Best Museums for Kids in NYC: Children's Museums and Family-Friendly Museums in NYC

New York City doesn't lack for world-class museums, so when it comes to rooting out the best children's museums in NYC, there are plenty of options! While I've been to MoMA more times than I can count and can while away an afternoon at The Whitney no problem, sometimes my kids need something with a little more action.

That's where these family-friendly children's museums in NYC come in. We've rounded up 13 of our favorites, ranging from those with totally interactive playspaces to spots for making art, studying history, and much more. All of these children's museums in NYC provide plenty of fun things to do and are great indoor activities whether you're beating the summer heat or escaping winter's chill. Stay up to date on all of our favorite culture spots and exhibits by bookmarking our Guide to Museums, Galleries, and Exhibits in NYC.

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1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Upper East Side

What to see: 81st Street Studio, Arms and Armor, The Met Costume Institute, Cantor Rooftop Garden
Best for: Ages 5+
Plan to: Spend a half-day

It's easy to lose yourself in this NYC institution, but at more than 2 million square feet, there's too much to see in one day—or 10! There's really no wrong way to visit The Met, and your picks for favorite kid-friendly galleries may look different than ours. A jumping-off point for a visit with little ones has to be the brand-new 81st Street Studio, a completely FREE art-inspired play space you can visit even if you don't plan to head upstairs to the galleries. Once you're done there, there are masterful paintings and ancient sculptures worth seeing, too, of course, but no matter what you see, we suggest pacing yourself. While you could easily spend the day here, your kids might not be so keen. Take in a gallery or two and call it a day. Head to the nearby (and museum-inspired) Ancient Playground and leave with your kids wanting more to guarantee yourself a return visit! Beyond the galleries, be sure to see what events are on tap, including story times, teen Fridays, and family-focused tours. Our most recent visit we had a blast using its new limited-time AR app that lets you interact with the artwork. Save time to toss some coins into the fountains on the plaza out front or grab a snack from a nearby food cart, then lounge on the steps for some excellent people-watching.

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Walking through The Hall of Dinosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History is an awe-inspiring experience. Photo by Marley White for NYCgo

2. American Museum of Natural History – Upper West Side

What to see: Invisible Worlds, Insectarium, dinosaurs, dioramas, rotating exhibits, the blue whale
Best for: Ages 3+
Plan to: Spend the day

Sometimes it's easy to take the amazing, world-class AMNH for granted, but it's truly one of the city's gems and houses plenty for kids of all ages (including older kids) to check out. If you haven't visited lately, it's time for a return, thanks to the 2023 opening of the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation, which brought 230,000 more square feet of exhibit space to the museum. Butterflies are now a permanent fixture thanks to the Gilder Center gallery built especially for them, plus you can also peep an entire colony of carpenter ants in the Insectarium or immerse yourself in Invisible Worlds theater for a multi-sensory show that's eye-poppingly beautiful and educational to boot. The preschool set appreciates the Hall of Dinosaurs and the never-ending dioramas. My kids have always loved the Hall of North American Mammals, where they reacquaint themselves with the moose we meet during our summer visits to Grammy and Papa's Colorado cabin. No NYC upbringing is complete without gazing at the big, blue whale hanging in the Hall of Ocean Life, either. We also love the rotating exhibitions, including its current exhibition on The Secret Life of Elephants. Its Rose Center for Earth and Space landed AMNH on our list of the best space museums near NYC, and a planetarium show is a treat! Residents pay what they wish at all times at the ticket counters on-site, though if you want to see special exhibitions, you'll have to pay full price.

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Hands-on art-making inspires kids to get creative at the Brooklyn Children's Museum's ColorLab. Photo by Carolina Cabanillas

3. Brooklyn Children's Museum – Crown Heights, Brooklyn

What to see: Everything!
Best for: Ages newborn-10
Plan to: Spend the day

The Brooklyn Children's Museum is the self-proclaimed first of the children's museums in NYC—and everywhere else—having opened its doors in 1899. Cross the threshold and you'll enter an all-ages kid haven. The Totally Tots exhibit is a must-visit for the youngest museum-goers. The padded play space includes tons of sensory fun. Graduate from that exhibit and World Brooklyn awaits; a pint-sized replica of the borough allows guests to play baker, pizza maker, shopper, shopkeeper, and more. We're forever smitten with its ColorLab, which allows for hands-on art-making, sensory experiences, and interactive story times. ArtRink is a new seasonal delight bringing a rooftop ice skating rink to the museum. The Brooklyn Children's Museum offers pay-what-you-wish admission on Thursdays from 2pm-5pm.

