New York City with Children - an Ultimate Kid Friendly Vacation |
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***Updated June 2009***
One of our best family vacations was a trip to New York City with Children. Believe it or not, YES - you can add New York City to the list of family vacation destinations that are kid friendly. Read our accounts of our family's visits to New York City, and then take a few minutes to read all of the great Kid Friendly New York City Tips provided by our readers.
June 2009
Our June 2006 (click here to jump down to that story) trip to New York City was such a hit with the children that we returned again in June 2009. On this trip, we decided to stay right in the Times Square area. What a great decision! In the previous trip, traveled to the Times Square area, but left to return to our hotel.... if we returned late, there was nothing open to grab a bite to eat.... Not a problem in Times Square... You can get a sandwich at 3:00 AM if you want to!
The main points of interest for this trip were of course, Times Square, Broadway Plays, Central Park, the Empire State building, the Carnegie Deli, and Coney Island. We also took in a New York Yankees baseball game.
We took the train from Lancaster, Pennsylvania on this trip into New York City with children! I've said it before, but traveling into the city by train is one of the most pleasant forms of travel around!
Our family visited New York City in the summer of 2006. It was hot, and we walked and walked and walked.... you get the picture... but we had a great time. Most New York City attractions are accessible via walking, or subway. We tried our hand on the subway after our first day in the city, and again were pleasantly surprised at the ease of getting around the town via the New York City subway... great way to travel New York City with Children.
We arrived in New York City via Amtrak Train form Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The train trip was about 4 hours from there, but it goes straight into Penn Station in mid-town Manhattan.... great way to start the family vacation.
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As a side-note... traveling into a big city by train is THE WAY TO GO....
especially with children. We have traveled by train into Chicago and New York
City, and will definitely do it again. See our train travel page for more
information.
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My husband had arranged a car service to pick us up from Penn Station, but we could have easily gotten a cab from the station. (Cab fare was surprisingly economical). We stayed at the Embassy Suites - New York City in the Financial District. After arriving at our hotel, we set out to plan our activities for the three day whirlwind visit to New York City with Children.
New York City vacations.....our family vacations itinerary included.....
The Statue of Liberty was one of our favorite attractions. There were great views of New York from the Ferry, and the statue was great to see. We took an opportunity to have a family vacation photograph made by the park rangers of our family with the statue in the background!!!
We really enjoyed our walk on The Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge is an icon in Brooklyn, New York, and is the number one attraction there. The bridge starts in the lower Manhattan area of New York, and is absolutely majestic.
One afternoon while milling around downtown, we took in the NBC Studio Tour. It was a great tour, and included some great trivia and history of NBC. I highly recommend taking in this tour.
Times Square was amazing. We visited it in daylight and dark. It was crowded beyond belief, and had to move around in, but it was amazing! One of our daughters has decided that she wants to live in NYC after seeing Times Square. Times Square houses the Theater District in NYC. Be sure to take in a Broadway Show. The best way to travel to Times Square while in New York City with children is the New York City Subway hands down. We took the subway each and every day during our visit.
Other great spots to visit are China Town and Central Park. Both are accessible on the subway lines, and great to visit. Both of these stops allow your family to walk around and take in the "local flair" of New York City.
While in New York city with children, we also took in a
New York Mets Game.
As
you can see from the list above, we were very busy all day long for the three
days that we visited New York City. The children held up real well, and
just loved the tall buildings, the sites, the street vendors (it was so hot when
we visited, that I felt like we were buying water at every other corner), and
souvenir stands on every corner.
Our number one recommendation for New York City with Children is to choose activities and places to visit that are friendly to children and adults, see a variety of things just to add to the children's "Life Experiences", and have a really good time on this family vacation with New York things to do with the family.
New York City Reviews
A list of all New York City Attractions ranked by popularity based on visitor reviews
As you are planning your trip to New York City, check out these Places to go in or around NYC for Reviews of Restaurants, Broadway Shows, Hotels, and Destinations.
Check out each of the individual experiences that we had in New York City with Children......
Kid Friendly New York City Tips - Kid Friendly New York City spots and tips submitted by our visitors!
Our Favorites
The
NBC Studio Tour - well worth the trip and tour.
The
Statue of Liberty - one of the big New York City Attractions - a real piece of
American History.
Walking on the Brooklyn Bridge - one of the few free things to do.
Central Park
New York City Books
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