New York City is not only Broadway, Central Park, and the Manhattan skyline. For families with children, it is also one of the best cities in the world in terms of both the number and quality of children’s museums. Here, a child can climb inside a real helicopter, touch live starfish, build a bridge out of foam blocks, and learn how the human heart works.
This guide provides a detailed overview of the best children’s museums in New York City, including descriptions, addresses, ticket prices, and practical tips. The article is useful for tourists visiting with children for a few days, as well as for city residents looking for weekend activities.
Children’s museums in New York City
These are museums in New York City designed specifically for children. When visiting them, you don’t have to worry about adult art or boring programs. Feel free to bring your child!
1. Children’s Museum of Manhattan
📍 212 West 83rd Street, Manhattan (Upper West Side)
Subway: 1 to 86th Street; B/C to 81st Street
Tickets: 17 US dollars per person (children under 1 year — free). On Fridays from 17:00 to 20:00, admission follows a Pay What You Wish program.
Hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00–17:00
Website: cmom.org
The Children’s Museum of Manhattan is perhaps the most famous and popular children’s museum in the city. It has been operating since 1973 and occupies a five-story building on the Upper West Side, two blocks from Central Park. The concept is based on “learning through play.” There are no boring exhibits with “do not touch” signs.
Inside: an interactive zone for toddlers, a Nickelodeon exhibition Adventures with Dora and Diego, a space explaining how human senses work, a mini laboratory where children conduct real chemistry experiments under supervision, and a studio where they can try being a television host, animator, or disc jockey.
2. Brooklyn Children’s Museum
📍 145 Brooklyn Avenue, Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Subway: 3 to Kingston Avenue; C to Kingston–Throop
Tickets: 16 US dollars per person (children under 1 year — free)
Hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00–17:00
Website: brooklynkids.org
The Brooklyn Children’s Museum is the first children’s museum in the world, opened in 1899. Over 125 years, it has relocated and been reconstructed several times. The current building in Crown Heights was completed in 2008 and received LEED Gold certification for sustainability.
Permanent exhibits include a scaled-down model of a Brooklyn neighborhood, a soft play zone, a nature exhibit about New York ecosystems, and a rotating station with artifacts from different cultures.
3. Staten Island Children’s Museum
📍 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island
Getting there: Staten Island Ferry (free) → bus S40 or S44
Tickets: 10 US dollars per person (children under 1 year — free)
Hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00–17:00
Website: sichildrensmuseum.org
This is the most affordable children’s museum in New York City. The free ferry ride itself is an attraction, offering views of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. The museum is located within the historic Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden. Exhibits include insects with live specimens, a large building zone with wooden blocks and Lego, a radio and television studio, and a firefighter-themed area.
4. Children’s Museum of the Arts
📍 103 Charlton Street, SoHo, Manhattan
Subway: Line 1 to Houston Street; Lines C or E to Spring Street
Tickets: 16 United States dollars per person (children under one year of age — free)
Hours: Thursday through Sunday, 12:00 to 17:00
Website: cmany.org
The Children’s Museum of the Arts in SoHo is completely different from the other museums on this list. There are no dinosaur skeletons or flight simulators. Instead, there is watercolor painting, clay, collage making, printing presses, and live music.
The museum was founded in 1988 as a space where children can not only observe art but create it themselves. That is exactly what happens here, as all exhibitions function as workshops. Children can paint with their fingers, sculpt with clay, create collages from natural materials, work in an open studio with easels and paints, learn animation and digital art, and even use a pottery wheel.
On certain days, the museum turns into a theater where children participate in performances, puppet shows, and podcast recordings.
5. Bronx Children’s Museum (BxCM)
📍 725 Exterior Street, 2nd Floor, Bronx (South Bronx, Mill Pond Park)
Subway: 2/4/5 to 149th Street – Grand Concourse, then head west for 4 blocks; or B/D/4 to 161st Street – Yankee Stadium, then head south on River Avenue.
Tickets: Pay-what-you-wish. Online reservations are required as seats fill up quickly.
Hours: Tuesday–Friday 10:00 AM–1:00 PM, Saturday 10:00 AM–1:00 PM and 2:00 PM–5:00 PM. Closed Sunday and Monday. Doors close 45 minutes before the end of each session.
Website: bxcm.org
This museum has one of the most unusual histories in New York City. Founded in 2005, it began as a traveling program, and in 2010, it transformed into a mobile museum on a large purple bus, traveling through Bronx neighborhoods and transforming the streets into learning spaces. Over the years, the museum has reached over 150,000 children and families. Only in 2022, after years of fundraising, did the museum finally find a permanent home.
