With spring break right for the little ones around the corner, it’s time to start planning on what to do with your kids in NYC! Full of interactive exhibits and hands-on activities, NYC is home to tons of children’s museums that are perfect for a day of adventure. To make planning a little easier, these are the best kid-friendly museums to open your kids up to a world of wonder and discovery!
1. Children’s Museum of Manhattan
CMOM offers a wide range of exhibits and programs designed to engage children from infancy to age 12. The 40,000 square foot Upper West Side museum has exhibits like a Nickelodeon-partnered Dora & Diego exhibit, immersive art installations and sculptures that lets little ones climb around (“Inside Art” exhibit), and even a seasonal splashy “Dynamic H2O” exhibit where they can learn about the importance of water and its role in NYC. Plan your visit to CMOM and see what’s on here!
Where: 212 W 83rd St
2. Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Founded in 1899, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum was actually the world’s very first children museum! With a focus on hands-on exhibit grounded in visual arts, music and performance, natural science, and world cultures…there’s so much to explore including over 30,000 objects. Popular exhibits include a pint-sized paradise of sensory play areas called “Totally Tots,” a strip of kid-sized shops inspired by real Brooklyn businesses called “World Brooklyn,” and a deep dive into natural science including fossils, bird’s nests, and live animals such as tarantulas called “Nature’s Engineers.” Plan your visit to Brooklyn Children’s Museum and see what’s on here!
Where: 145 Brooklyn Ave, Brooklyn
3. New York Hall of Science
Pinnacled as one of the best science museums in NYC, the New York Hall of Science is home to over 450 interactive exhibits, workshops, and demonstrations that kids can check out. Highlights include “The Big Bubble Experiment” pictured above, a scientific playground, a creative “Design Lab,” and much more. Plan your visit to New York Hall of Science and see what’s on here.
Where: 47-01 111th St, Queens
4. DiMenna Children’s History Museum at the New-York Historical Society
The DiMenna Children’s History Museum is part of the New-York Historical Society, which provides kids with a hands on look at over 350 years of U.S. and NYC history. Children can learn all about New York’s most famous names via character-based pavilions, interactive exhibitions and games, and the Barbara K. Lipman Children’s History Library. There’s also plenty of themed events and programs to go around too. Plan your visit to the DiMenna Children’s History Museum and see what’s on here.
Where: 170 Central Park W
5. National Museum of Mathematics
The National Museum of Mathematics, or MoMath, is the first museum in the country dedicated solely to mathematics! With a goal to “stimulate inquiry, spark curiosity, and reveal the wonders of mathematic,” this museum is wonderful for the inquisitive minds of children. Their interactive exhibits, puzzles, and hands-on activities like Math Square, PythagoJam, and Ring of Fire bring numbers, equations, and formulas to life. Plan your visit to MoMath and see what’s on here.
Where: 225 5th Ave
6. Children’s Museum of the Arts
If you’re looking for a child-friendly art museum, look no further than this museum which once started as a studio project in 1988. Nowadays, it’s filled with collections of works by children from over 50 countries around the globe! With plenty of exhibit tours and program events, your kids can get up close and personal with perfectly curated works done by their counterparts. Of course they’ll be able to flex their creative muscles too! Plan your visit to the Children’s Museum of the Arts and see what’s on here.
Where: 103 Carlton St (between Hudson and Greenwich Streets)
7. New York City Fire Museum
Let your child get their fire hat on at the New York City Fire Museum, which is dedicated to the city’s department in Hudson Square. If it’s not cool enough already that it’s housed in the former quarters of the FDNY’s Engine Company No. 30 (a renovated 1904 fire house), kids can check out loads of fire related art, artifacts, gear, and apparatus from the late 18th century to the present. Plan your visit to the New York City Fire Museum and see what’s on here.
Where: 278 Spring St
8. Staten Island Children’s Museum
For all of our Staten Island kids, check out this dedicated children’s museum, which features 12 indoor and outdoor exhibits which are dedicated for children ages 1 and up. Plus, there’s other dance and art workshops, science and story times, and special events that help tap into an imaginative and creative experience! Plan your visit to the Staten Island Children’s Museum and see what’s on here.
Where: 1000 Richmond Ter. Bldg M, Staten Island
9. Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
While primarily focused on military history, the Intrepid Museum offers engaging exhibits and programs for kids, including some of the most intriguing childhood science topics like aircraft, submarines, and space exploration. We recommend bringing them after school on Free Fridays, when they have free hours from 5 pm – 9 pm! There’s also a really cool space exhibit Apollo: When We Went to the Moon happening right now too that kids will surely love. Plan your visit to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum and see what’s on here.
Where: Pier 86, W 46th St
10. American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History is one of the best museums in NYC in general, and especially if you’re looking to entertain little ones. Their vast collections, immersive exhibits, and engaging programs offer young explorers a simple gateway to the wonders of the natural world! Spend a few hours walking through the dinosaur rooms and Hayden Planetarium and they’ll be reminiscing about it for weeks to come. Plan your visit to the AMNH and see what’s on here. And once you’ve decided what to see and do, you can get your AMNH tickets here.
Where: 200 Central Park W