Long Island City with Kids: 35 Things to Do for NYC Families

The boundaries of many NYC neighborhoods are frequently contested, perhaps none more so than Long Island City, Queens. This sprawling area along Queens' western edge is in fact made up of multiple smaller neighborhoods like Hunters Point, Ravenswood and Dutch Kills, with a bit of spillover into Astoria and Sunnyside. Formerly its own bucolic city, LIC became an industrial hub in the 20th century, filled with factories and commercial bakeries. Over the past 15 years, the area has undergone another major transformation into a thriving arts community and now many of those old buildings serve as TV and movie studios, galleries, restaurants and, of course, fancy condos.

While kid-specific businesses are still sparse here, many families are making their home in LIC (just check out the area's lively family Meetup Group Little in the City), and there are plenty of family-friendly attractions worth making a special trip for, including cultural institutions like Socrates Sculpture Park, the Noguchi Museum and MoMA PS1, cool children's classes at Circus Warehouse and LIC Kids, and indoor ice-skating rink City Ice Pavilion. And since the neighborhood is located along the East River, there are several waterfront green spaces, notably Gantry Plaza State Park.

Throughout August we'll be spotlighting our favorite places to eat, play and visit in Long Island City. For the purposes of our posts, our boundaries are the East River to Jackson Avenue from East to West, and 36th to 54th Avenues from North to South, with a few exceptions further North and East (see, we told you no one could agree on LIC's borders!). Yes, everything is a little spread out, but don’t let that stop you from tackling our list of the top 35 things to do with kids in Long Island City, Queens.

1. View Manhattan from below the iconic Pepsi sign, romp in the colorful waterfront playground and walk along the river in the 12-acre Gantry Plaza State Park
2. Cool off in Gantry Plaza State Park's brand-new state-of-the-art water play area, which even has its own lifeguard
3. Once playtime's done, head to nearby Riverview Restaurant to dine outdoors and enjoy great views of Gantry and the East River
4. Drop in for a half-price trial class (new customers only) at gym and enrichment center LIC Kids
5. Learn juggling, aerial arts, clowning and other circus skills from the pros at Circus Warehouse
6. Marvel at 200,000-square-foot graffiti Mecca 5 Pointz, an outdoor aerosol art museum that's constantly evolving Sadly all of the graffiti was covered over in November 2013 and the building is slated for demolition
7. Peruse piles of second-hand jewelry, figurines, LPs, books and more at Just Things, which has lots of items for just $1
8. Do the downward dog in The Yoga Room's baby and family yoga classes
9. Explore Japanese culture through shadow puppet shows, kabuki and art workshops at Resobox
10. Stop in for some homemade ice cream, chocolate or cookies at Malu Sadly Malu closed its doors in February 2014.
11. Grab a weekday lunch from some of the city's most popular meals on wheels at the LIC Food Truck Lot
12. Chow down on home-style pizzas and pastas at family-run trattoria Manetta's Fine Foods
13. Bike or stroll over LIC's Roosevelt Island Bridge, the only way to access the lovely isle on foot or bike
14. See what's playing at the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, which hosts theater, dance and music performances, including a weekend family series
15. Or see what's on stage at The Secret Theatre, which has frequent family matinees
16. Devour a triple-decker sandwich at the old-school Court Square Diner, where kids’ meals come with Jello or ice cream
17. Want a bacon brownie with that? Hit nearby Sage General Store for artisanal comfort food
18. Chill out at MoMA PS1's Warm Up outdoor music and art series on summer Saturdays
19. Explore outdoor exhibits and drop in for free kids’ art workshops on Saturday mornings at Socrates Sculpture Park
20. Check out more funky statues indoors at the SculptureCenter
21. Picnic and build a sand castle at Hallets Cove—while you can't swim here you can go kayaking for free
22. Try to beat your kids at paintball or laser tag at the newly renamed Indoor Extreme Sports (we're hoping the new management has cleaned it up a bit!)
23. Delight in Little Oven's melt-in-your-mouth macarons Sadly Little Oven closed in August 2012
24. Get creative with your kids at drop-in Open Studio sessions on the first Sunday of every month at The Noguchi Museum
25. Learn to ice-skate or show off your perfectly executed figure eights year-round at indoor rink City Ice Pavilion
26. Escape the sun in the shaded playground at Andrews Grove, which locals call “Shady Park”
27. Head to the waterfront Queensbridge Park for the playgrounds, amazing waterfront views and awesome seasonal entertainment courtesy of SummerStage Kids
28. Drop in to the LIC branch of the Queens Library for weekly storytime for tots
29. Romp in the recently renovated playground and spray showers at Murray Playground
30. Check out the unique rolling pin façade (each representing a donation made to the New York Foundling charity) while grabbing a quick bite at the Breadbox Café
31. Move and groove with your preschoolers in an AudraRox Music for Aardvarks class, held at the New York Irish Center
32. Take your pick of sports and arts classes for kids and adults at the LIC YMCA
33. Groove to kindie rock bands like the Rockdoves and the Itty Biddies at LIC Bar's free summer family concerts on Sundays
34. Explore LIC's third waterfront green space: Rainey Park
35. Rent a bike from LIC Bicycles and explore the neighborhood—make that neighborhoods

Read all of our posts about Long Island City.