The exhibits are entirely dedicated to the Bronx and its natural and cultural world. The central attraction is a 35-foot water table, simulating three real Bronx waterways: the Bronx River, the Harlem River, and Orchard Beach. In the “Forest” area, children examine live animals under a microscope, observe terrarium inhabitants, and build beaver dams.
In a miniature replica of the Bronx neighborhood “The Block,” you can harvest vegetables in the community garden and explore a casita—a traditional Puerto Rican courtyard house that was a symbol of the South Bronx. The multimedia zone BronxTopia invites you to dance to salsa, cha-cha, and hip-hop while trying on animal avatars.
Museums that will appeal to both adults and children
Here we’ve collected museums about science, art, history, technology, and nature that will appeal to all ages, with a few exceptions — some may not be suitable for very young children. Many also offer children’s programs, so check the schedule on the website before visiting.
1. New York Hall of Science
📍 47-01 111th Street, Corona, Queens
Subway: Line 7 to 111th Street
Tickets: from 18 to 22 United States dollars (children under two years of age — free)
Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 10:00 to 17:00 (extended schedule during the summer months)
Website: nysci.org
The New York Hall of Science is not just a children’s museum. It is a full scale science center of international level, founded in 1964 specifically for the World’s Fair in New York. The building itself is an example of mid twentieth century architecture and is protected as a historical landmark.
The center is located in Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, where the famous Unisphere globe stands. It takes slightly longer to get here compared to museums in Manhattan, but it is absolutely worth it.
Permanent exhibitions include an interactive zone about chemistry and the structure of matter, holographic installations, experiments with prisms, explanations of the principles of lasers and rainbows, and a workshop equipped with three dimensional printers, laser cutters, and construction tools.
2. American Museum of Natural History
📍 Central Park West at 79th Street, Manhattan
Subway: Lines B or C to 81st Street
Tickets: from 28 United States dollars for adults, 16 United States dollars for children aged two to twelve; children under two years of age — free
Hours: daily, 10:00 to 17:30
Website: amnh.org
The American Museum of Natural History is one of the largest museums in the world and arguably the most recognizable museum for children in New York City. The film “Night at the Museum” was filmed here. The Diplodocus skeleton in the main hall is a real exhibit and is much larger than it appears on screen.
The museum was founded in 1869 and today occupies a complex of twenty eight buildings along Central Park on the Upper West Side. The collection includes more than thirty four million items.
Here you will find skeletons of Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, Brontosaurus, and dozens of other species, a life size model of a blue whale measuring twenty eight meters in length suspended from the ceiling, a planetarium with shows about the origin of the Universe, and halls dedicated to minerals and precious stones.
4. Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum
📍 Pier 86, W 46th Street & 12th Avenue, Manhattan (Hell’s Kitchen)
Subway: Lines A, C, or E to 42nd Street, then bus M42 to 12th Avenue
Tickets: 36 United States dollars for adults, 26 United States dollars for children aged five to seventeen; children under four years of age — free
Hours: daily, 10:00 to 17:00 (until 18:00 during the summer)
Website: intrepidmuseum.org
The Intrepid is a real aircraft carrier from the Second World War that has been turned into a museum. It is docked on the Hudson River and can be seen from afar. For children who love airplanes, ships, and space, this may be the best place in all of New York City.
The aircraft carrier USS Intrepid was launched in 1943, participated in battles in the Pacific, survived several kamikaze attacks, and later became a recovery vessel for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration space program.
On board there are dozens of airplanes and helicopters, including the only publicly accessible prototype of the A-12 aircraft, a Soviet MiG-21, the space shuttle Enterprise, a nuclear submarine, and flight simulators including the cockpit of a fighter jet.
5. Liberty Science Center
📍222 Jersey City Blvd, Jersey City, NJ
How to get there: Port Authority Trans-Hudson train to Journal Square, then bus route 80
Tickets: 22.75 United States dollars for adults, 18.75 United States dollars for children aged two to twelve
Hours: daily, 09:00 to 17:30
Website: lsc.org
Technically, the Liberty Science Center is located in the state of New Jersey, but it absolutely belongs on this list. It is one of the best science centers on the entire East Coast of the United States, and from many parts of New York City it is easier to reach than some locations in Brooklyn.
The museum is located in Liberty State Park, directly across from the Statue of Liberty. The views of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty from here are among the best in the region.
