A Day With The Kids On The Westside Of Manhattan
When looking for a way to spend the day with the kids in Manhattan, you have several options to choose from. For a fun day out with the kids, we recommend the Westside! Take some time away from your Glenwood apartment for a day of fun adventures. From kid-friendly museums to child-friendly lunches, there’ss no shortage of activities for the little ones, as you’ll see below!
Eat At A Kid Friendly Restaurant
While there aren’t many restaurants in NYC that strictly ban children, there are restaurants that are more kid friendly than others. For starters, Big Daddy’s Diner is a fun spot to take the little ones…not only for the bright and retro decor, but for food that screams childhood (think: tater tots, ice cream floats, and chocolate chip pancakes.) This can easily become your go-to Saturday morning brunch spot!
The casual kid friendly Shake Shack also has a Westside location, and their burgers, fries, and shakes are legendary to both NYC kids and their parents! They have a basement which accommodates seating, but if it’s too packed consider bringing your food across the street (the American Museum of Natural History has a wonderful park around it, with plenty of benches and green areas for picnicking.)
And for a fantastic pizza pie, look no further than Patsy’s Pizzeria. Their pizzas are perfect for sharing, and make an easy and affordable meal out with the entire family!
Check Out A Kid-Friendly Museum
Museums fill the Westside of Manhattan, and lucky for your tiny tots, many of them are catered right to them! The Children’s Museum of Manhattan, where kids can literally run wild and free for five entire floors, is an excellent spot to let them explore things such as make-believe, sand boxes, arts and crafts activities, jungle gyms, and dress up. It truly caters to kids as young as one year old all the way up to the teens.
Or, head on over to the American Museum of Natural History. From the live butterfly exhibit to the giant dinosaurs and whales on display, kids will adore exploring science in this fun way. They also have programs designed specifically for kids and their parents that take place over the course of a few weekends, making this a great option for an ongoing activity. Check their website for classes that interest you!
Another great option? The New York Historical Society! While most of the museum is catered to adults, nestled in the basement they have an entire floor dedicated just to kids. From hands-on exhibits exploring NYC history to a ginormous library of books, ranging from picture books to chapter books, this is a fantastic spot to while away an afternoon, while staying warm. So easy for residents living at The Encore.
See A Show
Whether you want to avoid the heat or cold (depending on the time of year) by heading to the newest kid release at the local movie theater (the Westside even has an Imax theater!) or go into Central Park for a performance at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, kids will adore time with their parents seeing something special. Don’t forget about all the kid friendly Broadway shows happening on the Westside, too, such as Frozen, Aladdin, The Lion King, and Wicked. Broadway is perfect for residents living at Crystal Green and Emerald Green.
Pair seeing a show with a nice walk in the park afterwards (Westside residents have easy access to both Central Park as well as Riverside Park), and your day out with the kiddos will be one for the books!
What are your favorite kid-friendly activities on the Westside? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter!
Posted in manhattan living, Things To Do in NYC, Westside | Tagged a day in the west side of manhattan • activities for nyc for kids • kid friendly exhibitions nyc
