Visiting New York with children can be a fabulous adventure, full of exciting discoveries and activities. Lucille, 10, and Joris, 12, share their favourites that could inspire your next family trip to New York. Here is a ranking based on their personal experiences, which is sure to guide and delight your little explorers. These rankings represent the sum of their individual scores, starting with the activity they enjoyed the most and ending with the one that left the least impression on them.
Ranking of children’s favourite activities
| Activities | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central Park Zoo | I love the animals and the shows. It’s an impressive and rewarding experience. |
| 2 | The Edge | Breathtaking views and captivating modern architecture, despite the crowds. |
| 3 | Summit One Vanderbilt | A vertiginous, child-friendly space offering superb views of New York. |
| 4 | RiseNY | A thrilling ride that feels like flying, although the wait can be long. |
| 5 | Escape virtuality | An immersive virtual adventure that can be interrupted by less-than-friendly staff. |
| 6 | Intrepid Air Sea Museum | An exciting dive into history with aircraft reproductions and a flight simulator. |
| 7 | Grand Central Terminal | A landmark that impresses with its beauty, but can be noisy. |
| 8 | Times Square | A dazzling and bustling New York icon, but often noisy and crowded. |
| 9 | Empire State Building | Incredible views of New York from an iconic landmark, with extraordinary reconstructions. |
| 10 | Little Island | A peaceful haven on the water, with activities for children, although sometimes overcrowded. |
| 11 | Broadway Harry Potter | A magical, majestic show that transports children into the world of witchcraft. |
| 12 | Statue of Liberty and museum | An imposing symbol of freedom, with a wealth of explanations, even if they are sometimes complex for children. |
| 13 | 9/11 Workshop | A poignant and educational place that leaves its mark on people’s minds with its history. |
| 14 | Walking in Central Park | An ideal place to relax and enjoy nature in the heart of the city. |
| 15 | Ellis Island and its museum | An instructive journey through the history of American immigration, despite its length. |
| 16 | One World Observatory | Breathtaking views from the highest tower, despite a show that’s not to everyone’s taste. |
| 17 | Top of the Rock | Magnificent panoramic views of the city, although the infrastructure is in need of renovation. |
| 18 | 9/11 Memorial Museum | A moving place of remembrance that can be a little complex for children. |
| 19 | Harlem Gospel Tour | An enriching cultural experience with a spellbinding choir, but a lengthy introduction. |
| 20 | American Museum of Natural History | A fascinating educational institution, albeit different from its cinematic representations. |
| 21 | Hudson Yards Tower (honeycomb structure) | Interesting architectural design and a nice, if lengthy, guided tour. |
| 22 | Boat cruise | Breathtaking views of the city on a relaxing but potentially long and noisy cruise. |
| 23 | Chelsea Market Tour | An enjoyable shopping experience with friendly guides, but a little time consuming. |
| 24 | St Patrick’s Cathedral | A silent and magnificent cathedral that offers a moment of peace in the city. |
What to do in New York when you’re 10
Lucille, aged 10, had a series of exciting adventures during her stay in New York. Her love of nature and wildlife was fully satisfied at Central Park Zoo: “I really enjoyed the magnificent sea lion show. It was very impressive to see the sea lions so well trained. We even got to see the penguins eating”.
From the dizzy heights of The Edge, she expressed her boundless enthusiasm, declaring that she really loved the experience. The glass platform gave her a special thrill, and she highly recommends this activity for the feeling of space and the great activities it offers.
Summit One Vanderbilt also caught her eye for its generous spaces and magnificent view: “I really liked it because it’s suitable for children and there’s a magnificent view at the top with lots of space. I’d recommend it”.
RiseNY was a source of thrills, despite its brevity, which she found a little disappointing: “I really liked the thrills and the height but I thought the activity was too short.”
Escape Virtuality ‘s virtual adventures were a total immersion for her, where she felt truly transported, although her experience was deemed too short.
Seeing a Broadway show, and in particular Harry Potter, was a spectacular and majestic moment for her.
Little Island, with its greenery and many activities, was perfectly adapted to her age and contributed greatly to her entertainment : “I loved the greenery of the park, it’s very suitable for children with the many activities on offer”, while the grandeur and giant screens of Times Square were both fascinating and a little too noisy for her.
Walking in Central Park was a pleasure because of the fantastic activities, but she noted that the park was teeming with people. Experiences at places like Grand Central Terminal, although beautiful and spacious, proved to be a little too long and commercial for her.
The educational visits to places like the 9/11 Workshop and the Statue of Liberty were very informative, despite some shortcomings. Lucille found these places beautiful and memorable, but sometimes a little too long for a child her age.
The American Museum of Natural History offered her a lot to discover, but she felt it was too big.
Although she found the height of the One World Observatory impressive, the overall experience felt boring and not worth the wait. Attractions such as the boat cruise and the visit to Chelsea Market were felt to take too long.
Finally, her experience of the Harlem tour with the Gospel mass was mixed, finding the walk around the district too long, even though the choir was magnificent.
And at the age of 12?
At the age of 12, Joris was delighted by the bright lights of Times Square, which he found magnificent and dazzling. At Central Park Zoo, he found nothing to complain about.
The height of The Edge, with its balcony and glass platform, gave him a breathtaking view of the city, despite the crowds. Summit One Vanderbilt captured her imagination with its aluminium balloons and hall of mirrors.
TheIntrepid Air Sea Museum was a source of admiration for him with its aircraft reproductions and simulator, while RiseNY provoked admiration with its attractions that gave the impression of flying, even if he found the wait long and the amount of information to read excessive. Grand Central Terminal impressed him with its beauty, although the ambient noise tempered his experience.
The view from One World Observatory was a real bonus for him, with a quick lift up. He found the Empire State Building very tall, with a balcony offering a 360° view.
Walking in Central Park was a breath of fresh, relaxing air for him, a place where the noise seemed to disappear and where he could even touch squirrels. He found the tour of Harlem with the Gospel mass rewarding thanks to a great guide and a lovely choir, but the length of the visit was a downside.
He marvelled at the Statue of Liberty and its museum, although he was somewhat put off by the construction work and the complexity of the explanations. Ellis Island offered him an accessible, if lengthy, history lesson, and the 9/11 Workshop was very instructive for him, despite its emotionally charged nature.
Finally, the boat cruise offered superb views, but the length and noise were weak points of the experience.
A word from the adults
Despite their enthusiasm for Central Park Zoo, it’s still a zoo, so it’s not necessarily the attraction we’d recommend as a top 1. On the other hand, for tweens and teens, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the 9/11 Workshop and the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space museum are real additions to their understanding of immigration to New York, the Second World War and more recent events. Too young for the Spyscape Museum, but that’s all right.