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Go inside the art at the Children's Museum of Manhattan's interactive exhibit. Photo by the author

4. Children's Museum of Manhattan – Upper West Side

What to see: Everything!
Best for: Ages 1-8
Plan to: Spend a half-day

Feeding Alphie the Dragon letters is a rite of passage for Manhattan tots who visit CMOM, one of our favorite children's museums in NYC. Keeping him company are the ever-popular Dora and Diego characters whose long-standing gallery dominates the second floor, plus the gaggles of pint-sized bus drivers and firefighters who visit the galleries daily. Though the space is on the small side (soon to be much bigger), CMOM keeps things fresh with rotating exhibitions. Past favorites have included Hello from Japan, and the ongoing Superpowered Metropolis offers plenty of preschool fun. The seasonal, outdoor Dynamic H2O is a perfect spot to cool off on a hot summer day. Creative kids will always find something new to see, explore, and create in its Inside Art, too.

5. Jewish Children's Museum – Crown Heights, Brooklyn

What to see: Everything!
Best for: Ages 3-12
Plan to: Spend a half-day

The hands-on galleries at the Jewish Children's Museum teach kids about Jewish life and history. Begin with the story of creation, wind your way to the day of rest, Shabbat, and then learn about daily Jewish customs by shopping in a kosher market and cooking in a kosher kitchen. Play a game of mini golf that revolves around Jewish customs from a bris to Bar Mitzvah and a wedding. You can also take an interactive journey through Jewish history in the fourth-floor gallery, learning about the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, the Holocaust, and modern-day Israel. The history is all delivered with a kid-friendly bent, making this spot one of our favorite children's museums in NYC.

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Celebrate "Herstory" day each March at the Museum of the City of New York. Photo by Filip Wolak/courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York

6. Museum of the City of New York – East Harlem

What to see: New York at Its Core, Timescapes, special children's programming
Best for: Ages 5+
Plan to: Spend a couple of hours

The Museum of the City of New York is among my favorite under-the-radar children's museums in NYC. My kids know the halls like the backs of their hands and always beg to see the New York at its Core exhibit. The Timescapes video plays on a loop in the ground-floor theater and gives a wonderful, condensed overview of the city's history. Beyond that, the education team at the museum is top-notch, always coming up with timely, inventive one-off programs that we can't get enough of. Case in point: My daughters and I spent a "Herstory Day" here celebrating with Misty Copeland and Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani before decorating our own activist tote bags. Check out the events calendar to see what they've got planned. Bonus: All family programs are included in admission and come with a snack for participants! Admission is always suggested and kids ages 19 and under enter for FREE.

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Miss Piggy is a vision in white at the Museum of the Moving Image. Photo courtesy of the museum

7. Museum of the Moving Image – Astoria, Queens

What to see: Jim Henson Exhibit, Behind the Screen, included-with-admission screenings
Best for: Ages 5+
Plan to: Spend a half-day

The Museum of Moving Image is home to a spectacular Jim Henson exhibition, but it's just a fraction of the fun here for families. Besides visiting the creative genius' famous Muppets, take your kids to Behind the Scenes, where you can make interactive film clips and see some famous movie memorabilia. Make sure you pose for a picture with Jedi master Yoda! The on-site theater screens movies related to current exhibitions, as well as popular recent kid hits. School vacations generally mean you can attend a screening and participate in a related workshop. FREE admission is offered on Thursday afternoons from 2pm-6pm.

8. DiMenna Children's History Museum at the New-York Historical Society – Upper West Side

What to see: DiMenna Children's History Museum, rotating exhibits, seasonal train display
Best for: Ages 3+
Plan to: Spend a half-day

I've heard about the many interesting exhibitions the New-York Historical Society has for grown-ups, but my kids always herd me straight toward the children's museum located within. They love to read about the orphan trains, play an interactive tabletop baseball game, and scream like newsies of years past. The on-site library offers plenty of New York-centric books to dive into, and regular story times dot the calendar. Many of the traveling exhibitions upstairs are kid-appropriate, too. Another kid draw here is the seasonal holiday train show every winter. Admission is pay what you wish on Fridays from 6pm-8pm.