Inside you will find an exhibition about the construction of skyscrapers, a zone dedicated to microbes and the immune system, an area about renewable energy sources, and the largest dome screen in the region showing science related films.
6. New York Transit Museum
📍 99 Schermerhorn St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Subway: Lines 2, 3, 4, or 5 to Borough Hall; Lines A, C, or G to Hoyt–Schermerhorn
Tickets: 10 United States dollars for adults, 5 United States dollars for children aged two to seventeen and for senior citizens; children under two years of age — free
Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 10:00 to 16:00
Website: nytransitmuseum.org
The museum is located in a preserved subway station built in 1936 in Brooklyn. What began as a temporary exhibition has grown into the largest museum in North America dedicated to urban transportation.
Its main feature is that most exhibits can be explored from the inside. Children can enter historic subway cars, sit on benches, hold onto handrails, and imagine themselves as passengers from the past.
7. New York City Fire Museum
📍 278 Spring Street, Manhattan (Hudson Square / SoHo)
Subway: Line 1 to Houston Street; Lines C or E to Spring Street
Tickets: 8 United States dollars for adults, 5 United States dollars for children under twelve years of age, as well as for senior citizens and students; children under two years of age — free. On September eleventh, admission is free.
Hours: daily, 10:00 to 17:00
Website: nycfiremuseum.org
The New York City Fire Museum is located in a firehouse building constructed in 1904 in the Beaux-Arts architectural style. Its mission is to preserve the history of the fire service and to teach children about fire safety.
Inside there are fire engines ranging from horse drawn carriages of the nineteenth century to modern vehicles of the Fire Department of the City of New York, equipment from different eras, and an exhibition dedicated to the 343 firefighters who lost their lives on September eleventh, 2001.
A special highlight is an interactive fire safety tour for children, featuring a model apartment filled with simulated smoke and ultraviolet lighting that reveals hidden hazards.
8. American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog
📍 101 Park Avenue, Manhattan (Murray Hill / Midtown)
Subway: Lines 4, 5, or 6 to Grand Central–42nd Street; Shuttle line S to Grand Central
Tickets: 15 United States dollars for adults, 5 United States dollars for children under twelve years of age
Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 11:00 to 18:00; last entry at 17:00. Monday and Tuesday — closed
Website: museumofthedog.org
The American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog is a unique cultural space in the center of Manhattan dedicated entirely to the relationship between humans and dogs through art, history, and interactive technology.
Founded in 1982, the museum returned to New York City in 2019 after a long stay in Missouri and now houses one of the largest collections of canine fine art in the world, with more than one thousand seven hundred works.
Children can enjoy interactive installations, including a quiz that determines their “breed,” virtual dog training, and facial recognition technology that matches visitors with one of 192 dog breeds.
9. Skyscraper Museum
📍 39 Battery Place, Manhattan (Battery Park City)
Subway: Lines 4 or 5 to Bowling Green; Lines R or W to Whitehall Street
Tickets: free of charge; advance reservation for a time slot is required
Hours: Wednesday through Saturday, 12:00 to 18:00; last entry at 17:30
Website: skyscraper.org
The Skyscraper Museum is an architectural museum founded in 1996. It focuses on high rise buildings as technological achievements, design objects, construction projects, and spaces for human life.
The museum is small and intimate, which makes it special. Large format photographs, historical maps, and detailed building models allow visitors to see the familiar city skyline in a completely new way.
On Saturday mornings, educators run family programs where children learn the basics of engineering, architecture, and urban planning through hands on activities.
10. Museum of the Moving Image
📍 36-01 35th Avenue, Astoria, Queens
Subway: Lines M or R to Steinway Street; Lines N or W to 36th Avenue
Tickets: 15 United States dollars for adults, 11 United States dollars for students and senior citizens, 9 United States dollars for children aged three to seventeen; children under three years of age — free. On Thursdays from 14:00 to 18:00 — free admission
Hours: Thursday, 14:00 to 18:00; Friday, 14:00 to 20:00; Saturday and Sunday, 11:00 to 18:00; Monday through Wednesday — closed
Website: movingimage.us
The Museum of the Moving Image is located in the historic building of Astoria Studios in Queens, one of the oldest film studio complexes in the United States, built in 1920 as the eastern headquarters of Paramount Pictures.
Visitors can create videos, watch screenings in a themed cinema, produce stop motion animation and receive the final file by electronic mail, and add their own sound effects to scenes from The Simpsons.
