BROOKE CAMPBELL-BAYES
Mum to daughter Edie,
Co-founder, Publisher and Editorial Director
of Show + Tell Online,
Journalist and TV/ Radio Producer.
FEATURED DESTINATION
New York, United States of America
Image source
“I was expecting NYC to be a little tricky with children, but I’ve found it to be the opposite.Sure, the subway isn’t fun with a toddler and pram in tow when you need to get up 4893 flights of stairs (HOLY MOLY!!) but I’ve been so surprised by how much there is to do with children here.”
There are endless festivals, free concerts in the park, movies in the park, puppet shows, playgrounds, children’s museums and not to mention any kind of class you can think of – art, cooking, ceramics, yoga, drama – you name it, NYC has it!
In terms of family-friendly accommodation, I don’t think you can go past Airbnb. There are some amazing hotels in NYC but most of the rooms are pretty small, even just for two adults, so if you add in a little one or two it may push you over the edge! If you have a child who is still at the napping during the day stage (I pray mine will be at that stage until she’s 18) the majority of rooms are so small that there’s nowhere to escape during that time so you’ll be stuck in the corner trying not to breathe in case they wake. Who needs that kind of anxiety on holiday?! Also, if you have more than one child you’d need to get two hotels rooms so financially Airbnb makes more sense.
There are a quite a few children’s museums and most days they have a ‘drop-in’ class where you pay a small fee and pop in for songs-time and craft and lots more, then afterwards you can roam around the museum. My fave so far is the Brooklyn Children’s Museum – there’s a room for painting and drawing, another for science experiments and another space for reading, playing musical instruments etc. Then the actual museum itself is super fun for little ones, loads for them to explore.
“Puppet shows a real ‘thing’ for children here, I take Edie to one in Williamsburg (Puppetsburg) each week and each week they put on a different show. She loves it!”
There are a few free pools for children if you’re here over summer, Edie and I are living at the McCarren Park Pool at the moment. You’ve never seen a pool with more ‘rules’ but you will lose hours here, super fun for the little ones.
Speaking of Summer, most playgrounds have water fountains and sprinklers for the children to play around and run through – a BIG hit with little ones.
When it come to eating, there are a few gems for children in Brooklyn (where I’m based) such as Cafe Habana (sandpit for the kids), Brooklyn Barge, Brooklyn Crab and basically any beer garden, but in NYC it’s a little harder…if a cafe has highchairs then it will make the ‘great for children’ list! Usually far from it. For older kids, Ellen’s Stardust Diner is a good time for kids, singing waiters entertain the children while they’re waiting for their meals – and even take requests, I hear “Let It Go” is sung 17894 times a day!
In terms of great day trips with children – there are loads, but here are my top four;
ONE.
Take the subway to Coney Island for the day – you can go to the amusement park (so many rides for children), then for lunch and a swim at the beach. The NYC Aquarium is also next door if you have time to fit it in too.
TWO.
Go on a ferry ride from Manhattan (34th Street & 1st Avenue) over to DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) for a ride on Jane’s Carousel (the best views of NYC) it’s only four stops from Manhattan and the children will love the ride over. Once you’re there they can ride the carousel and there are lots of places for lunch afterwards.
THREE.
You can also take a ferry from Manhattan to Long Island City in just one stop. I never even knew this place existed. As soon as you get off the ferry you’ll see a great, gated playground with a HUGE sandpit, it’s such a pretty spot right on the water – and there’s a cute cafe on the water for the parents (yes, with wine!) so you can have a Rosé while the children play in the sandpit. Don’t mind if I do!
Too much toddler fun!
FOUR.
Central Park Zoo and Prospect Park Zoo are both awesome and definitely worth a visit. Both Central Park and Prospect Park also have free concerts and fun things to do with children over Summer so check out their websites to see what’s on when you’re in town.
Want to hear more from Brooke?
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Images via @brookecampbellbayes