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At 30,000 square feet, there is plenty of space to run, romp, and explore in the Science Playground at the New York Hall of Science. Photo by Diana Kim

9. New York Hall of Science – Flushing, Queens

What to see: Everything!
Best for: All ages
Plan to: Spend the whole day

The New York Hall of Science is packed with hands-on fun for kids of all ages (and the adults accompanying them!). The smallest museum visitors will have plenty of interactive, science-inspired fun in the Preschool Place with its pulleys and wheel-barrows, as well as soft padded surfaces to crawl on and explore. The Maker Space always has cool projects, while Connected Worlds is a larger-than-life touchscreen where you can manipulate an environment to keep it healthy and thriving. In the summer, the outdoor Rocket Park Mini Golf and newly renovated Science Playground are so cool, kids don't even realize the lessons they're learning. We're also psyched that its popular Big Bubble Experiment has reopened, too. At this children's museum in NYC, free general admission is offered Fridays from 2pm-5pm.

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Trains, buses, a kid-friendly history of the Brooklyn Bridge—it's all at The New York Transit Museum. Photo courtesy of the museum

10. New York Transit Museum – Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn

What to see: A museum in a subway stop, what could be better!?!
Best for: Ages 3+
Plan to: Spend half a day

No train-obsessed tot can turn down a visit to the New York Transit Museum, which is housed in an old subway stop below street level in Brooklyn Heights. Old-school subway cars beg to be climbed aboard and explored; old-school ads entertain mom and dad. There are buses and trolleys to test-drive, too, and all manner of turnstiles to investigate. Regularly scheduled programming includes rides on its vintage fleet, tours of abandoned stations suitable for tweens and up, and more. Catch its vintage fleet of buses at special annual events like Atlantic Antic. If you're in Grand Central, make sure to check out this museum's annex there, which is particularly dazzling during the holidays when it's home to a FREE holiday train show.

11. Staten Island Children's Museum – Snug Harbor, Staten Island

What to see: Everything!
Best for: Ages newborn-10
Plan to: Spend half a day

Catch a ride on the Staten Island Ferry to get to this off-the-beaten-path gem among children's museums in NYC. Located on the grounds of the Snug Harbor Cultural Center, there's plenty to do at this Staten Island kids' mecca. Play larger-than-life games in the Big Games gallery, get a close-up look at insects in the exhibit dedicated to them, or take the stage in Portia's Playhouse. The seasonal Sea of Boats is a summertime draw, too. Keep an eye out for occasional FREE admission dates.

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Kids can create art at the Sugar Hill Children's Museum of Art & Storytelling. Photo by the author

12. Sugar Hill Children's Museum of Art & Storytelling – Harlem

What to see: Everything!
Best for: Ages 2+
Plan to: Spend half a day

This uptown culture spot is part gallery, part kid-friendly creative studio, which adds up to make it one of our favorite children's museums in NYC. Located in a David Adjaye-designed building, this below-ground space is still flooded with light. Soaring ceilings encompass three galleries: The main space, dubbed The Living Room, houses a site-specific installation rotated annually. Two smaller galleries showcase works by the artist-in-residence and past artists who have called the arts-centric surrounding neighborhoods home. A pair of studios are open for creating. Sometimes projects are inspired by what's on view; other times by the teaching artists, or the available materials. We always seem to leave with armloads full of fresh art. Interactive story times are a must-see, too: Audience participation is encouraged, whether the storytellers read from a book or perform a piece from memory. Best of all, admission is always FREE for kids ages 8 and under.

13. Bronx Children's Museum – West Concourse, the Bronx

What to see: Everything!
Best for: Ages 1-10
Plan to: Spend three hours

The long-awaited brick-and-mortar location of the Bronx Children's Museum opened to fanfare in late 2022, bringing with it a 13,000-square-foot play space for area kids. Its exhibits are an homage to its home borough and its Harlem River-front location. You'll be hard-pressed to pull little water-lovers away from the 35-foot-long water table, which traces Bronx Waterways like the Bronx River and Orchard Beach. There are live animals to meet, story times to hear, a mini city block to explore, and a spectacular padded play area for crawlers and walkers that's well portioned off from the rest of the romping spots. We loved that our play session—they run three hours—ended with a festive parade right to the exit. It was an exclamation point of fun for the kids, and made it easy for parents to usher little ones straight out the door. Museum admission is pay-as-you-wish. The one drawback: Hours are limited to Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and tickets often get snapped up well in advance.

Originally published in 2019.