There is also a large collection of props and costumes from Star Wars, Star Trek, Bride of Frankenstein, and hundreds of other iconic films.
11. El Museo del Barrio
📍 1230 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan (East Harlem / Museum Mile)
Subway: 6 to 103rd Street
Tickets: Suggested donation: $9 for adults, $5 for students and seniors. Children under 12 are free.
Hours: Thursday–Sunday, 11:00 AM–5:00 PM
Website: elmuseo.org
El Museo del Barrio was founded in 1969 in East Harlem by a group of Puerto Rican and African-American parents, educators, and activists who sought to ensure that schools reflected the culture of their community. It is the oldest museum in the United States dedicated to Latin American art.
The permanent collection contains over 6,500 items and spans over 800 years of history: pre-Columbian artifacts, traditional crafts, 20th-century painting and sculpture, photography, and video art.
For children, bilingual workshops on Latin American history, arts, and crafts are regularly held. The museum boasts an Art Deco theater hall—a true hidden gem that hosted Broadway productions in the 1930s. Side Park Café offers Mexican and Latin American dishes, including tacos, margaritas, and rice and beans.
12. New York Botanical Garden
Subway: B/D/4 to Bedford Park Blvd, then bus Bx26; or the Metro-North Harlem line to the Botanical Garden station.
Tickets (weekdays): $35 adults, $31 students/seniors, $15 children. Children under 2 are free. Wednesdays: free for everyone from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM.
Hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00 AM–6:00 PM. Closed Monday.
Website: nybg.org
The New York Botanical Garden is one of the largest in the world, covering 250 acres in the Bronx. It’s a place where nature becomes an adventure for children of all ages.
The heart of the children’s program is the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden: a specially designed garden with seasonal activities for children. Climb a treetop observation walkway and explore winding paths filled with natural finds. Children can dig, plant seeds, and water seedlings at special interactive stations.
In winter, the legendary Holiday Train Show takes place here — trains on miniature tracks among hundreds of architectural models of New York City made from natural materials.
13. Metropolitan Museum of Art
📍 1000 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan (Upper East Side / Museum Mile)
Subway: 4/5/6 to 86th Street; C to 81st Street
Tickets: Children under 12 are free. The 81st Street studio is free for children without a museum ticket. Adults: $30; students: $17.
Hours: Daily, 10:00 AM–5:00 PM; Fri–Sat until 9:00 PM
Website: metmuseum.org
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the world’s greatest museums, and with the right approach, it can captivate even the most restless children. The secret is not to try to cover everything at once, but to choose a few attractions that will spark a child’s imagination.
Kiddie highlights: the Egyptian Temple of Dendur right inside the museum; a huge hall with knights’ armor and swords; mummies and artifacts from Ancient Egypt; and halls of Greek and Roman sculptures.
The museum offers free family programs: on Tuesdays and Thursdays, picture book readings for children 18 months to 6 years old; on weekends, interactive workshops for children 3-11 years old with drawing and crafts right in the galleries. For children 6-12, there’s a special audio guide with 13 themed routes.
14. Drawing Center
📍 35 Wooster Street, Manhattan (SoHo)
Subway: 1 to Houston Street; C/E to Spring Street; N/R to Prince Street
Tickets: $5 adults, $3 students and seniors. Children under 12 are free. Admission is free for everyone on Thursdays from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
Hours: Wednesday 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM, Thursday 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM, Friday-Sunday 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
Website: drawingcenter.org
For creative kids, this place can be a true revelation: here you can see artists’ live, sometimes unfinished, works—the very process of art being born. The space is small, bright, and minimalist. There’s a small bookstore at the entrance.
Perfect for teens who draw: seeing drawings by Egon Schiele, Richard Serra, or Marina Abramović in person is completely different from what you see on screen.
15. Mercer Labs (Museum of Art and Technology)
📍 21 Dey Street, Manhattan (Financial District)
Subway: 2/3 to Fulton Street; A/C to Fulton Street; E to World Trade Center
Tickets: from $52 (family packages available – 2 adults + 2 children). VIP tickets and a Date Night package are also available.
Hours: Mon–Wed 10:00 AM–8:00 PM, Thu–Sun 10:00 AM–10:00 PM.
Website: mercerlabs.com
15 fully immersive rooms, each engaging all the senses: hypnotic soundscapes, installations with perspective illusions, and massive video projections.
One of the most captivating installations is “Dragon”: a room with 500,000 LED lights on strings that create three-dimensional video images, including a galloping horse. At the end of the route is a cave of pink flowers, the museum’s most photogenic spot.
