With kids

A weekly Saturday series running at several branches. Which branch and what time is on each branch’s own page.

Cost: Free

Weekly at the Bay Ridge branch, in the Children’s Program Room.

Last checked, it ran: Wednesdays at 11:00 AM.

Cost: Free

Four weekly storytime types run at branches system-wide, each with an official age band: Babies & Books (0–18 months), Toddler Time (18 months–3 years), Preschool Story Time (3–5 years) and Story Play (0–5 years). Which branch runs which, and when, lives on the branch’s own page.

Cost: Free

Continuous programming for children at branches across Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island. Their own calendar filters by audience — the day and time vary by branch.

Cost: Free

A dedicated children’s floor at 455 Fifth Avenue, hosting weekly baby and toddler storytimes. The branch is open Mon–Thu 8–9, Fri 8–8, Sat–Sun 10–6.

Cost: Free

Age-banded storytimes on Wednesdays at every location when the term is in session, in English and Spanish: Mother Goose (0–6 months), Toddler (6–18 months), Picture Book (18–36 months) and Story Hour (3–5 years). Their page currently says these programmes are not available — the terms run in autumn and spring.

Cost: Free

Paused right now; the autumn term restarts after Labor Day.

Five-session terms, twice a year in autumn and spring, at 39 locations. Registration is per branch.

Cost: Free

Weekly at the Bay Ridge branch.

Last checked, it ran: Thursdays at 3:00 PM.

Cost: Free

A drop-in play block on weekdays at the Bay Ridge branch.

Last checked, it ran: Weekdays at 3:00 PM.

Cost: Free

A dedicated Youth Wing at Central Library, Grand Army Plaza, with weekly programmes. The branch is open Mon–Thu 9–8, Fri–Sat 9–6, Sun 1–5.

Last checked, it ran: Ready Set Kindergarten Mondays at 3:30 PM; Build with LEGO Tuesdays at 3:30 PM in the Youth Wing.

Cost: Free

Weekly “Open Sessions” at the Field House on Pier 62 in Chelsea. The schedule is published as a date-filtered feed on their own site.

Weekly drop-in programmes at the Brooklyn Field House, published through the same schedule system as Chelsea.

Year-round public general skating sessions at Sky Rink, Pier 61. Pre-registering is recommended.

A standing padded play space at the Chelsea Field House with trampolines, a ball pit and obstacle courses, in their words “for toddlers and preschoolers”.

Weekly at selected branches, Monday to Thursday during after-school hours. Drop in — no booking.

Cost: Free

Each recreation centre with an indoor pool publishes its own session types — lap, family and open swim — on its own page. Included with membership.

Cost: Included with membership

Year-round swimming at the dozen or so recreation centres with indoor pools, on a membership rather than per-visit basis. Membership is free for under-25s, which makes recreation-centre swimming effectively free for children and teenagers plus one paying adult.

Cost: Membership $150 a year for adults, $25 for seniors, and free for under-25s

A recurring free programme at playgrounds across the city. Their own page carries the schedule.

Cost: Free

A standing children’s destination at Central Library, 89-11 Merrick Boulevard in Jamaica, open during branch hours: Mon–Thu 10–8, Fri 10–6, Sat 10–5, Sun 12–5.

Cost: Free

Drop in with a free 40-minute timed pass, for ages 4 to 12; weekday-morning sessions in the school year are for 0 to 4s. The museum publishes both a summer and a school-year schedule, which is rare enough to be worth saying.

Last checked, it ran: Summer, through Labor Day: daily except Tuesday, 10:30–1:25 and 2:15–5:10. School year: weekends 10:30–1:25 and 2:15–5:10; weekdays except Tuesday, a pre-K session 10:30–11:55 and an all-ages session 1:30–5:10.

Cost: Included with admission

The summer schedule runs through Labor Day, September 7; the school-year schedule starts after it.

Open daily 10 AM–5:30 PM on Central Park West.

Cost: Pay what you wish for New York State residents, suggested $25 and $14 for children 3–12; under 3 free

Open Wed–Sun 10 AM–5 PM at 145 Brooklyn Avenue in Crown Heights; closed Mondays and Tuesdays. For ages 6 months to 10 years.

Cost: $15 per person

There is no general free day and no free hours here. Reduced admission runs through eligibility programmes instead: Museums for All (EBT), Cool Culture, Culture Pass and library passes.

Cost: Free or discounted for those eligible

Open daily 10 AM–5 PM at 212 West 83rd Street, with the daily public programmes included. Designed for ages 0 to 6.

Cost: $17 online, $1 more at the door; under 1 free

Summer hours run through Labor Day, September 7.

A daily standing schedule of drop-in sessions for ages 0 to 4, included with admission. The strongest daily structure of any museum in this list.

Last checked, it ran: Circle Time 10:30–11; Mural Wall and Messy with Art 11:15–12:15; the daily programme 1:45–2:30; Messy with Art 2:45–3:45; Alphie’s Goodbye Storytime at 4:00.

Cost: Included with admission

A rolling calendar of family events at Pier 86, plus an annual Kids Week in February. The museum is open Mon–Fri 10–5 and Sat–Sun 10–6.

