Lady Liberty herself. Well, when they’re not staring at cat videos on their phones that is. There are Uptown and Downtown loops, each lasting around 90 minutes all in, and each equipped with a fun pre-recorded commentary. Best of all, you can hop on and off the bus as frequently as your family’s curiosity and/or hunger demands.

Ask anyone to complete the phrase ‘No visit to New York would be complete without a trip to…’ and we’d bet our last nickel that 9 out of 10 would give the same answer. Yep, we’re talking the Statue of Liberty, Lady Liberty, the Green Goddess or, if you insist on using her full and correct moniker: Liberty Enlightening the World (be sure to bank that one to impress the fam on the approach to Liberty Island).

Take the morning ferry if you want to dodge the midday crowds and you’ll enjoy a little more breathing space to snap selfies at the statue’s hallowed feet and to explore the fascinating Immigration Museum on Ellis Island next door.

Even the most jaded museum visitor can’t fail to have their jaw dropped at least once in this, the most expansive natural history museum in the world. Set on the western edge of Central Park, AMNH is a cavernous treasure trove of fully intact dinosaur fossils (hey there, T.rex and titanosaur), pre-historic meteorites and priceless gems. It’s also home to some of the planet’s most celebrated animal dioramas and an ocean zone that comes complete with a life-sized model of a blue whale. In a word: wow.

Sure, NYC might be on entirely the other side of the country from Hollywood, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get your A-list fix here. Just follow the bright lights to Times Square, where Madame Tussauds joins the party with a whole host of pop singers, movie stars, politicians, dignitaries and sporting legends. Oh, and maybe even the occasional scary clown. We’re talking waxy surrogates of the likes of Tom Cruise, Timothée Chalamet, Gaga, Mariah, Zendaya and Kobe Bryant, to name just a few. Grab a selfie or seven and stick around to say hey to Thor, Iron Man, Spidey and pals in the Marvel Hall of Heroes and come face to grinning face with horror icon Pennywise the clown… if you dare.

Bonus: if the Marvel Hall of Heroes wowed your crew, they might also get a (Black Widow cyclone) kick out of this Marvel and DC heroes walking tour of NYC – it’s led by a genuine comics expert!

One of the world’s greatest modern art museums, period. The Museum of Modern Art (or MoMA to its friends) isn’t stuffy like other art museums, meaning kids can get as much of a thrill from the art as their chin-stroking adult assistants. We’re talking the hypnotic celestial swirls of van Gogh's Starry Night, the ‘is it art?’ talking point that is Duchamp’s kinetic Bicycle Wheel sculpture, Warhol’s repetitive rows of Campbell’s Soup Cans, and Dalí’s’s hallucinatory vision of melting clocks in The Persistence of Memory. Not fun enough? Blimey, your lot really are a tough crowd. Try the Art Lab for hands-on kid-friendly entertainment, let them run off some steam in the sculpture garden or, if all else fails, treat them to mac and cheese in the second-floor café. 

Most families could probably while away their entire vacation exploring Central Park’s 843 acres and its many, many attractions. From the old-school painted carousel and zoo at the southern end to picture-perfect boating lakes, swoonsome bridges, monumental Gothic Revival terraces and even a fairytale castle, the whole place is basically catnip for your Instagram-obsessed tweens. Our tip? Take a guided cycling tour to hit the highlights and get your bearings, then come back later in your trip (armed with a massive family picnic, natch) to take a deeper dive into the park landmarks that interested you most. You can rent bikes or scooters to cover more ground. 

Check out our guide to all the great things you can do in Central Park.

Similarly primed for brightening up your socials, Times Square is something of a sensory overload, but definitely something you’ll want to tick off, especially if it’s your first time in town. Soak up the atmos and grab selfies with Mickey and Spidey (though be aware they’ll expect a generous tip) before ducking into one of the cool neighborhood museums. We’ve already covered Madame Tussauds, but you can also take your troupe to the all-singing, all-dancing Museum of Broadway, or dip into NYC’s cultural landscape at RiseNY with its weird and wonderful exhibits (Cardi B’s bodysuit, anyone?) and thrill-a-second simulated ride over Manhattan’s rooftops. And, when it all gets too much, just duck into one of the many, many eateries for lunch and a reset (Los Tacos No.1 is a classic crowd pleaser).

Later, musical-mad crews make a beeline for Broadway, where show options run the gamut from hard-hitting theatrical drama to uplifting family musicals like Wicked, Hamilton and The Lion King.

There surely isn’t a kid or adult alive who wouldn’t get a kick out of standing in the captain’s cabin aboard the mighty USS Intrepid warship, ogling fighter jets, clambering through cramped submarine quarters, nabbing a selfie with a gleaming British Airways Concorde, or having a close encounter with the space shuttle Enterprise. You can do all of this and then some at the quite excellent Intrepid Museum in Hell’s Kitchen. Kids will especially thrill to the Intrepid’s tales of wartime derring-do, including surviving several kamikaze attacks and a torpedo strike during WWII. Genuinely thrilling stuff.

Way down at the bottom of Brooklyn, Coney Island is an absolute mecca for families or, indeed, just anyone on the lookout for the kind of all-American fairground thrills and cotton-candy spills you’ve only ever seen in the movies. Luna Park is where it’s at for those classic old-school seaside vibes, with its century-old wooden coasters, old-school shooting galleries and nostalgic arcade games. 

Then there’s Deno’s Wonder Wheel, for slightly less white-knuckle views along Coney’s three miles of golden beaches. Afterwards, treat the gang to an ice-cream or one of Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs, then take to the boardwalk for some of the best people-watching fun in New York State.

Even if you’re not a fan of the pinstripes, you have to admit that a tour of Yankee Stadium is likely to be a thrill for sports fans of all, um, stripes. This behind-the-scenes adventure takes you to the Bronx, and its vast stadium-sized centerpiece – the kind of place where you can sense the electric game-night atmosphere even when the field is deserted. Your guide will help build that excitement, regaling you with exciting tales of famous Yankee victories (and defeats) as you’re led through the dugout, press box and Monument Park.

Come back another day to experience the real thing, as the Yankees do battle on their home turf. And don’t spare the giant foam fingers, loaded fries and root beer!

Setting sail from Hell’s Kitchen, right by the mighty Intrepid, Circle Line Cruises share a similar vibe to the Big Bus except – at the risk of stating the obvious – the sightseeing takes place from the water. There are several family friendly options to choose from including a quick scooch out to Lady Liberty, a full, near-three-hour circuit of Manhattan Island, and an evening option that makes the best of the city lights. Which one you pick is likely to depend on your fam’s preference, and indeed boredom threshold; three hours is rather a long time to spend on a boat when you’re four years old, after all.

And, if your crew has already had enough sightseeing by this point, maybe opt for the thrill of a Clipper City Tall Ship adventure, where the fun lies in the sailing itself and, of course, making your kids cringe themselves inside out at your terrible pirate impersonations.