Entertainment centers for kids in New York
These are more of an interactive experiences than boring tours.
1. Sloomoo Institute
📍 475 Broadway, Manhattan (SoHo)
Subway: Lines N, R, or W to Canal Street; Line 6 to Spring Street
Tickets: from 49.99 United States dollars (includes creation of a personalized slime of 240 milliliters)
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 09:00 to 19:00; Friday through Saturday, 09:00 to 20:00; Sunday, 09:00 to 19:00
Website: sloomooinstitute.com
The Sloomoo Institute is a sensory paradise dedicated to slime. There are more than thirty vats with different textures, scents, and colors, a lake containing three hundred fifty gallons of slime that visitors can step into, and an autonomous sensory meridian response station for those who enjoy calming sounds.
A portion of every ticket sale is donated to organizations that support mental health.
2. Madame Tussauds New York
📍 234 West 42nd Street, Manhattan (Times Square)
Subway: Lines 1, 2, 3, 7, N, Q, R, or Shuttle line S to Times Square–42nd Street
Tickets: from 41 United States dollars (cheaper when purchased online); children under two years of age — free
Hours: daily, usually from 10:00 to 20:00
Website: madametussauds.com/new-york
Madame Tussauds in New York City features five floors with more than two hundred wax figures of stars from film, music, sports, politics, and popular culture. The figures are regularly updated to reflect current public figures and fan favorites.
Unlike traditional museums, there are no barriers. Children can hug, pose, and take photographs with every figure.
Popular attractions for families include the Marvel Universe four dimensional cinema experience with wind, water, and scent effects, and the Ghostbusters Experience, where visitors must save New York City from a villain.
There is also a workshop where children aged five and older can create a wax cast of their own hand.
3. Museum of Ice Cream
📍 558 Broadway, Manhattan (SoHo)
Subway: Lines N, R, or W to Prince Street; Line 6 to Spring Street
Tickets: from 25 United States dollars on weekdays and from 33 United States dollars on weekends; children under two years of age — free
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 10:00 to 19:00; Friday through Saturday, 09:30 to 20:30; Sunday, 10:00 to 19:00
Website: museumoficecream.com
The Museum of Ice Cream is not exactly a museum in the traditional sense. Its creators describe it as an “experium,” a hybrid between an attraction, an art space, and a dessert fantasy. It features three floors, thirteen interactive installations, and more than twenty five thousand square feet of space dedicated entirely to ice cream. The main attractions include a three story slide, a pink subway car, and a famous ball pit. The ticket includes unlimited ice cream tastings throughout the visit.
4. SPYSCAPE
📍 928 8th Avenue, Manhattan (Hell’s Kitchen / Columbus Circle)
Subway: Lines A, B, C, D, or 1 to 59th Street–Columbus Circle; Line 1 to 50th Street
Tickets: from 44 United States dollars; combined tickets are available at a higher price
Hours: daily, 10:00 to 20:00 or 22:00
Website: spyscape.com
SPYSCAPE is a multi sensory museum where visitors experience a day in the life of a spy and discover which intelligence role suits them best: agent, analyst, handler, or hacker.
The building was designed by architect Sir David Adjaye, with dim lighting, mirrored glass, and polished steel creating the atmosphere of a spy thriller.
The museum is suitable for adults and children from approximately eight years of age. Younger children may find some tasks too difficult.
Highlights include a laser tunnel that visitors must navigate without touching the beams, code breaking challenges, and lie detection exercises. At the end, each visitor receives a personalized profile analyzing their abilities.
Tips: How to Plan a Visit to a Children’s Museum in New York City
- Buy tickets online. Almost all museums on this list offer a discount of ten to fifteen percent for online purchases and help you save time at the ticket counter.
- Arrive at opening time. Children’s museums in New York City are busiest between 11:00 and 14:00. Arriving at 10:00 allows you to spend the first hours without crowds.
- Check for free admission days. Many museums offer free or discounted entry at specific times or on certain days.
- Consider tourist passes such as New York Pass or City Pass if you plan to visit several museums.
- Use coat check and storage areas. Many museums provide free storage, and some offer space for strollers.
- Food. Museums usually have cafés, but prices are higher than outside. One exception is the Staten Island Children’s Museum, where visitors can bring their own food for a picnic.
- Ferry rides. Some museums can be combined with trips on the New York City Ferry, which is inexpensive and an attraction in itself for children.