Open Wed–Sun 10 AM–5 PM in Corona, Queens; closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Cost: $22 adult; $19 child, student or senior

Weekly in the Brooklyn Education Center, plus Department of Education recess breaks. For all ages.

Last checked, it ran: Saturdays 11 AM–2 PM.

Cost: Free with admission

Open Wed–Sun 10 AM–4 PM at 99 Schermerhorn Street in Downtown Brooklyn. Advance tickets are released three weeks ahead.

Cost: $10 adult; $5 child aged 2–17

A monthly family tour and workshop in Brooklyn, for ages 5 to 14.

Last checked, it ran: The second Sunday of the month, 2–3:30 PM.

Cost: $20 adult; $10 child, admission included

A session for 18-month to 3-year-olds in the Brooklyn Education Center. Not a drop-off programme — an adult stays.

Last checked, it ran: Selected Thursdays and Sundays, 9:30–10:30 AM.

Cost: $40 per family, covering one child plus adults, admission included

A standing free window every Thursday afternoon, with two workshops running inside it. Reserving online is recommended.

Last checked, it ran: Thursdays 2–5 PM; ColorLab art workshop 2:15–5, Nature’s Engineers makerspace 2:30–5.

A weekly reduced-price window on Friday afternoons. An advance online reservation is required.

Last checked, it ran: Fridays 2–5 PM.

An annual seasonal run at Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center — a November-to-January pattern rather than a year-round show. Officially no minimum age, and under-2s sit on a lap free.

The 2026–27 dates are not posted yet; the 2025–26 run was November 7 to January 4.

Weekend performances of “Little Red’s Hood” in Central Park at West 79th Street and West Drive. Weekday school shows are suspended during a $10.4m renovation. Officially ideal for ages 3 to 7. Tickets must be bought online in advance — there are no walk-ups.

Cost: $10 child; $15 adult; under 2 free

A year-round rotating season of family productions at 209 West 42nd Street, not one show. The 2026–27 season is posted from October 2026 to May 2027 — “Rosie Revere, Ada Twist, and Iggy Peck” opens it in October. Sensory-friendly performances are offered.

A run at New World Stages, Stage 2, 340 West 50th Street, now extended through January 18, 2027. Officially “2 to 102”.

Last performance January 18

Weekend marionette shows at Industry City, 51 35th Street in Brooklyn — they moved there from Park Slope. Officially suggested for ages 3 and up. There are gaps between productions.

Last checked, it ran: Saturdays and Sundays at 12:30 and 2:30 PM.

Cost: $11 child; $12 adult

The autumn show, Hansel & Gretel, runs September 12 to October 25, 2026; reservations open September 1.

Three original youth-cast musicals a year at 15 West 28th Street, each running three or four weekends. Officially recommended for ages 3 and up.

Cost: Pay what you can from $1, cash, at the rush an hour before shows

The 2025–26 season has ended; the 2026–27 season posts in the autumn.

A year-round carousel in Bryant Park with a published month-by-month schedule — the most modelable of the city’s carousels. Weather permitting. Riders under 42 inches need an accompanying paying adult.

Last checked, it ran: June to August daily 10 AM–8 PM; September to December daily 11 AM–8 PM; January daily 11–7; February Thu–Sun 11–6; March to May daily 11–7.

Cost: $5 a ride, $6 from November 3 to January 4; 10-ride cards $42 or $51

Open year-round mid-park at about 65th Street, weather permitting. Every rider needs a ticket.

Last checked, it ran: Daily 10 AM to dusk.

Cost: $4 a ride; 15 rides $52, 25 rides $82

A restored carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park, DUMBO.

Last checked, it ran: Summer, to September 13: 10 AM–6:50 PM, closed Tuesdays. Winter, January 1 to March 16, 2027: 11 AM–5:50 PM, closed Mon–Wed.

Cost: $4 a ticket; one child under 42 inches and one adult may share a ticket

Summer hours run May 11 to September 13, 2026.

Free, around the clock, between Whitehall Terminal in Manhattan and St George on Staten Island. The benchmark free day out, and it does not change.

Last checked, it ran: Every 15 to 20 minutes at rush hour, every 30 minutes otherwise and at weekends.

Cost: Free

Daily scheduled service year-round on routes across the city, including the Governors Island shuttle and the Rockaway route — the cheapest boat ride in New York, and the cheapest way to a beach.

Cost: $4.50 one way, with free 120-minute transfers

An indoor carousel at The Battery, State Street and Battery Place. Tickets are sold in person only. Weather permitting.

Last checked, it ran: Open seven days until 9 PM; their page shows two different opening times, 9 AM and 11 AM.

Cost: $6 a ride, or $55 for ten; under 12 months free; riders under 42 inches ride on an adult’s lap and both are ticketed

Open daily year-round, reached by ferry from the Battery Maritime Building at 10 South Street and, in season, from Brooklyn. Summer hours are 7 AM–10 PM Sun–Thu and 7 AM–11 PM Fri–Sat, with ferries every 30 minutes and every 15 at peak weekend times.

Cost: Ferry $5 round trip

Summer hours run May 22 to September 7.