New York City is a cultural mecca with so much to offer. Although Tim grew up there, we had never taken the kids because it felt so overwhelming. We felt like we’d need a week, not just a weekend and certainly you could spend weeks there and never see it all, but we started planning the big stuff and everything fell into place.
I was a little worried about walking through the City and taking the subway with the kids, but they did great. We had one backpack between us to carry lunch, snacks and refillable water bottles each day. The boys stayed close, especially in the December crowds, but they loved seeing all of the lights and action NYC has to offer. They are excited to visit again one day.
Day 1: Liberty and Ellis Island, Ferry To Battery Park, Freedom Tower, Midtown, Central Park, Plaza Hotel Rockefeller Center and Broadway
As we often do, we packed a lot into a single day in the City. We started with a trip to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It was a great way to start the day and the views of the New York skyline were breathtaking. You can read more about our visit to these amazing National Parks here.
When we left Ellis Island, we took the ferry going into Battery Park and then walked to the 9/11 Memorial, where the boys surprised us with so much knowledge of the events that happened that day.
From there we took the NYC Subway to Midtown to see Central Park and Plaza, walk down 5th Avenue and ended up on Broadway. Tim wrote more about our action-packed day here.
Day 2: Hudson Yards, Ice Skating in Bryant Park and Christmas Markets
We had a shorter day for day 2 because we were flying home, but that didn’t stop us from keeping busy. We started our day at the Vessel in Hudson Yards. It’s a massive art structure that you can climb for amazing views. Tickets are free, but you have to reserve timed entry passes 14-days ahead of time. The boys had a blast running up and down.
We were there in December, so afterwards we went to Bryant Park so the boys could ice skate and I could visit the Christmas Markets. It’s free to ice skate in Bryant Park, but you’ll want to reserve timed entry passes ahead of time. If you don’t have your own skates you can rent them when you arrive.
Tyler loved this day so much that he wrote more about it here.
Ways to save money in NYC
- Take advantage of the Liberty Island Ferry to view the skyline instead of doing a Ferry tour on the Hudson.
- Use the subway to reduce travel cost and cover lots of ground quickly.
- Walk up 6th Avenue to Central Park and down 5th. Window shop and go into stores where there is free stuff for kids to do – like the Microsoft Experience Center. Also, walk through points of interest like the Plaza that you may have seen in a movie.
- Visit in December for free entertainment like the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and the lightshow at Saks 5th
What are your favorite things to do in NYC? Let us know in the comments so we can do them on our next trip!
