12 Great Children’s Museums to Visit with Your Family

12 Great Children’s Museums to Visit with Your Family

Whether you’re looking for a day of adventure and learning with the kids to get through the last days of summer, or are looking for a museum specifically designed for kids, New York has the best deals.

While museums are sometimes characterized as quiet spaces filled with boring exhibits, these museums are specifically designed with children in mind. Many of these choices feature highly interactive and sensory exhibits designed for growing intellects.

Whether your child is interested in art, science, history, or something in between, a children’s museum is sure to please you and your family.

Below you will find a list of children’s museums in New York that you can visit with your family!

Psst…Here’s a handy family guide to Coney Island!

Brooklyn Children’s Museum

145 Brooklyn Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213

As the first children’s museum in the United States, built in 1899, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum does not disappoint. The museum is designed to encourage little ones to explore multiple senses and stimulate social, physical and emotional development.

With various exhibitions At Totally Tots (with nine different sensory play areas) and The Nest on the roof terrace, children can experience for themselves what the museum has to offer.

One of the most unique features of the museum is the World Brooklyn exhibition. This is the BCM’s own mini-Brooklyn with mini-stores based on the real ones they would find all over Brooklyn. Here they get the chance to learn about the different parts of a community and what helps it thrive.

Manhattan Children’s Museum

212 W 83rd St, New York, NY 10024

The Children’s Museum of Manhattan has long been a beloved attraction for thousands of children, families and educators from the five boroughs and beyond.

Discover here what the museum has to offer, such as their exhibition, Indoor Art: Creating, Climbing, CollaboratingThe interactive exhibition introduces children to contemporary art and discovers new ideas.

Other exhibits include Dynamic H2O, which lets kids learn about New York City’s water system; Play Works; Right to Vote, a temporary exhibit celebrating the centennial of women’s suffrage and teaching kids about the importance of voting; and Superpowered Metropolis, an immersive superhero-themed exhibit.

All of these activities are geared toward different ages and are designed to teach children important skills in a fun way.

Fearless Museum

Pier 86, W 46th St, New York, NY 10036

Calling all maritime enthusiasts! Located on the Hudson River in Hell’s Kitchen, the Intrepid Museum is the perfect place for families to learn about military and maritime history. Here you will find exhibits, aircraft and spacecraft aboard the museum ship USS Intrepida World War II aircraft carrier, along with a cruise missile submarine called USS Growler.

Touring real warships is a unique experience that you won’t find anywhere else in New York. And it’s something your kids will never forget.

DiMenna Children’s History Museum

170 Central Park West at Richard Gilder Way (77th Street), New York, NY 10024

The DiMenna Children’s Museum is part of the New York Historical Society’s museum and offers families and children the opportunity to learn about America’s past, present and future.

Learn about the history of the country and New York City through exhibits that teach visitors about the lives of historical figures from childhood to adulthood. Join in with sing-alongs, crafts, and games throughout the museum.

Discover the past of our country and let your child participate in various interactive exhibitions and lessons!

Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art and Storytelling

898 St. Nicholas Avenue at 155th Street New York, NY 10032

The Sugar Hill Museum was founded as a place where families could participate in cultural programs while meeting the educational needs of young children in the community.

The creators understood that children are natural artists, so they created a place where children could view art, but also share and create art based on their own stories.

Children can not only discover art through the exhibitions or participate in the museum’s workshops and events, such as storytelling hours.

Staten Island Children’s Museum

1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301

Located in the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, the Staten Island Children’s Museum offers hands-on creative and cultural experiences for children ages 1 and up. There are 12 indoor and outdoor exhibits to explore, as well as workshops, storytimes and more.

Become a junior entomologist at Bugs & Other Arthropods, get up close to nature on the Garden Terrace or go on a global adventure in Great Explorations.

Jewish Children’s Museum

792 East Pkwy, Brooklyn NY 11213

Take your child to learn about Jewish culture in a fun and engaging environment. At the Jewish Children’s Museum, you can relive famous Biblical stories and learn about traditions and customs within the culture.

Learn about important events in Jewish life in the Six holes of life mini golf course or let your children try out the climbing wall, where they ‘climb’ through important events in Jewish history.

The museum itself even has a Kosher supermarket exhibitionwhere children can learn all about what is kosher.

New York Hall of Science

47-01 111th Street, Queens, NY 11368

The New York Hall of Science in Queens is New York’s center for interactive science and the ideal place for young students to learn more about science.

This museum houses a number of fascinating exhibitions such as Powering the City, a Design Lab, Connected Worlds and more. Discover the world and how it works from new perspectives.

National Museum of Mathematics

11 E 26th St, New York, NY 10010

Numbers take on new life at the National Museum of Mathematics. This museum highlights the role of math in the world around us. Let your kids explore the dynamic exhibits and discover how math is all around them, in everything from logo design to sports.

The museum also organizes events, including a math book club which allows children (pre-teens and teens) to continue learning about math even when they are not in the museum.

American Museum of Natural History

200 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024

The American Museum of Natural History brings excitement to learning about history, especially for families. Discover the world of sharks in their new exhibition, which focuses on these spectacular and often misunderstood creatures.

The museum is filled with incredible life-size skeletons, including a Tyrannosaurus Rex! Make sure to reserve tickets for the Hayden PlanetariumYou and your family will be amazed by what this museum has to offer.

Museum of ice

558 Broadway, New York, NY 10012

What better way to end the summer than with a trip to the world’s best museum dedicated to everyone’s favorite frozen dessert? The Museum of Ice Cream has locations all over the country, with the most iconic one in Manhattan (of course!).

The museum doubles as a colorful art installation and an all-you-can-eat ice cream factory! Interactive exhibits include the Celestial Subway, Sprinkle Cave, and Banana Jungle. We have a feeling you’ll be hard-pressed not to make this a regular part of your vacation rotation.

Museum of the Moving Image

36-01 35th Ave, Queens, NY 11106

Discover the history of film at the Museum of Moving Image, a hidden gem in Queens. While the entire museum is not suitable for children (they do show some scary movies), they have created special sections for families to enjoy!

Enjoy hands-on learning experiences, such as the animation table where you can create your own stop-motion videos, or the Jim Henson exhibition exploring the puppet film director’s famous characters such as Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Elmo and many more!